Beartooth Highway
 

If there is anyone who has driven the Beartooth Highway, can you please tell me how bad the switchbacks are for the novice mountain driver? Is it a wider highway than say the "Going-to-the-Sun" road which I considered very scary. I would really like to see the scenery on the Beartooth, but am kind of worried about driving it since I have not done a lot of mountain driving. Thanks for any information.

Having done both drives - my vote for scariest is the Beartooth. But it's well worth it. The scenery is unbelievable!:>

Go for it. Just take your time and if traffic builds up behind you, pull over when you can and let them pass. We did the highway heading north after doing Yellowstone, and it was not bad at all. At Red Lodge we cut over to rte 72/120 south, skirted Cody, and took Alt 14 east into the Big Horn Mts. Spectacular. Where it met rte 14, we doubled back west to Greybull, took 16/20 south to Worland and Rte 16 east back into the Big Horns and on to the Black Hills.

I have done both the Beartooh and the Sun Road more than once. The Sun Road does not bother me, neither does the Bear Tooth. Just don't drive like an idiot and you will be ok. Most people are afraid of the unknown and they don't gear the car down so that they end up riding their brakes the whole way, which is dangerous because it leads to brake fade.

I am more afraid of rental cars with cruddy tires than anything else. In other words the tread on the tires is my chief concern, not the road itself.

Get a little experience and your perception of it will change.

My wife for some reason was highly concerned about Colorado Passes. One year she told me I could drive over Wolf Creek Pass. She was driving when we left Alamosa, so I told her to pull over at a convenient place and I would drive. She kept driving until she found a nice wide spot where she could pull completely off the road. We switched drivers and she asked how far it was to the top of the pass. My answer: "You are on top of it; it is all downhill from here." I am not sure she believed me until later.
In the interim she had gained experience and confidence. You will too and cease to fear those roads.
Respect the heck out of them? Yes indeed. Fear them? Not unless they are icy.

I've driven both more than once and think Beartooth is less scary.

We are flatlanders from northeast Texas and not used to mountain driving at all. I'd do either again in a heartbeat. They are fabulous.

You should be fine on the Beartooth Highway. The shoulders are wide and you go extremely slow (or you should) on the switchbacks anyway. There are many places to stop and enjoy the view so if you're stressed you can pull yourself together then. It's the most gorgeous drive and view I've ever seen and that includes dozens of trips to the Colorado Rockies. This area is truly God's Country.

I just drove into Yellowstone thru the Beartooth Pass (Memorial Day 2003 -Monday). The pass is open already, there are snow-packed shoulders, which if anything offer some comfort for people like me with fear of heights. It was a bit cold, which made it for a bit of icy conditions. It was a good thing my husband was driving as he enjoyed it and had no problems at all; I was the one terrified on the passenger seat.

I've done both. It is an absolutely spectacular drive. I'd say the roads are similar. This road does not get the heavy use of Going To The Sun.