The Beartooth Highway runs E-W through the Absaroka Mountains along the MT/WY border. It’s a 68mi stretch of of US-212 that connects Cooke City-Silver Gate, MT and Red Lodge, MT, passing southward through WY. It goes through the Custer, Gallatin, and Shoshone National Forests, and the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness. The road climbs over 5,000′ to a peak elevation of 10,970′ at the Beartooth Plateau. Unsurprisingly, it sometimes takes a month of plowing to get the road cleared for summer traffic (see videos below).

The highway is considered a National Scenic Byway, which is recognized by the USDOT for having 1+ of the following “intrinsic qualities”: archeological, cultural, historic, natural, recreational, or scenic. Roads that meet 2+ of the qualities are considered All-American Roads; the Beartooth Highway has received this designation as well. The only All-American Road in NC is the Blue Ridge Parkway.

The Beartooth Highway originally opened in 1936.