Beartooth Highway Seasonal Opening Day

Opening day on the Beartooth Highway is your rite of spring in Montana: 68 miles of high-country switchbacks, snow-walled pullouts, and big-sky views that feel far from the interstate. You start at the Red Lodge Visitors Center and climb into the Beartooth Mountains, linking up with Cooke City before the road delivers you to the Northeast Entrance of Yellowstone National Park. Treat it like a rolling itinerary, building in time for short walks to alpine lakes, quick stops at overlooks, and long pauses when the light turns crisp on the peaks.

The highway typically reopens on the Friday of Memorial Day weekend, with the exact date and time set by snow clearing progress and current weather. Plan on a slow, scenic pace as traffic gathers at signature pullouts, especially near Beartooth Pass at nearly 11,000 feet. This is an easy win for families, couples, and photographers, with snowbanks that can rise well over ten feet and a landscape that looks freshly revealed.

Before you commit, check the Montana Department of Transportation updates or call the Red Lodge Visitors Center at 406-446-1718, since conditions can change fast and late spring storms can keep the gates closed. Arrive early, ideally by 8:00 AM, for quieter road conditions and the best morning light. Pack layers including a heavy jacket and gloves, fuel up in Red Lodge or Cooke City because there are no services on the pass, and bring binoculars for mountain goats and the occasional grizzly in the alpine tundra.

For a smooth start, book a mountain lodge or downtown hotel in Red Lodge; for the western end, look to cabins and rustic stays in Cooke City or Silver Gate, and compare vacation rentals and regional lodging through Lake.com. There is no toll to drive the Beartooth Highway, but you will need a pass if you continue into Yellowstone. Dogs can ride with you and are welcome at stops on a leash, and you should plan at least three hours to account for pullouts, traffic, and the winding climb.