There are five entrances to Yellowstone National Park. I was coming from the East, but I went out of my way to drive to the North East entrance via the Beartooth Highway. I’m glad I did. This is one of the most scenic drives in America. It takes you right up into the mountains. There are views into valleys with alpine blue lakes.
I started from Red Lodge, Montana, and the weather was bad: cold, rainy, and foggy. At first I was worried that the weather would obscure the scenery. But the road climbed high above the fog, and I had views over the clouds.
An alternative to the Beartooth Highway that’s not as far out of the way is the Chief Joseph Highway. I had to leave the park due to a camera emergency, and I drove back in via Chief Joseph. It was scenic, but not nearly as scenic as the Beartooth.
On my emergency drive out to Cody, Wyoming, I exited the park via the East entrance. This went through the Shoshone National Forest, and was also quite scenic. It didn’t go up into the mountains, but it did go through some interesting cliffs. Unfortunately I was in a hurry, so didn’t stop to take pictures.
All of these roads are an incredible way to get to an incredible place: Yellowstone National Park.