Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
www.bigtimber.com
,
10am-6pm daily Memorial Day-Labor Day). In a small log cabin with
stunning views of the Crazy Mountains, you will find a well-informed and friendly staff
ready to answer any questions you may have about the area. The center also offers a good
selection of maps, brochures, and travel magazines.
At the edge of the massive Beartooth Plateau, Red Lodge (population 2,114, elevation 5,553
feet) is a mountain town with the Great Plains spread out at its feet. There are a couple of
great resorts and some world-class skiing just beyond town, but downtown Red Lodge is
a worthwhile destination on its own. Cute shops and wonderful restaurants line Broadway,
and the spectacle of nature—the rush of Rock Creek and the drama of the Beartooths—is
evident from every part of the street. The town's Western hospitality combined with historic
zeal for a good time make Red Lodge a wonderful getaway or a fun launching point to the
wildness of the Beartooth Plateau and Yellowstone National Park.
MM
Beartooth Scenic Highway and Pass
Considered one of the most beautiful roadways in the country, the
Beartooth Scenic High-
way
begins in Red Lodge, climbs and twists its way through 60-million-year-old moun-
tains, and ends 65 miles later in Cooke City at the northeast entrance to Yellowstone Na-
tional Park. The scenic road has numerous switchbacks and steep grades that, once you're
driving on it, clearly demonstrate why it is closed during winter. As you ascend, you come
upon magnificent vistas of the Beartooth Plateau, Glacier Lake, and the canyons forged by
the Clarks Fork River. After about 30 miles, you reach the mountain summit at 10,947 feet.
Here you will encounter the aptly named
Top of the World
rest area, which provides the
only services on the route. Keep an eye out for a herd of mountain goats that frequents the
area.
