Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
and free-roaming bison protected. A vaccination program has been implemented,
with a 65 percent success rate, and the use of quarantine has proven fairly successful.
Local bison rancher and wildlife advocate Ted Turner has agreed to accept some of
the quarantined bison on his property. A small and highly regulated hunting season
on bison is carried out each winter just outside the park boundaries.
But while there are no easy or obvious solutions, there are questions: What about
elk, which also carry the disease and have been identified as the source of brucel-
losis outbreaks among horses in Wyoming and cattle in Idaho? No efforts to limit
their natural migration in and out of the park have ever been attempted. Why are bull
bison—who can carry the disease but cannot spread it through milk or birthing fluids
as females do—quarantined and killed? For now, it seems, we watch, wait, and hope
for a healthy, wild, and free-roaming bison population.
Named for a miner and populated by hard-core modern-day prospectors in search of snow,
Cooke City
(population 75, elevation 7,600) is a jumble of old buildings and some fairly
salty characters, all with true Western flavor. At the end of a one-way road for most of the
year (except during the height of summer when the Beartooth Highway leads visitors up
and over the towering peaks), Cooke City has a remarkable sense of community, unlimited
recreational opportunities, plenty of accommodations, and some excellent places to fill your
belly. Nearby
Silver Gate
is equally scenic and even quieter, the Connecticut to Cooke's
New York City. Pilot, Index, and Beartooth Peaks are three of the impressive summits that
loom over these twin settlements, beckoning adventurers.
Festivals and Events
Among the biggest events of the year in Cooke City is the annual
Sweet Corn Festival,
a
gathering for backcountry skiers and snowboarders usually held in April on the weekend
after the nearby ski hills have closed for the season. The weather is often sublime—think
blue skies, cold nights, and warm afternoons—and the snow is like, well, sweet corn. Ac-
commodations are not easy to come by this weekend (even floor space is pretty much
spoken for), so plan ahead or bring a tent. There are plenty of snowmobilers on hand to act
as taxis, enabling telemark skiers not to have to earn their turns for once. With some of the
best backcountry skiing in the West when the conditions are right, this is a welcome event.
