Red Lodge, county seat of Carbon County southwest of Billings, is only 45 miles away from Billings and is a favorite day trip year-round, offering the great outdoors in the summer and skiing at Red Lodge Mountain in the winter. However I can’t resist the opportunity to combine a trip to Red Lodge with one of the world’s great scenic drives. The 260 mile loop goes from Billings into northern Wyoming, west up the Chief Joseph Scenic Highway, and then north down the Beartooth Highway to Red Lodge and on to Billings. This is NOT a trip that I can take in the Lunch Box (for reasons that will become obvious) so I set off in my Honda for a great five hour drive. Get ready for few words and lots of pictures!
Smoke drifting over Montana from the west coast forest fires creates a light haze blurring the view of the Beartooth Mountains southwest of Billings. The first third of the trip heads south through the valley of the Clark Fork of the Yellowstone, named by William Clark as his expedition explored the Yellowstone River on their return from the Pacific coast in 1806. The Lewis and Clark expedition followed the Missouri River across northern Montana on their way to the Pacific in 1804 but split up for part of the return trip with Lewis retracing the northern route and Clark exploring the Yellowstone River Valley in 1806.
Traveling south along the Clark Fork the mountains are ever present on our right.
The Clark Fork rises deep in the mountains and as we cross the Wyoming state line a slash in the line of mountains indicates where the river emerges from a rugged canyon on its way north.
Chief Joseph Highway
Wyoming Highway 296 is known as the Chief Joseph Highway as it follows the route taken in 1877 by Chief Joseph and the Nez Pierce out of Yellowstone National Park and into Montana as he attempted to flee from the US Calvary and take refuge in Canada. Turning right onto the Chief Joseph Highway we are looking directly at a massive collection of mountains, the highway curving in and around foothills before beginning a steep climb in a series of “zig-zagging” switchbacks.
At the top of the first ridge a surprise is unveiled. To the right is a stunning gash in the earth that is the current path of the Clark Fork, cutting sharply through rock on both sides.
Views to the west and south reveal an unending wave of crags and creases in the earth.
A massive canyon has been hiding behind the first ridge, carved by the Clark Fork and its’ tributaries. The road descends into the valley and crosses a tributary of the Clark Fork splashing north. This area is called the Sunlight Basin.
Climbing out of the Sunlight Basin, our path meanders through high alpine meadows and sparkling lakes, surrounded by numerous peaks that reach 9,000 feet or more into the brilliant blue sky.
The Chief Joseph Highway ends at the Beartooth Highway. Left (south) about 20 miles away is Cooke City and the northeast entrance to Yellowstone National Park. Right (north) is the Beartooth Highway, traversing mountain plateaus known as the “Top of the World” before plunging more than 4,000 feet in dramatic fashion down a mountain side to the floor of Rock Creek Canyon. This section of highway is only open from mid-May through mid-October (this year will be closing October 12) due to snow and impassable road conditions. As stunning as the trek up the Chief Joseph Highway has been, the best is yet to come. Buckle up buttercup, you’re in for a treat!
Beartooth Highway
On March 1, 1872, the US Congress created the world’s first national park, Yellowstone National Park, and sent General Phillip Sheridan and 120 men traveling through Yellowstone National Park on an inspection tour of the new park later that year. On the return trip to Billings the general heard of a different route other than the Clark Fork trail from a hunter named Shuki Greer that would follow Rock Creek out of the mountains rather than the Clark Fork. The route that they took is essentially the same as that of today’s Beartooth Highway. By 1880 gold had been found in the Cooke City area near the entrance to the park at the top of the mountains and coal was being mined near Red Lodge at the base of the mountains. Tourism began to assume a greater role in the area economy and the popularity of auto travel created a need for an auto route from Red Lodge up the mountains to Yellowstone National Park. In 1931 Montana’s congressman Scott Leavitt sponsored legislation titled the “Park Approach Act” which allowed construction of the Beartooth Highway later that year. The majority of the highway was built between 1932 and 1936. My grandfather, Ira Finley, was part of the construction crew. The 67 miles of highway were dedicated on June 14, 1936. We are going to be heading north on the highway, descending to the Rock Creek valley floor. The narrowness of the road as well as the multiple very tight curves are what lead to the decision not to take the motorhome!
The road crosses Beartooth Pass, 10,947 in elevation, but it doesn’t seem that high because at first the highway traverses mountain plateaus where virtually everything that looks “flat” is already more than 9,000 feet in elevation. The surrounding mountain peaks are generally between 10,000 and 11,500 feet above sea level. Let’s cross the plateau.
The short summer season is also road construction season, I waited 45 minutes before passing through construction on the road as it hangs above a steep mountain side.
Our journey across the plateau continues with stunning views in all directions.
As we get near the descent to the valley floor the road gets closer to the edge of the plateau…
The poles along the road are there to guide snow plows when opening the road in the spring. The orange stripe is to help locate the pole in deep snow.
A shimmering alpine lake hugs the edge of the canyon wall.
The highway begins to follow a narrow ridge. This view looks across Rock Creek Canyon to the meadows and peaks to the west.
To the east the edge of the plateau drops off and the view is across the Clark Fork Valley to the Pryor Mountains in the distance.
A viewpoint at the top of the descent gives an opportunity for a first look down into Rock Canyon, more than 4,000 feet below. We are going to be descending the mountain side that you are looking at in a series of very tight switchbacks, won’t be much opportunity for picture taking on the way down as you really do have to keep both hands on the steering wheel and pay attention to the road!
The view left to the south up the canyon shows some of the highway switchbacks that we will be descending.
North to my right the canyon begins to open up towards Red Lodge.
Last picture from the top of the pass, I’m getting ready to turn right out of the parking lot onto the highway
At the bottom of the descent the highway darts north along Rock Creek.
The end of the canyon appears with the city of Red Lodge just beyond.
Red Lodge
Red Lodge sits at an elevation of 5,568 feet so we have dropped nearly one mile from the top of the pass to the bottom. In 1851 the US government signed a treaty giving the area around Red Lodge to the Crow Indians, but, as elsewhere in Montana, the discovery of gold and coal lead to a change and in 1882 a new treaty was signed opening up the Red lodge area to settlement. A post office was established in 1884 and the railroad reached the town in 1889, allowing coal shipments to begin. Another adjustment to the Crow Treaty occurred in 1892 and allowed the whole area to be open to settlement. Mining boomed and the population of Red Lodge quickly grew to nearly 5,000 by 1906. The mines ran out during the 1930’s but the manufacture of bootleg liquor gave the economy a temporary lift. That, too, ended and the economy of the area struggled until the mid-1980’s when a commitment to tourism lead to a revitalization of the downtown strip and today a thriving business community caters to tourists seeking outdoor adventure during the summer on their way to the Beartooth Highway and Yellowstone National Park and skiers hitting the slopes at Red Lodge Mountain ski resort in the winter. The town’s current year-round population of around 2,000 people generally doubles during the summer months. On this early fall day in the mid-afternoon the downtown area is packed, with no parking to be found. Restaurants, art galleries, boutiques and bars fill the renovated historical buildings on both sides of the street.
The 1899 Carbon County courthouse anchors the southern end of the historic business area.
North of Red Lodge Rock Creek meanders through broad meadows on the way to merging with Clark Fork as we complete “Dancing Across the Top of the World.”
Next up: The Upper Yellowstone River Valley
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