The Gratts Go West: The Beartooth Highway

Earlier this year, Fran asked if I would be interested in planning a trip to Montana.  My first thought was Glacier National Park, which has a very famous scenic drive called the Going to the Sun Road that is considered to be one of the most beautiful drives in America.  Unfortunately, that park is undergoing construction this year, so it wasn't the best option.

That led to a discussion about the famous Beartooth Highway which is considered to be a close second to the Going to the Sun Road. The Beartooth would take us right into Yellowstone National Park and from there, it would be an easy drive to Grand Teton National Park and we could fly home from Jackson, Wyoming.

I sent Fran my suggestions and the plan was set!  Our itinerary would take us through both Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks.

And we're off!

We picked up a sweet red minivan for our cross-country adventure!

Our hott ride!

Ben packed it like a pro!

Let's hit the road!

Our first stop was the Pollard Hotel in Red Lodge, Montana, population 2,610.

Even though it was only around 2:00 pm, the hotel let us check in right away.

Ben and I walked into our room to find a flooded toilet--whoops!  The hotel staff quickly moved us to a suite right across the hall.

Sweet suite

The hotel was built in 1893 and contains some beautiful historical photos.  

Famous people such as Buffalo Bill Cody and Calamity Jane have stayed here.

The Pollard Family.

An old hotel register from the 1900s.

After getting settled, the four of us walked over to Red Lodge Pizza Co. 

Ben was rewarded with a local beer after all the driving.

The pizza was really good and we were all happy to finally be on vacation!

We walked off our pizza and checked out the town of Red Lodge.  

I spied an antique shop so we all went in to look around.  It was really cool and Ben and Harvey enjoyed looking at the antique guns on display.

We visited the famous Montana Candy Emporium.

My teeth hurt just looking at all this soda.

Then it was early to bed for everyone since we would all be up early to start the drive to Yellowstone! Ben and I were up first and treated ourselves to coffee from the lobby coffee bar.

We had breakfast in the hotel. We ate light since we would be climbing in altitude on the drive.

Fran did not finish that huge bowl of oatmeal.

Then it was time to start our drive out of Red Lodge to Cooke City, MT via the Beartooth Highway.

The Beartooth opens Memorial Day weekend but can close at any time during the summer due to snow.

The Beartooth Highway, also known as U.S. Route 212, is a 64-mile scenic stretch of road renowned for its dramatic views, challenging switchbacks, and high elevation, reaching 10,947 feet at Beartooth Pass.  Fran got some great shots of the highway!

We used a combination of a driving app and my itinerary to stop at viewpoints along the way.  Our first stop was the Rock Creek Vista overlook, elevation 9,190 ft.

These are ground squirrels and we saw them everywhere!  They are cute but they move fast!

Photo credit: Fran Gratt

The Beartooth crosses in and out of Montana and Wyoming along the drive.

The road was closed just a couple of days before our drive due to a snowstorm.  This made for beautiful scenery all through the Beartooth Pass.

The highest point on the drive!

The "bear's tooth" that gives the highway its name!

Little Bear Lake.

Beautiful Island Lake was my favorite stop on the drive.

At Island Lake, we had our first wildlife sighting!

The Pilot and Index Peaks as we approached Yellowstone.

Lake Creek Falls.

We made it to Cooke City which is the official end of the Beartooth Highway.

Then we stopped in nearby Silver Gate for lunch at the Log Cabin Cafe.

Ben, Fran and I all got the trout which is what the restaurant is known for.  It was delicious!

This really hit the spot!

Next door is the famous Stop the Car Trading post, our first chance to get Huckleberry ice cream that Montana and Wyoming is known for.  

This would be the first of many ice cream cones on our vacation!

Then it was just a few minutes to Yellowstone's northeast entrance station.

We're here!

About 30 minutes later, we saw our first bison!  It was such a thrill to see one so close!

Oh give me a home....

We stopped at Calcite Springs overlook which looks over the Yellowstone River. This was also our first look at the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.

Our last stretch of road to our lodging in Canyon Village was over the Dunraven Pass, a mountain pass which connects the Tower and Canyon areas of Yellowstone. 

It started sneeting during the drive!  Mountain weather is so unpredictable!

We made it to Canyon Lodge right around 4:00pm check in time--perfect timing!

Canyon Lodge is a lodge inside Yellowstone National Park.  Park lodging is notorious for being very basic.  I didn't even bother to take any pictures of our room except this one!

Pure luxury.

None of us wanted dinner so Ben and I said goodbye to Fran and Harvey and sat outside on the porch and relaxed before bed.

So happy to finally be here!

Tomorrow we would start exploring Yellowstone!