Beartooth Pass

Motorcycle Roads & Rides > Routes > United States > Montana
Motorcycle Roads & Rides > Routes > United States > Wyoming

Average Rating - This road has been rated by 21 visitors

State: Wyoming
Date Submitted: July 1, 2001
Submitted by: Anonymous
Motorcycle Road Length: 50 Miles

Written Directions

North entrance....Go south of Billings and I-90 on highway 212 through Red Lodge (MT). About 15 minutes south of town you go UP! way up to nearly 11,000 feet. Extreme road. About 2 hrs later after going over the top and down a even narrower south decent into Wyoming, you can go West into Yellowstone Park on 212 through Cook City, or East to Cody on the Chief Joseph scenic Highway, and it is nearly as good as the Beartooth! From the East do yourselves a favor and come from Sheridan over the Bighorn Mountains(another great route!). Suggest if going South to forget Yellowstone Park and go east! Fantastic mountain route. If you gotta see the park..Turn around at Sheridan and go back in on 14 through Cody. Don't miss these roads!

Scenery

This road will curl your hair. Lotsa UP and DOWN, little guardrails, awesome scenery. You couldn't build a better route than this one! Expect to see as many bikes on this road as cars! Everything from incredible mountains, dense forest, rivers, rocks to snow and tundra. And a whole lot of "straight down"!. Photo contributed by visitor in May 09: "Beartooth Pass In August 2008."

Road Quality

Steep grades, endless hairpin curves, countless switch-backs, good pavement as no trucks, campers dare go up this one!

Photo contributed by visitor in May 09: "Bear Tooth Pass Photo - August 2007."

Photo contributed by visitor in Jul 09: "View from overlook in MT. This is a stop with resrtooms and photo ops."

Photo contributed by visitor in Jul 09: "Near the summit on 212 in MT. Rain in the distance."

Roadside Amenities

Just lots of pullouts to peer over the edge!

Additional Info

- View the weather forecast for this area from Yahoo weather .

Nickname (optional) Anonymous

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Reviewed by Guest on March 14, 2011 (1 out of 1 members found this review useful.)
Creator: Faztharley
motorcycle_year: 2010
motorcycle_make: Harley-Davidson
motorcycle_type: Touring
Comment: Beautiful ride from Red Lodge MT to Cody WY via beartooth Pass and Chief Joseph Hwy/Crandall Rd/Hwy 187 in August 2010.
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Reviewed by JCZ on January 23, 2012 (0 out of 0 members found this review useful.)
Creator: JCZ
motorcycle_year: 2010
motorcycle_make: Screamin Eagle Street Glide
motorcycle_type: Touring
Comment: There are four or five rides that everybody should ride at least once in their life. Bear Tooth Pass coupled with Chief Joseph Hwy. is at the top of the "must do" list!
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Reviewed by Felon on November 29, 2011 (0 out of 0 members found this review useful.)
Creator: Felon
motorcycle_year: 207
motorcycle_make: H-D Street Glide
motorcycle_type: Touring
Comment: BEST!!!! Of all of these!!! Everything you could ask for in a motorcycle road and more. I love it as you cross the tree line and the scenery changes from trees to rocks.
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Reviewed by Trapper on November 27, 2011 (0 out of 0 members found this review useful.)
motorcycle_year: 2008
motorcycle_make: Yamaha "Raider" V-Twin, 119 c.i./1900 c.c.
motorcycle_type: Cruiser
Comment: This is among the best of rides in the USA. I rate it just a little higher than the "Tail of the Dragon" at Dills Gap, N.C. Rode it from Cooke City to Red Lodge on July 29, 2011. Stayed at the Red Lodge Inn that night in Red Lodge, Montana. Todd and his wife Linda, owners of the motel were the most hospitable Inn Keepers I ever stayed with.
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Reviewed by JGO4TH on October 3, 2011 (0 out of 0 members found this review useful.)
Creator: John G
motorcycle_year: 2010
motorcycle_make: Street Glide
motorcycle_type: Touring
Comment: What an incredible ride! Took the Bear Tooth Pass on my way to Sturgis and it was the highlight of my trip. The traffic was light and the weather was perfect. It's also true about the guard rails. I noticed that on the Montana side, they have guard rails...but on the Wyoming side, not so much. This was a great ride with great views.
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Reviewed by flrider06 on August 16, 2011 (0 out of 0 members found this review useful.)
Creator: Flrider06
motorcycle_year: 2006
motorcycle_make: H D
motorcycle_type: Touring
Comment: This ride deserves its spot among the best motorcycle roads. I've made the trip several times from Red Lodge, MT to Cody, WY and Yellowstone. Believe me, I plan to ride the Beartooth many, many more times. On your 11,000 foot climb you get a little bit of everything. Unbelievable scenery, weather (hot, cold, sun, snow), lots of bikes, and remember, it is grizzly bear country!! I was last there in 2009 and there was a nice stop at the top known as the Top of the World. Take a break there and enjoy the experience! I can't wait to go back with some friends that have not yet experienced this ride of a lifetime.
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Reviewed by Guest on April 7, 2011 (0 out of 1 members found this review useful.)
Creator: Uncle Wally
motorcycle_year: 1984
motorcycle_make: Harley-Davidson
motorcycle_type: Other
Comment: Part of my ride home from Sturgis to Maryland via Yellowstone in Aug 1994. Great scenery, perfect weather, just a fantastic ride!!!! A bit cold at the top, started out in a tanktop and had to bundle my butt up!! Stopped at the Top Of The World Store. Camped in a teepee at a motel in Redlodge,( is the place still there?) My ride? A custom rigid/springer 96" stroker shovel with magneto ign. and foot clutch/hand shift. No problems the whole trip! Did wear out my back tire though! Sure would like to do it again sometime.................
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Reviewed by Guest on February 27, 2011 (0 out of 0 members found this review useful.)
Creator: Steve Penick
motorcycle_year: 2007
motorcycle_make: Harley-Davidson
motorcycle_type: Cruiser
Comment: First time over Beartooth in July 2007, coming out of Lamar Valley in Yellowstone heading for Red Lodge, we hit so much hail that it turned the road into a sheet of thick ice - fun ride!! Second time over in July of 2008 was beautiful sunshine. Awesome ride and fantastic scenery. Hardly wait to do it again!!!
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Reviewed by Guest on February 24, 2011 (0 out of 0 members found this review useful.)
Creator: Phil Mcphail
motorcycle_year: 2010
motorcycle_make: Harley-Davidson
motorcycle_type: Touring
Comment: Went from cooke city over to red lodge early in the morning then back across to chief joseph by way to cody,what a ride!!
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Reviewed by Guest on January 18, 2011 (0 out of 0 members found this review useful.)
Creator: Mike
motorcycle_year: 2009
motorcycle_make: BMW
motorcycle_type: Sport-Touring
Comment: Made the trip over Beartooth early September 2010. Sunny in Red Lodge and 45 degrees. cold (36 degrees) and rain on the other side. Weather changes fast so be prepared if you go in the fall. The following day the pass was closed due to heavy snow. What a beautiful ride. Maybe saw 6 vehicles and no bikes. Made the ride alone and certainly wish I could have shared this with the wife and riding neighbors. I have traveled all over the West and this was the best--so far. Next year Alaska.
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Reviewed by Guest on January 10, 2011 (0 out of 0 members found this review useful.)
Creator: Brian Gravell
motorcycle_year: 2010
motorcycle_make: Harley-Davidson
motorcycle_type: Touring
Comment: My wife and I rode from De. to Ca. and we were told we had to ride the Beartooth Pass and we are so glad we did it was the best ride we did so far. Beautiful is not a good enough word to discribe the experience we had. we are going back this year to Glascier nat.park and we will hit the Beartooth on the way
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Reviewed by Guest on January 7, 2011 (0 out of 0 members found this review useful.)
Creator: rand pace
motorcycle_year: 2000
motorcycle_make: Harley-Davidson
motorcycle_type: Cruiser
Comment: I went with a buddy , him on his road king me on my super glide, up through jackson then out east yellow stone. then up to cody and on into red lodge. what a fantastic ride! the scenery! WOW! up to the summit we had to stop every mile or so to take it all in. 2011 is the year i do it again, this time i'll take my woman.
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Reviewed by Guest on December 19, 2010 (0 out of 0 members found this review useful.)
Creator: Ron
motorcycle_year: 2009
motorcycle_make: Kawasaki
motorcycle_type: Cruiser
Comment: we tried to do the pass in late june of 2010..it was cloudy/overcast 64 degrees in red lodge when we left... we could not make it to the summit do to the snow that started to fall (we turned around when the snow accumulated 6-8" on the road. 2 of the 5 bikes i was with went down..as we were travelling slow, no damage to anyone...1 bike broke a mount for the saddlebag.... like the warnings say...the weather can change quickly....will try again next year
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Reviewed by Guest on December 15, 2010 (0 out of 0 members found this review useful.)
Creator: Jim Haugen
Comment: Went over the Beartooth in July of 2000 and will never forget the pure awe of the scenery.Most unforgettable motorcycle trip imaginable.Went through the Bighorn Mountains also through Buffalo Wy and that is also a great ride.Any one that rides should do it.On my bucket list to do it again.
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Reviewed by Guest on September 27, 2010 (0 out of 0 members found this review useful.)
Creator: Vance Bailes
motorcycle_year: 2008
motorcycle_make: Harley-Davidson
motorcycle_type: Cruiser
Comment: I have riden through the majority of the U.S. and consider this the ultimate road to ride. It even beats Going to the Sun in Glazier.
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Reviewed by Guest on September 9, 2010 (0 out of 0 members found this review useful.)
Creator: Dragon
motorcycle_year: 2009
motorcycle_make: Harley-Davidson
motorcycle_type: Touring
Comment: I have been on this ride many times and this is one of the best rides I have ever been on. Catch the ride on a nice day and you will swear you are in heaven.
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Reviewed by Guest on August 31, 2010 (0 out of 0 members found this review useful.)
Creator: Jack Fries
motorcycle_year: 2006
motorcycle_make: Harley-Davidson
motorcycle_type: Cruiser
Comment: Rode through here the week prior to Sturgis 2010. Stayed in Red Lodge and rode from East to west. It was an amazing ride and I will definately be back. The town of Red Lodge is nice and Hotels are plentiful. We had no problem finding rooms with no reservations and they weren't very expensive. I've heard good things about Chief Joseph byway that joins up with 212 just outside Cooke City. When I go back, I am gonna try to do both rides together.
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Reviewed by Guest on February 2, 2010 (0 out of 0 members found this review useful.)
Creator: Todd Brandenburg
motorcycle_year: 2010
motorcycle_make: Harley-Davidson
motorcycle_type: Touring
Comment: Rode from West to East after leaving Gardner, Mt. Awesome ride to say the least, from the valleys of Yellowstone to the heights of Beartooth Pass and downward to Red Lodge. Incredible quality to the road.
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Reviewed by Guest on July 29, 2009 (0 out of 0 members found this review useful.)
Creator: Steve Proctor
motorcycle_year: 1983
motorcycle_make: Honda
motorcycle_type: Cruiser
Comment: 212 from Red Lodge to Cooke City was awesome. My daughter and I rode it as part of a 4500 mile trip in the summer '09. The climb is endless and the views are intense. We saw marmots near the summit and were riding between snow fields in July. DRESS WARMLY!! The summit can be very cold. Crossing into WY. there are grizzly alerts which add to the excitement. We did see a few motorhomes but they were't a big issue. A little construction in July but understandable with the conditions this route sees. I knew we were in for a great ride and was not disappointed.
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Reviewed by Guest on June 15, 2009 (0 out of 0 members found this review useful.)
Creator: Allan Ganzer
motorcycle_year: 2006
motorcycle_make: Yamaha
motorcycle_type: Cruiser
Comment: Rode this route from Cody to Red Lodge first week June/09 on our way home to Canada and believe it to be outstanding and a must ride. Enjoy.
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Reviewed by Guest on August 27, 2008 (0 out of 0 members found this review useful.)
Creator: Ron/Keiko
motorcycle_year: 2005
motorcycle_make: Harley-Davidson
motorcycle_type: Touring
Comment: We took the ride East � West in early August and dropped over to Cody. Coming out of Red Lodge was not real exciting, but once we got into the mountains some really world class views. Hwy 296 back over to Cody was another worthwhile motorcycle ride.
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