Beartooth Highway - West Summit Ride!

<< Ride along with the video at the bottom >>

 
Beartooth Highway is 212 and crosses the Wyoming and Montana border.  Open only between May and September, it has been called America’s Most Beautiful Road by Charles Kuralt.  It is also the highest elevation road in the northern Rockies. When you ride Beartooth Highway you will be in the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness at almost 11,000 feet with 20 peaks around you over 12,000 feet.  Stunning !

The climb is beautiful and looks like a nice twisty pass.  At the top snow will typically welcome you - EVEN in July!

July 2009

July 2009

August 2010

The  weather is unpredictable even on sunny summer days and you need to keep an eye on it.  When we rode this in 2009 they had the road down to gravel in many places for resurfacing.  In 2010 they had just finished most, those are some serious road crews!   In 2011 it was all new pavement and the ride was spectacular.  We were lucky enough to do not only Beartooth Highway, but also Chief Joseph three times in two days over the July 4th weekend.

Cody's 4th of July Parade

Cody's 4th of July Parade

My Great Friend Jimmy Chance and his son Skip waiting for the parade to end so we can go "Ride The Tooth".

This is me heading into the Buffalo Bill Historical Center

I made a good friend at the Cody Rodeo

Cody Stampede!  Great Fun.

I highly recommend staying in Cody, especially at the 4th of July, as there are festivals, big rodeo and a great parade down main. Also the Buffalo Bill Historical Center is definitely worth your time - a great place to spend a rainy day or afternoon.

Over the top

My wife at the WY, MT Border on Beartooth Highway

This is my wife heading up BTH in JULY 2011!!

Views not to be believed!

This video is only the west summit ride down.  But it shows you what a great road just this one little section is.  I’ll have the entire Beartooth and Chief Joseph video ready later this year. 
On the West Summit, just as you cross into the Montana side going north,  there is a rest area called Rock Creek Vista.  There are facilities here and of course the views are breath-taking.  From here down is a 4,000 foot drop of switch back turns… a real bucket list road for all motorcyclists.  It is so steep rock slides can take out the road for an entire season like the one you’ll see in the vide that occured in 2005.

So for now, we’re going from Rock Creek Vista to the bottom – which slips on into Red Lodge Montana (another great little town for bikers!)  Let’s ride the West Summit drop on Beartooth Highway.

Here's the video