Beartooth Highway North Slope Road — Red Lodge to Cooke City via Beartooth Pass Summit
America's highest paved road with gravel teeth.
US-212 over Beartooth Pass is legendary even on pavement, but it’s the web of gravel spurs that branch off the highway — the North Slope Road, Line Creek Plateau tracks, and the Gardner Lake spur — that earn this corridor a place in the overland database. The main route climbs out of Red Lodge through switchbacks above Rock Creek Canyon before breaking onto the high plateau at nearly 11,000 feet, where summer snow squalls are routine in July and alpine lakes sit glassy and ice-cold in every glacial pocket. The North Slope Road spur peels off east of the summit and runs along the rim of the plateau above the Wyoming-Montana line, passing through tundra-like terrain that feels more Alaska than lower 48. Cooke City sits at the west end, a supply stop before Yellowstone’s northeast gate.
The paved highway is straightforward for any vehicle in summer, but the gravel spurs — particularly the North Slope Road — are rocky, rutted, and subject to sudden closure from afternoon thunderstorms and snowfall in any month. A high-clearance 4WD handles the spurs comfortably; a stock crossover will struggle and should stay on the pavement. Fuel in Red Lodge before departure — Cooke City has limited supply at high prices. The highway is typically open late May through mid-October, but check WYDOT and MDT road conditions before departure. No permits required for vehicle travel. Cell service disappears above the canyon and doesn’t return until Cooke City.
Trail Specs
| Difficulty | Moderate |
|---|---|
| Trail Type | High Clearance, Overland Route, Scenic Drive |
| Surface | Gravel, Mixed, Rock |
| Features | Camping, High Altitude, Remote, Scenic |
| Length (miles) | 68 mi / 109.4 km |
| Duration | 1 day |
| Max elevation (ft) | 10947 ft |
| Best season | Late June-September |
| Minimum vehicle | Stock 4WD high-clearance (for spurs) |
| Nearest town | Red Lodge, MT |
| Land manager | Custer Gallatin National Forest / Wyoming Department of Transportation |
| Permit required | No |
| Cell service | None |
| Water crossings | No |
| Dispersed camping | Yes |
| Official sources | USFS Beartooth area page WY road conditions MT road conditions |
| Start coordinates | |
| End coordinates | |
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| Find on Google | Search on Google → |
Location
Trail Conditions
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Frequently asked questions
Can a stock Tacoma or 4Runner handle the North Slope Road without any mods?
Yes for the main route — the North Slope gravel road is manageable in a stock high-clearance 4WD. If you're pushing into the rougher spur roads off the main track, a lift and all-terrain tires will save you headaches on the rockier sections.
When does the road actually open, and can you count on it being clear by Memorial Day?
Typically opens late May to mid-June depending on snowpack, but the summit area regularly sees closures into June and can get surprise snowstorms in August. Check Montana DOT and Wyoming road conditions the day before — the official opening dates slip almost every year.
Do you need a permit or pay any fees to drive this route?
No permit required and no fee to drive the road itself. If you're camping in Custer Gallatin National Forest dispersed sites, no permit is needed but you must follow Leave No Trace and fire restriction rules — check current fire restrictions before you go, they change fast up here.
What's the hardest section and what actually makes it sketchy?
The gravel North Slope spur sections off the main highway are where it gets real — narrow shelf road, loose rock, no guardrails, and drop-offs that will wake you up fast. The bigger hazard for most people isn't the road itself, it's altitude-induced weather: afternoon thunderstorms roll in hard above 10,000 feet and visibility can drop to near zero in minutes.
There's no cell service on the whole route — where's the last place to fuel up before committing to this thing?
Red Lodge on the east end and Cooke City on the west are your fuel stops — Cooke City is small and prices run high, so top off in Red Lodge before you climb. There is no fuel, no services, and no cell signal for the entire 68 miles between those two towns.
Trail track
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