 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Wyoming
Beartooth
Highway
For anyone going to Yellowstone, there is the most incredible drive out of it called Beartooth Highway.
Gorp has a page about it here.
It is by far the most beautiful drive I've been on and had some of the most amazing views I've seen in my travels.
Comments:
I completely agree about the Beartooth Highway ... we traveled up and over it from Red Lodge to Cooke City in 1991. The top of it is my most favorite spot in the U.S.
The Beartooth Highway is incredible. I worked in Yellowstone a few summers back. We used to backpack in the area all the time. Chief Joseph Highway is also very nice. Tons of incredible views.
Yellowstone National Park - Trip Report, June 2003
This is the day-by-day story of our visit to Yellowstone National Park. We arrived at our West Yellowstone, MT hotel in the evening, driving on I-90 west from Billings to Livingston and then U.S. 191 south through the beautiful but scary Gallatin River valley - scary because there were many, many little white crosses on the sides of the road indicating where someone had died in a car crash. Thankfully, we arrived at our hotel uneventfully and settled in.
Our first full day of vacation was the first day of summer - at 9 a.m. it was raining; at 9:30 a.m. the sun was shining; at 10 a.m. we were in the middle of a snow squall and the temperature was 39F! Welcome to summer in Yellowstone! We had known the weather would likely be cold while we were in the park, but we were hoping to avoid snow and our bigger problem was the airline losing the luggage that had all the hiking boots and cold weather gear! We drove down the Madison River valley, up through Firehole Canyon, and stopped at the store near Old Faithful to buy sweatshirts to wear under our raincoats. Without our boots, we confined our walking to boardwalked and paved trails. We continued on to the West Thumb Geyser Basin on the side of Yellowstone Lake and walked on boardwalk trails around the thermal areas. Snow and sleet were swirling through a stiff wind the entire time, but we enjoyed the lake views and the beautiful blue pools in the area. We drove on to Lake Village and ate lunch in the diner.
In the afternoon the snow really came down, then hail and more snow, and we drove north toward Mammoth Hot Springs. Near Norris Geyser Basin we encountered Boris and Natasha - actually, they both were Boris, I think. These weren't the first bison we'd seen in the park, but they were the first ones we met coming down the middle of the road toward us. There was a mile-long traffic jam behind them, and all we could do was stop and wait for them to pass, which they did just inches from the car door. We took photos, but we put the car window up because the bison could've stuck their heads in if they wanted! The scenery in Yellowstone is incredibly beautiful, even in the midst of a snowstorm, and we enjoyed all of it as we drove around. Near Mammoth a black bear crossed the road in front of us. The snow eventually stopped, and we had dinner at the sit-down restaurant at Mammoth, followed by a nice sunset drive back through the park to West Yellowstone.
We woke the next morning to fog and a cold 36F and drove to Old Faithful Village to hike around the geyser basins. By now the weather was cold and overcast. We hiked about six miles altogether on boardwalk trails for the most part. We saw many geysers erupting, including Grand Geyser which I think reaches the greatest height of all the geysers in the park and, of course, Old Faithful. There weren't many tourists except at Old Faithful.
We had lunch at the grill at Snow Lodge and then drove to another geyser area and hiked a three-mile loop to Mystic Falls, a back-country waterfall. On the return we encountered a bull elk about 20' off the side of the trail. We headed for the Firehole, Gibbon, and Madison Rivers to try some fly fishing. The rivers were swift, and there weren't many nice pools where a fly could linger and entice a fish so no bites on the hook, let alone an actual catch.
Each day as we entered and exited the park we drove down the Madison River valley, and there was always a trumpeter swan swimming on the river. One day it had a baby swimming with it. Also, there was a bald eagle management area along the road and Mama Eagle was on the nest at all times, but we only saw Dad Eagle once and that was thrilling.
On our third day weather was cold and pouring rain all day. We drove to Canyon Village and walked along trails on the north and south sides of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River. The canyon and its waterfalls are beautiful and impressive, and I often felt like I was looking at a wonderful painting instead of nature with the many colors of the rocks contrasting with the green of the pine trees and white water rushing over the falls that became a pretty turquoise in the river bottom. We bought some take-out sandwiches at the Canyon Village deli and had a picnic lunch.
Afterward we drove south through Hayden Valley and saw herds of bison and flocks of waterfowl on the Yellowstone River. We turned around and headed up and over Dunraven Pass and enjoyed the riot of wildflowers on the mountain slopes. Another black bear crossed the road in front of us just above Tower Falls, and we saw a bighorn ewe and her lamb down in the lower canyon of the Yellowstone when we stopped at an overlook. We continued on part way into the Lamar Valley and saw another black bear beside the road.
Our next day began at the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center in West Yellowstone. Our likelihood of seeing a grizzly or a wolf in the wild was remote so we visited this place where rescued bears and wolves reside. It's a bit pricey, but the ticket is good for two days. The center works to educate the public about these animals to foster an appreciation for the need to preserve their habitat. The staff interacts with the animals as little as possible so they can live as "natural" a life as possible. The bears are orphaned or nuisance bears who would likely have died or been destroyed without the center taking them on, and the wolves are from unplanned litters and born in captivity so they can't be released in the wild. I think the center's goals are admirable, and it was particularly thrilling to see the grizzlies. Still, it was difficult to watch these magnificent animals, particularly the wolves, in enclosed surroundings. The higher-ranking wolves continually subjugate the omega female, and she can't escape because of the fencing. If she were in the wild, she could keep her distance and still be part of the pack. It's a trade-off - either all of these animals can live as they do or they could have all been destroyed or died.
After visiting the center we drove into the park toward Dunraven Pass and Mt. Washington, hoping to hike up the mountain, although it had snowed overnight and we weren't sure if the trail would be open. On the way up we saw a bull moose not far from the road in a meadow just below the pass, and soon we created a moose jam. The trail to the top of Mt. Washington was closed so we drove up to the Beartooth Pass instead. This isn't in Yellowstone National Park, but if you enter the park through the northeast entrance, you'll cross over the pass. The vistas were once again very beautiful as we drove along, and we saw a lot of wildlife on the way, including another black bear beside the road in the Lamar Valley. The Beartooth road was open, but the snow on the roadsides was as much as 8' deep so there were no wildflowers blooming yet. The views across the mountains in this area are some of my favorites in the world, and I highly recommend traveling this route from Red Lodge, MT down into Yellowstone, although be sure to check the weather forecast before you do. It's safest to travel in July and August, but there's no guarantee of it being snow-free even then.
On the way back down the mountain we saw a cow moose in a mountain meadow not far from the top of the pass. We stopped at Gibbon Meadows to try fishing in the Gibbon River. My husband was fishing on one side of the river while a herd of eight bison were grazing and bedding down across the river about 30 yards away. I took lots of photos and headed back to the car, leaving him to walk down the river while he fished. As I reached the car parked about 300 yards away, I turned around and saw the first bison step into the river directly across from my husband. I freaked out and continued to watch as the bison slowly crossed the river beside him not 30 feet from where he stood. He told me later he was slowly backing up at first and then decided to stop to avoid spooking them. He apparently was standing at their customary fording point, and they all passed by without incident except for one in the middle of the group who stopped, turned, and looked directly at him. I was very worried while I watched, but eventually that bison turned and continued on in single file with the rest. When we left Gibbon Meadows, we encountered the same herd again on the road since the bison had crossed the road and now were crossing back. They had traffic backed up for at least a mile coming toward us, and we were the second car stopped in our direction. It was interesting to watch these animals - one was clearly in charge of the others. At first he somehow directed them to start going up onto the road to cross, and then he stood crossways in the road like a school crossing guard and looked at both lines of traffic as if to say, "go ahead and make my day." All the bison crossed while he stood there, and then he took up the rear as they moved single file down the road in our lane. The bison at the front of the line kept turning around to look at the one who seemed to be in charge, and eventually they moved off onto a sidewalk at a pullout and we were able to pass them. We wondered where they were headed because they were traveling down a narrow canyon that didn't seem to have any place conducive for spending the night, but they weren't there the next day so we guessed they found the place they wanted to go to.
Our last day in the park was warmer and sunny, and we spent the morning hiking up Mt. Washburn - well, at least two miles up the three-mile trail. I pulled a muscle in my leg on our first day of hiking and had aggravated it daily, and the Category 2 climb up the mountain was too much. The spirit was more than willing, but the pain screamed at me as the trail grew steeper. I couldn't go any further, but the vistas were still gorgeous and the wildflowers spectacular, and we enjoyed it a lot. We stopped for a quick lunch at Mammoth Hot Springs and then headed for Livingston to visit old friends we hadn't seen for a long time.
Overall in our time in the Yellowstone area, we saw countless elk and bison, a few mule deer, flocks of waterfowl, and the moose and bears I already mentioned. Yellowstone is a uniquely wonderful place with a great variety of natural features and animals. If you get the chance to visit, do it. Maybe you'll even experience three seasons in one week like we did!
Rental car - We rented an intermediate size car from Hertz and received a Subaru Outback. We'd never driven an SUV before and were pleasantly surprised with this model - lots of room and very comfy. We were glad to have it in the various types of weather we experienced while in Yellowstone. The only strange thing that happened was that Hertz charged the full amount of the rental plus one day, which I didn't notice until we were well on the way to Yellowstone. When we returned the car, I asked about it and was told that the final statement would show the actual rental charge only, which it did. I asked if the overcharge was something new for Hertz and was told it wasn't, but I've never encountered this overcharge in the past.
Hotels - We stayed at two different hotels, one in West Yellowstone and the other in Billings. We had five nights at the Stagecoach Inn in West Yellowstone, the nicest hotel in town that wasn't part of a chain. It was $89 per night for two queen beds was very nice and comfortable with pleasant, efficient, and responsive management. Although it's on a main street which our room fronted, we weren't affected by outside noise. There's a restaurant attached to the hotel, but it's under separate management/ownership. Food was very good - service was uneven. The hotel is a mile or less from the west entrance to Yellowstone NP. When we were walking around West Yellowstone one evening, I noticed that there's a hostel in town and have included a link to it here in case anyone is interested in checking it out.
We spent one night in the Quality Inn Homestead Park in Billings, MT, the night before our return flight, and it was a nice, typical Quality Inn with a rate of $89 for two queen beds. There was one big problem, however - this hotel and several others are located in a business park with the hotels lined up alongside a very busy railroad track. There were at least four trains passing by per hour all night long, and that doesn't make for a sound sleep. If you ever find the need to stay in Billings, MT, be sure to stay downtown and not out on the west side in the business park!
For anyone going to Yellowstone, there is the most incredible drive out of it called Beartooth Highway.
Gorp has a page about it here.
It is by far the most beautiful drive I've been on and had some of the most amazing views I've seen in my travels.
Comments:
I completely agree about the Beartooth Highway ... we traveled up and over it from Red Lodge to Cooke City in 1991. The top of it is my most favorite spot in the U.S.
The Beartooth Highway is incredible. I worked in Yellowstone a few summers back. We used to backpack in the area all the time. Chief Joseph Highway is also very nice. Tons of incredible views.
Yellowstone National Park - Trip Report, June 2003
This is the day-by-day story of our visit to Yellowstone National Park. We arrived at our West Yellowstone, MT hotel in the evening, driving on I-90 west from Billings to Livingston and then U.S. 191 south through the beautiful but scary Gallatin River valley - scary because there were many, many little white crosses on the sides of the road indicating where someone had died in a car crash. Thankfully, we arrived at our hotel uneventfully and settled in.
Our first full day of vacation was the first day of summer - at 9 a.m. it was raining; at 9:30 a.m. the sun was shining; at 10 a.m. we were in the middle of a snow squall and the temperature was 39F! Welcome to summer in Yellowstone! We had known the weather would likely be cold while we were in the park, but we were hoping to avoid snow and our bigger problem was the airline losing the luggage that had all the hiking boots and cold weather gear! We drove down the Madison River valley, up through Firehole Canyon, and stopped at the store near Old Faithful to buy sweatshirts to wear under our raincoats. Without our boots, we confined our walking to boardwalked and paved trails. We continued on to the West Thumb Geyser Basin on the side of Yellowstone Lake and walked on boardwalk trails around the thermal areas. Snow and sleet were swirling through a stiff wind the entire time, but we enjoyed the lake views and the beautiful blue pools in the area. We drove on to Lake Village and ate lunch in the diner.
In the afternoon the snow really came down, then hail and more snow, and we drove north toward Mammoth Hot Springs. Near Norris Geyser Basin we encountered Boris and Natasha - actually, they both were Boris, I think. These weren't the first bison we'd seen in the park, but they were the first ones we met coming down the middle of the road toward us. There was a mile-long traffic jam behind them, and all we could do was stop and wait for them to pass, which they did just inches from the car door. We took photos, but we put the car window up because the bison could've stuck their heads in if they wanted! The scenery in Yellowstone is incredibly beautiful, even in the midst of a snowstorm, and we enjoyed all of it as we drove around. Near Mammoth a black bear crossed the road in front of us. The snow eventually stopped, and we had dinner at the sit-down restaurant at Mammoth, followed by a nice sunset drive back through the park to West Yellowstone.
We woke the next morning to fog and a cold 36F and drove to Old Faithful Village to hike around the geyser basins. By now the weather was cold and overcast. We hiked about six miles altogether on boardwalk trails for the most part. We saw many geysers erupting, including Grand Geyser which I think reaches the greatest height of all the geysers in the park and, of course, Old Faithful. There weren't many tourists except at Old Faithful.
We had lunch at the grill at Snow Lodge and then drove to another geyser area and hiked a three-mile loop to Mystic Falls, a back-country waterfall. On the return we encountered a bull elk about 20' off the side of the trail. We headed for the Firehole, Gibbon, and Madison Rivers to try some fly fishing. The rivers were swift, and there weren't many nice pools where a fly could linger and entice a fish so no bites on the hook, let alone an actual catch.
Each day as we entered and exited the park we drove down the Madison River valley, and there was always a trumpeter swan swimming on the river. One day it had a baby swimming with it. Also, there was a bald eagle management area along the road and Mama Eagle was on the nest at all times, but we only saw Dad Eagle once and that was thrilling.
On our third day weather was cold and pouring rain all day. We drove to Canyon Village and walked along trails on the north and south sides of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River. The canyon and its waterfalls are beautiful and impressive, and I often felt like I was looking at a wonderful painting instead of nature with the many colors of the rocks contrasting with the green of the pine trees and white water rushing over the falls that became a pretty turquoise in the river bottom. We bought some take-out sandwiches at the Canyon Village deli and had a picnic lunch.
Afterward we drove south through Hayden Valley and saw herds of bison and flocks of waterfowl on the Yellowstone River. We turned around and headed up and over Dunraven Pass and enjoyed the riot of wildflowers on the mountain slopes. Another black bear crossed the road in front of us just above Tower Falls, and we saw a bighorn ewe and her lamb down in the lower canyon of the Yellowstone when we stopped at an overlook. We continued on part way into the Lamar Valley and saw another black bear beside the road.
Our next day began at the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center in West Yellowstone. Our likelihood of seeing a grizzly or a wolf in the wild was remote so we visited this place where rescued bears and wolves reside. It's a bit pricey, but the ticket is good for two days. The center works to educate the public about these animals to foster an appreciation for the need to preserve their habitat. The staff interacts with the animals as little as possible so they can live as "natural" a life as possible. The bears are orphaned or nuisance bears who would likely have died or been destroyed without the center taking them on, and the wolves are from unplanned litters and born in captivity so they can't be released in the wild. I think the center's goals are admirable, and it was particularly thrilling to see the grizzlies. Still, it was difficult to watch these magnificent animals, particularly the wolves, in enclosed surroundings. The higher-ranking wolves continually subjugate the omega female, and she can't escape because of the fencing. If she were in the wild, she could keep her distance and still be part of the pack. It's a trade-off - either all of these animals can live as they do or they could have all been destroyed or died.
After visiting the center we drove into the park toward Dunraven Pass and Mt. Washington, hoping to hike up the mountain, although it had snowed overnight and we weren't sure if the trail would be open. On the way up we saw a bull moose not far from the road in a meadow just below the pass, and soon we created a moose jam. The trail to the top of Mt. Washington was closed so we drove up to the Beartooth Pass instead. This isn't in Yellowstone National Park, but if you enter the park through the northeast entrance, you'll cross over the pass. The vistas were once again very beautiful as we drove along, and we saw a lot of wildlife on the way, including another black bear beside the road in the Lamar Valley. The Beartooth road was open, but the snow on the roadsides was as much as 8' deep so there were no wildflowers blooming yet. The views across the mountains in this area are some of my favorites in the world, and I highly recommend traveling this route from Red Lodge, MT down into Yellowstone, although be sure to check the weather forecast before you do. It's safest to travel in July and August, but there's no guarantee of it being snow-free even then.
On the way back down the mountain we saw a cow moose in a mountain meadow not far from the top of the pass. We stopped at Gibbon Meadows to try fishing in the Gibbon River. My husband was fishing on one side of the river while a herd of eight bison were grazing and bedding down across the river about 30 yards away. I took lots of photos and headed back to the car, leaving him to walk down the river while he fished. As I reached the car parked about 300 yards away, I turned around and saw the first bison step into the river directly across from my husband. I freaked out and continued to watch as the bison slowly crossed the river beside him not 30 feet from where he stood. He told me later he was slowly backing up at first and then decided to stop to avoid spooking them. He apparently was standing at their customary fording point, and they all passed by without incident except for one in the middle of the group who stopped, turned, and looked directly at him. I was very worried while I watched, but eventually that bison turned and continued on in single file with the rest. When we left Gibbon Meadows, we encountered the same herd again on the road since the bison had crossed the road and now were crossing back. They had traffic backed up for at least a mile coming toward us, and we were the second car stopped in our direction. It was interesting to watch these animals - one was clearly in charge of the others. At first he somehow directed them to start going up onto the road to cross, and then he stood crossways in the road like a school crossing guard and looked at both lines of traffic as if to say, "go ahead and make my day." All the bison crossed while he stood there, and then he took up the rear as they moved single file down the road in our lane. The bison at the front of the line kept turning around to look at the one who seemed to be in charge, and eventually they moved off onto a sidewalk at a pullout and we were able to pass them. We wondered where they were headed because they were traveling down a narrow canyon that didn't seem to have any place conducive for spending the night, but they weren't there the next day so we guessed they found the place they wanted to go to.
Our last day in the park was warmer and sunny, and we spent the morning hiking up Mt. Washburn - well, at least two miles up the three-mile trail. I pulled a muscle in my leg on our first day of hiking and had aggravated it daily, and the Category 2 climb up the mountain was too much. The spirit was more than willing, but the pain screamed at me as the trail grew steeper. I couldn't go any further, but the vistas were still gorgeous and the wildflowers spectacular, and we enjoyed it a lot. We stopped for a quick lunch at Mammoth Hot Springs and then headed for Livingston to visit old friends we hadn't seen for a long time.
Overall in our time in the Yellowstone area, we saw countless elk and bison, a few mule deer, flocks of waterfowl, and the moose and bears I already mentioned. Yellowstone is a uniquely wonderful place with a great variety of natural features and animals. If you get the chance to visit, do it. Maybe you'll even experience three seasons in one week like we did!
Rental car - We rented an intermediate size car from Hertz and received a Subaru Outback. We'd never driven an SUV before and were pleasantly surprised with this model - lots of room and very comfy. We were glad to have it in the various types of weather we experienced while in Yellowstone. The only strange thing that happened was that Hertz charged the full amount of the rental plus one day, which I didn't notice until we were well on the way to Yellowstone. When we returned the car, I asked about it and was told that the final statement would show the actual rental charge only, which it did. I asked if the overcharge was something new for Hertz and was told it wasn't, but I've never encountered this overcharge in the past.
Hotels - We stayed at two different hotels, one in West Yellowstone and the other in Billings. We had five nights at the Stagecoach Inn in West Yellowstone, the nicest hotel in town that wasn't part of a chain. It was $89 per night for two queen beds was very nice and comfortable with pleasant, efficient, and responsive management. Although it's on a main street which our room fronted, we weren't affected by outside noise. There's a restaurant attached to the hotel, but it's under separate management/ownership. Food was very good - service was uneven. The hotel is a mile or less from the west entrance to Yellowstone NP. When we were walking around West Yellowstone one evening, I noticed that there's a hostel in town and have included a link to it here in case anyone is interested in checking it out.
We spent one night in the Quality Inn Homestead Park in Billings, MT, the night before our return flight, and it was a nice, typical Quality Inn with a rate of $89 for two queen beds. There was one big problem, however - this hotel and several others are located in a business park with the hotels lined up alongside a very busy railroad track. There were at least four trains passing by per hour all night long, and that doesn't make for a sound sleep. If you ever find the need to stay in Billings, MT, be sure to stay downtown and not out on the west side in the business park!