Day 245 - Beartooth Country - ETB Travel Photography

Day 245 of a Year Long Road Trip Along America’s Scenic Byways

Beartooth Highway

We spent most of today traveling across Beartooth Highway, a 68-mile stretch of road that opened in 1936 which zig-zags through Rock Creek Canyon and climbs over almost an 11,000 foot pass, making it one of the world’s highest. As one would expect, the views were spectacular, as evidenced by our first stop at Rock Creek Vista Point, 9,190 feet in elevation.

Our next stop was at Twin Lakes Headwall, where a long slope is permanently covered in snow. Olympic hopefuls can be found skiing here on the 58 degree slope.

We continued stopping in many turnouts along way as we traversed the highway above the tree line. Eventually we descended to Gardner Lake where we took a walk on the Beartooth Loop National Trail. It led us through fields of wildflowers, across narrow creeks and past a lake before we turned around. The whole trail is ten miles which Petey and I didn’t complete.

beartooth loop national recreation trail

scene of meadow, trees and mountain top at gardner lake

Chief Joseph Scenic Highway

The road was under construction near Beartooth Lake and the road to Clay Butte Lookout and firetower was closed, so we continued on to Chief Joseph Scenic Highway where we weaved through the foothills laced with several beautiful blue streams and peppered with campgrounds and across a 1,200 foot gorge before reaching a dirt road turnoff to Sunlight Basin.

Sunlight Basin’s 50,000 acres were supposed to be home to an array of wildlife. We criss-crossed the fields on gravel roads only to find one deer hiding out. I supposed late afternoon wasn’t the right time of day.

high cliffs with blue river on chief joseph scenic highway

We ended up at a great campground just outside of Cooke City and Yellowstone National Park for the evening. The campground posted a sign, “Caution, known grizzly use…hardsided camping only…no tents.” I slept with VANilla’s top down. ETB