BearTooth to Red Lodge or Chief Joseph

[NHpauls]

Suggestions please regarding Yellowstone. We are driving from Mammoth to Cody. The BearTooth Hwy to Red Lodge sounds amazing but I also read Chief Joseph is beautiful and less time. We will be doing this Sept 4th so less crowds but there might have animal stops. I’m thinking if I run into widelife stops or traffic and worried about time, then I go via Chief Joseph. Any comments? Suggestions? We don’t like long driving days; 7 hrs is max for us and we do not want to travel at dusk or later. Getting excited!

 

[dagger1]

From Mammoth Hot Springs it looks like the drive would be up to Red Lodge on the Beartooth and then down to Cody on the Chief Joseph? About 5 plus hours not counting stops.

 

[JeffDH]

We drove the Beartooth Highway the other direction this time last year right after it opened, starting north of Red Lodge (Absarokee), through Yellowstone N.P., West Yellowstone, to Rexburg ID - it was a long day but great scenery and wildlife. We've not done the Chief Joseph Highway so I can't compare, but the map certainly shows Cody via Red Lodge as the long way around - about 50 miles further. You wouldn't actually need to decide until after you left the park at Cooke City - Silver Gate; the junction of Beartooth (Hwy 212) with Chief Joseph (Hwy 296) is maybe 10 miles past there. Either way will be slow driving through the mountains. Looks like Red Lodge to Cody is pretty quick going, though.

Check road conditions closer to your trip - I just noticed that there was a landslide on Chief Joseph last year that appears to still be ongoing, with one lane conditions for a short segment.

 

[shagnut]

Bear tooth Hwy is one of the most remarkable roads I've ever seen. I hope you decide to do it . I loved Yellowstone. Cody is a cute little town. The western museum is amazing. We stayed at the EMMA. Very quaint. Just don't eat there.

 

[DaveHenry]

Last September, while at Yellowstone, I drove a loop including Beartooth Highway west to Red Lodge and returning east on Chief Joseph. Although Chief Joseph was scenic, I found the Beartooth Highway to be more scenic.

 

[DaveNV]

Cody is a cool little town. My dappled Mini Dachshund dog, seen in my avatar, is named Cody, after that town. I like it there. (The black dog is Cody's little brother, named Kona, after another favorite town. You'll have to decide where that town is...

Dave

 

[CanuckTravlr]

I have not done the route from Cooke City to Cody, so cannot advise on it. We were travelling from Yellowstone to Billings. We decided to cross the Beartooth Pass, since it would take us to over 10,000 ft. above sea level and was marked as a scenic route. It was our first time at that altitude without being in an aircraft.

It took us much longer to get to Billings that day than expected, due to all the stops for photos and to admire the view. There were flowering alpine meadows, mountain peaks all around us, lots of hairpin turns and fantastic vistas, especially from the top. On the downward leg to Red Lodge, I kept praying that my brakes didn't give out!! We did the trip in mid-August in 110F heat!!

It still ranks as one of the most spectacular roads I have ever driven. To put that in perspective, I have driven the full length of the Amalfi Coast highway in Italy, all three of the corniche roads from Monaco to Nice in France, the Cabot Trail in Nova Scotia and the Pacific Coast Highway from a point near Eugene in Oregon to Los Angeles...plus many more too numerous to mention. The Beartooth Pass road ranks right in there with the best of them as both a scenic route and a fun road to drive. I would do it again in a heartbeat, if we are ever back in the area. Highly recommended!!