susan54

We are going to Yellowstone National Park the end of June. We want to take the Beartooth Highway to the NE entrance. We are driving a 4 WD Lincoln Navigator and pulling a Jayco tent camper. Researching Beartooth has left me wondering about taking it while pulling the trailer. Many comments say it will be fine if the driver is experienced and willing, you have a good vehicle, and you take it slow and careful. Some say its one of the scariest drives and a few say do not pull a trailer. If you cannot pull a tent trailer, why are there campgrounds for them through out the Highway? I did read of a few people who camped in them with a tent camper but they never made any comments on their drive there. It must have been ok - they were there. I looked for personal experiences of people pulling a tent camper but couldn't find any. My question is: Does anyone who has driven this Highway pulling a tent trailer/camper have any personal experience they could share?

RedRock

http://www.tfhrc.gov/pubrds/06jul/03.htm

We have driven the BT many times but we do not tow a camper. You will see all kinds of RVs, from tent campers to buses and 5th wheelers in the campgrounds along the BT. They got there somehow.

utahtea

Here are some threads on RV.net where users talk about going over the Beartooth Pass towing.

http://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fu...g/1/page/2.cfm

http://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fu...6.cfm#22654916

Here are some pictures of the road which might give you an idea of what to expect:

http://mdt.mt.gov/travinfo/images/be...rtooth_map.jpg

http://montanahereicome.com/Bearhwy/

If you can get your hands on a Mountain Directory West, it gives a great description of this road.

Quotes:

Bear Tooth Pass is aptly named. It's a bear of a pass. The Montana side of the pass is the most difficult with a very narrow, rough, winding and steep descent. 22 miles of 6 - 8% grade. There are numerous 15, 20, 25 mph hairpin turns, many of these unmarked. Descending eastbound from the west summit of Bear Tooth the first 1 1/2 miles are about 8% downhill graded followed by 1 1/2 miles of 5-7% grade uphill to he east summit. The first 4 miles downhill from the east sumit are about 8% with 20 mph hairpins and other curves.
and it goes on..and on like this.

Utahtea

rm_mn

I've driven several places that I felt were much scarier than the Beartooth. Use common sense and you'll be find pulling a tent camper. On the uphill your automatic transmission will shift into the gear necessary to climb the grade, no problem at all. When you hit a steeper downgrade, shift out of drive into second (most often marked 2 on the shifter) so the engine holds back and you don't need your brakes except for the sharp corners. If you still need the brakes to control the speed, shift down again. Many modern automatics have automatic overdrive that provide almost no holding back. These have a button somewhere to lock out the overdrive. Use this when lockout when pulling the trailer upgrade and downgrade as well.