Yellowstone's Best Kept Secret

[Peter McLennan]

Four visits this year alone?  From OHIO?  Wow.  I've done it only four times in my life and I thought I was doing well.  Good on ya!

"The Chief Josef Scenic Highway". I believe this is also called.  An incredible piece of road, all the better because it's usually virtually deserted.

Heartbreakingly beautiful country.  Some of the best in all of North Amercica.

Peter

[jwarthman]

Anyone who knows of Robert Hitchman's "photograph america newsletter" will appreciate this thread. Issue # 70, from August 2001, is entirely about "The Beartooth Highway"! It contains twenty B&W photographs taken along the highway, and eleven pages that describe how to get there, where to stay, what times of the year to go, and what you'll see along the highway. In fact, starting at the Super 8 Motel at the intersection of Highway 212 and Highway 308 (mile "zero"), Robert describes interesting features at 5.9, 8.7, 11.4, 14.4, and 31 other "mile posts" - ending at 69 miles. It sounds like an amazing place to photograph! And (as with all his newsletters), Robert writes compellingly about the area.

Robert has, for the past 12 years or so, published his bimonthly newsletter that highlights great photo opportunities throughout America. If you've not seen it, take a look at www.photographamerica.com. I believe there is a sample issue you can download.

Enjoy!

-- Jim

Note, Other than being a very happy subscriber to photograph america, I'm in no way connected with the publication or Robert.

[Mike]

The next time you are at Yellowstone visit the Beartooth highway and sunlight basin road outside of Cooke City, Montana. You can get from the YNP Northeast entrance to Cody, Wyoming or Billings along this route. This drive is more like a drive along the going to the sun road at Glacier Park although the mountains are not as dense. The Sunsets and sunrises are absolutely stunning. There is a pullout along the highway at post 271 that is called 'Dead Indian' summit. The elevation is just over 10,000 feet and the view of the Rockies and the Absaroka range from this vantage point is tremendous. This drive is rated one of the top 5 scenic drives in North America and is often overlooked by visitors and photographers alike. Probably because they aren't aware it exists.

The funny thing about Yellowstone and the Tetons is many people think once the park boundaries end there is nothing else to see. The Beartooth highway probably contains more awe inspiring vistas than anything in Yellowstone or the Tetons.

Also the lakes surrounding West Yellowstone , Montana and the Idaho border contain some awesome wildlife and scenic opportunities. The morning mist and fog usually presents some great photo opps when coming off the lake.

I usually go a few times a year and drive from Ohio. Having more vacation time this year I plan on a trip in May, July, September, and October for a week each.

[terry]

I could not agree more. This seemingly unknown road [route 296 ]between route 120 , out of Cody wyo., leading to the northeastern entrance of Yellowstone ,is awe inspiring to say the least. I had the very good fortune of finding this road some twenty years ago, totally by accident. To me, the only way to go anywhere in the U.S., is to follow the green dotted scenic highways, indicated on your "Trusty Old Randie McNally"map,any time you can,..and I personally think that this is  the "only way" to truelly approach any adventure into Yellowstone Park. Be warned thou, that this is a very remote section of Wyo.,and the services are few and far between,but you won't regret it thou, especially if you can /or plan, on camping in the area for a spell.There are a least 6 Nat. Forest campgrounds , that can be spotted along The Chief Joseph[route 296] and The Beartooth [route 212 into Red lodge Mt.] biway, all of them some of the most remote, and therfore the "best", camping spots you can find anywhere in the U.S. The wildlife abounds, I almost hit a rather large "griz", broadside two years ago, while I was coming down off the Beartooth hwy,at about 9,000 ft. el., and yeah, they just seem to love to prowl the campgrounds at night, which can certainly make your visit that much more interesting. Big Horn sheep, Black Bear, "GRIZ", Deer,Wolf ,and all manner of hoofed critters wander about in the vast open range of this area. When I read that other post about going "all the way from Ohio", I said to myself, "Self" -"####,.. I would go twice that distance, just to go to there". You would have to go far, just to find such solitude, not to mention the photographic opportunities that abound in this area.Watching a dark brooding storm gathering  momentum as it crosses over the Absaroka range with 11,000ft.++ peaks blocking it's path,as it sweeps thru the canyons ,can and will make for some really impressive images.I've had the good fortune to travel to and "really" visit many of the really remote and special places in the U.S., and I can say with out a doubt, that this is one of "my" favotite spots to do photography.[now as far as Canada is concerned that's another post]