Now that we can't go from Yellowstone to Red Lodge via Beartooth, should we scrap MT altogether (no time to get to Glacier NP)? Should we go to Cody instead? Or are there other good MT places reasonably close to Billings, where we're flying out of?

I must confess I don't understand your question at all.

Just because you cannot drive across the Beartooth does not mean you don't have several ways to get to Glacier.

And there are several ways to get from Yellowstone to Billings.

Glacier, on the east side, is about 400 miles from Billings. If you are flying from Billings, why are you taking an 800 mile deviation?

bob,

They are spending 9 days in the Yellowstone - Tetons area and I think suekush is asking now that they aren't spending the night at Red Lodge, should they attempt Glacier.

To suekush,

I still wouldn't attempt Glaicer. It's two full days of driving getting there and back and you need more than one full day to really see the park. The Yellowstone website says that you can still drive part of the Beartooth Highway so it might be worth driving what you can and doubling back. They also say that the Chief Joseph Highway is an alternative route to the Beartooth. I personally haven't done the Chief Joseph Highway but it's on my list of things to do.

http://www.nps.gov/yell/planvisit/or...l/roadclos.htm

Cody would be an excellent choice as an alternative to Red Lodge. The Buffalo Bill Historic Center is in Cody. It's a great museum on the old west.

http://www.codywyomingnet.com/buffalo_bill/museum.php

Utahtea

I have done the Chief Joseph twice.
Once we drove out of Yellowstone via the Northeast gate and ascended the Bearthooth summit before doubling back to Cody.
The other time we drove out the East Gate of Yellowstone to Cody, then took the Chief Joseph Highway to the Bearthooth on our way to Red Lodge.

I don't think it makes much difference which way you drive it.

The highway is scenic but not as spectacular as the Beartooth. If part of the south side of the highway is open, I recommend driving it as far up as you can go. Then you can descend and continue on to Cody.

Another worthwhile objective is the Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman. It has been substantially upgraded in the last few years to where it is a very good museum. It is highly varied from paleontology to the settlers coming into Montanta during the late 1800s.

Dr. John R. Horner is curator of paleontology at the museum and he is one of the most respected American palentologists. His research in the area of plant eating dinosaurs is renowned. The headline grabber is of course his effortss, with his team of dinosaur fossil finders, with T-Rex fossils. Just recently one of his finds was further analyzed at North Carolina State and soft tissue parts were found as well as extra calcium inside leg bones that is associated with egg production.

Whether or not any of the most recent findings will be displayed, I don't know. But the museum itself is extensive and one one of the best in the west.

Bozeman has a delightful downtown to visit as well as the museum.

If you like antique shopping, a great one is in downtown Belgrade, just a few miles west of Bozeman. It's called My Home's in Montana.

If you like the carved wooden bears, ducks, fish, etc you see at all the western national parks and nicer gift shops, they are made just a little further west in Manhattan--Big Sky Wood Carvers.They have a shop and even a back room with marked down items. You will see a billboard telling you where to go. Manhattan is a small town and it is just east of downtown.

If you like to fish, two fabulous fishing rivers are in the Bozeman and Livingston areas--Madison and Yellowstone Rivers. You could hire a guide.

If you like history, Little Bighorn Battlefield is about an hour drive southeast of Billings.

Utahtea was right - we know we don't have the time to go to Glacier. Our main reason for going to Montana and flying out of Billings was to drive Beartooth (and try to find E.B. White's trumperter swans, but that's another story)

What else is there to do in Cody? And is the museum authentic, as opposed to Disneyfied?

The museum was very good and lots of authentic old west items and guns. We spent longer there than I thought we would.

http://www.codychamber.org/visitcody...ttractions.htm

Utahtea

Ok, not sure if its my computer or the search engine here today,
but I've done several searchs and also scrolled back for days and can't find the post with the website for the mudslide pictures.

Can anyone help me find it please?

Also, it *appears* that the actual Beartooth Pass is on the Chief Joseph Highway, near # 10-11 on this map:

http://www.redlodge.com/bthighway/BThwy_trip.pdf

Can anyone verify that?
In other words, is it *worth it* to drive to that point, then back, will we still see enough of the Pass?

Thank you.

Chief Joseph Highway is barely even shown on this map--it's Hwy 296 going south off of the Beartooth.

Beartooth Pass is indeed on the Beartooth Hwy, pretty close to the WY/MT border.

The Yellowstone website links you to the site that gives the latest travel info for the Beartooth and it says you can go 29 miles past the Chief Joseph Intersection. IMO, this takes you through the most scenic part of the road. Not far past the MT border you start descending into OK scenery

Thanks Connie.

Let me rephrase my question (one of them).

Taking the *FIRST* part of Rt 212 isn't technically taking the Beartooth Hwy -- because the Beartooth Hwy is closed.

However, the first part of Rt 212 is open and seemingly *crosses* Beartooth Pass.

So essentially, while not *doing* Beartooth Hwy, it is possible to experience the pass - right?

Hope that makes sense?

Here is the link to the mudslide pictures.

http://www.mdt.state.mt.us/travinfo/beartooth/

Here is the link to the Beartooth Mudslide post:

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...1&tid=34624411

Utahtea

Oh, by the way...I couldn't find it either by doing a search....I had to click on my name to find it. Don't know what's up with the search engine.

Utahtea

Thanks, Utahtea.
Thats very helpful.

Also glad to know its not just my computer thats not doing a full search.

All of the Beartooth Hwy is NOT closed--just A SECTION of it-- from 2 miles north of the WY/MT border to 10 miles south of Red Lodge. A lot of that isn't even particularly scenic.

The Beartooth Pass is in the open section. It isn't the whole trip, just part of it. There are miles and miles of fabulous scenery.

From the time you leave the NE entrance of Yellowstone until you have to stop and turn around, you are doing the Beartooth Hwy.

Thanks Connie, I appreciate the reply.
We'll definitely plan to do it this fall.