Beartooth Highway
Red Lodge, MT → Cooke City, MT · ~68 miles · 1 day
Stylized illustration, not a photo — the real place looks different (and that’s half the fun).
US-212 switchbacks up to nearly 11,000 feet across a tundra plateau of alpine lakes and snowfields, then drops to Yellowstone’s quiet northeast entrance.
Good to know: Weather changes fast near 11,000 ft — carry a warm layer even in July.
Updated July 2026.
“The most beautiful drive in America”.
Charles Kuralt called it the most beautiful drive in America. Tundra in summer, switchbacks that defy belief, and a back door into Yellowstone — seasonal (roughly late May–October).
States on this route
The signature stops
What to pull over for.
The best stops on the Beartooth Highway are the places that define the drive, not just the nearest towns. Roamward orders them for the road: start with Red Lodge, Rock Creek Vista, Beartooth Pass, Beartooth Plateau, then open each stop guide for the pull-over context.
01Red Lodgethe charming start town at the foot of the climb — open the stop guideMT
02Rock Creek Vistaoverlook above the dizzying switchbacks — open the stop guideMT
03Beartooth Passthe 10,947-ft summit, snow even in July — open the stop guideWY
04Beartooth Plateaua high tundra of alpine lakes and wildflowers — open the stop guideWY
05Cooke Citythe end, at Yellowstone’s northeast gate — open the stop guideMT
Where to eat
Restaurants along this route.
Restaurants on the Beartooth Highway are chosen for trip usefulness: gateway-town location, a clear reason to stop, and enough quality to make a traveler save the pick. Start with Miners Saloon, Babcock & Miles, Bearclaw Bakery, Beartooth Cafe.
A curated set of trip-useful meals near the route — enough to anchor driving days without turning the guide into a phone book.
- Miners Saloon
A Cooke City end-of-road saloon meal at the Yellowstone side of the Beartooth run.
- Babcock & Miles
A Red Lodge wine-and-market stop with relaxed food, useful when the Beartooth day wants something lighter than another roadhouse plate.
- Bearclaw Bakery
A Red Lodge pastry-and-coffee launch point before climbing onto the Beartooth switchbacks.
- Beartooth Cafe
A reliable Red Lodge grill for burgers, steaks, and a warm meal before or after the high-alpine Beartooth run.
- Bogart's Restaurant
Long-running Red Lodge Mexican and margarita stop that gives the Beartooth gateway another lively, crowd-pleasing dinner lane.
- Cafe Regis
A Red Lodge breakfast-and-lunch stop before the Beartooth climb, with the relaxed mountain-town pace the route deserves.
- Carbon County Steakhouse
A Red Lodge steakhouse for making the Beartooth overnight feel hearty before the high-country climb.
- Foster & Logan's Pub
Friendly downtown pub with twenty-plus taps and TVs, widely called the town's best burger stop for post-drive hearty fare.
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Stay & experience
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Things to do near Beartooth Highway
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