Posted on 04/30/2016 2:19:22 PM PDT by fella
"Plowing the Beartooth Highway"
I’ve driven this many times; scary, even in summer months when dry...but quite scenic!
Sometimes the one on the Going-to-the-Sun highway has not been completely opened until into early June.
I drove it once. Had no idea what I was getting into. Just saw it as a road on the map. A seemingly convenient backdoor way to get to Yellowstone.
Surreal. And windy. And cold. Snowdrifts and frozen lakes in June? Felt like I was on another planet.
My daughter took over once in mid Summer at the top it looked like a gently rolling plain without trees. The hills in the distance were the tops of other mountains.
So we are supposed to know where this road is located?
The Beartooth Highway is an All-American Road on a section of U.S. Route 212 in Montana between Red Lodge and the Wyoming state line at Beartooth Pass, located 10,947 feet (3,337 m) above sea level near Yellowstone National Park. It has been called “the most beautiful drive in America,” by late CBS correspondent Charles Kuralt.[2] Because of heavy snowfall at the top, the pass is usually open each year only from mid May through mid October, weather conditions permitting.
Family has driven it numerous times , as it leads from Red Lodge, Mt. to the north entrance of Yellowstone, thru the “Roosevelt Gate”. Near the top, my sons would walk thru the Alpine meadows loaded with flowers, with parts being knee deep in snow. All this at the end of June and they are wearing shorts and Tshirts. Quite spectacular country and the Beartooth is a favorite for bikers, with it's dozens of switchbacks. Lots of grizzles in this area.
If you’re a tourist driving a car from the east coast, that sort of altitude can cause all manner of odd behavior under the hood.
Yes, you are LOL...southern Montana, on the way to Yellowstone National Park. Charles Kuralt (his old ‘On The Road’ Series) called it the most scenic drive in America.
Seriously? You can’t Google “beartooth highway”? How in the world are you able to log onto FR?
Surreal. And windy. And cold. Snowdrifts and frozen lakes in June? Felt like I was on another planet.
Same here...in July there was snow on the ground. We headed out from Red Lodge, Montana where we had spent the night. I was headed west from Michigan in the 1980's with my wife and our 3 little kids in the car. I was going to visit my sister and nephew in Las Vegas. That is the prettiest stretch of highway I've ever driven.
Been over it 4 or 5 times. Always enjoy the view.
“I’ve driven this many times; scary, even in summer months when dry...but quite scenic!
—
I’d walk across a desert rather than drive on a road like that.
I would be paralyzed with fear.
.
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Elevation of 10,000 feet can cause more than your car to act weird. I have lived my entire life at 50 feet above sea level and my heart beats like I am having a heart attack at those altitudes. I have driven this road and it was fabulous!
Imagine living at that altitude, maybe Leadville, CO at 10,151 ft.
If you lived there you would get used to the altitude but being a low lander it is difficult. When we drive from Texas and take several days doing it I seem to adjust. But to fly to Denver, rent a car and be at 10,000 feet in a couple of hours, I think I am too old to do that again.
On one trip, an art workshop that I had looked forward to for a year, my heart pounded night and day and I could not fall asleep for a week. I was a basket case.
My husband has the opposite reaction, he falls asleep sitting up and has trouble staying awake.
Yea, yea. Nag, nag. Check out post number 7.
Not sure I’ll ever get to drive it but I have the details you provide. Thanks.
the Powder River pass out of Sheridan is great too....
but if you have the time and the wanderlust, there are many beautiful road trips to take...
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