An All American Road

The Beartooth Highway All American Road, or U.S. 212, winds its way through parts of south-central Montana and Northwestern Wyoming displaying scenic views of the Beartooth Mountains. The Beartooth Highway begins at the northeast entrance to Yellowstone National Park near Cooke City, Montana. The highway extends approximately 67 miles and ends in the town of Red Lodge, Montana.

The origins of the Beartooth Highway can be attributed to the people of the Red Lodge and Cooke City mining communities. In the early twentieth century, citizens and local political leaders realized the potential economic impact of an approach road to the Northeast entrance of Yellowstone National Park. In 1931, President Herbert Hoover signed the National Park Approach Act, which allocated federal funds for approach roads to National Parks. Completed in 1936, the Beartooth Highway was the only road funded by the act.

The scenic beauty and uniqueness of the Beartooth Highway prompted the U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration to include it in the National Scenic Byways Program. Under the program, the U.S. Secretary of Transportation designates certain roads as All American Roads if they contain “one of a kind” features and are considered destinations within themselves.

In 2002, The Beartooth Highway was designated as an All American Road.

Researched, written, and narrated by University of West Florida Public History Student Wesley Meiss.