  the beartooth highway is an all-american road that has been called "the most beautiful drive in america," by late cbs correspondent charles kuralt. because of heavy snowfall at the top, the pass is usually open each year only from mid may through mid october, weather conditions permitting.beartooth highway points of interest, red lodge montana chamber of commerce. retrieved 2010-08-25. it is carried by u.s. route 212. ==route description== thumb|map of the beartooth highway and surrounding areas the beartooth highway is the section of u.s. route 212 between red lodge, montana and cooke city, montana. it traces a series of steep zigzags and switchbacks, along the montana-wyoming border to the  high beartooth pass. the approximate elevation rise is from  to  in  in the most daring landscapes. when driving from the east to the west, the highest parts of the beartooth highway level off into a wide plateau near the top of the pass, and then descend to where the beartooth highway connects to the wyoming highway 296 (chief joseph scenic byway) near cooke city, which forms the northeast gateway to yellowstone national park. en route, one passes numerous lakes typical of the absaroka-beartooth wilderness area which borders the highway along much of its route. the highway officially opened june 14, 1936. because of the high altitudes, snowstorms can occur even in the middle of the summer and the pass is also known for strong winds and severe thunderstorms. drivers should plan on a driving time of at least two hours for the  long trip from red lodge to cooke city. it is a good idea to check with the red lodge chamber of commerce or the beartooth ranger district beforehand in case of road closures. montana traveler information[http://www.mdt.mt.gov/travinfo/ montana tra
All-American_Roads Historic_American_Engineering_Record_in_Montana Historic_American_Engineering_Record_in_Wyoming Landforms_of_Park_County,_Montana Landforms_of_Park_County,_Wyoming Mountain_passes_of_Montana Mountain_passes_of_Wyoming National_Forest_Scenic_Byways Protected_areas_of_Carbon_County,_Montana Protected_areas_of_Park_County,_Montana Protected_areas_of_Park_County,_Wyoming Shoshone_National_Forest Transportation_in_Park_County,_Montana Transportation_in_Park_County,_Wyoming