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.

A fog filled valley from the Beartooth Highway
A fog filled valley

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.

Up in the mountains on the Beartooth Highway
Up in the mountains

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.

A mountain lake
A mountain lake from the Beartooth Highway

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.

On the Chief Joseph Highway
On the Chief Joseph Highway

All of these roads are an incredible way to get to an incredible place: Yellowstone National Park.

The view from Chief Joseph Highway is pretty good too.
The view from Chief Joseph Highway is pretty good too.
Terry
I'm Terry, former cubicle-dweller, and now traveler, photographer, writer, and entrepreneur. I quit my job in 2014 to travel to US national parks, then to South East Asia. I write about independent, flexible, long-term, budget travel. Sign up to my newsletter to get the latest news on what I'm up to. I hope you join me on my trek around the world.

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