One of the highest and most scenic highways in the United States will close for the season earlier than planned as winter weather approaches the Beartooth Mountains.
The Beartooth Highway will close Friday, Oct. 9, at 2:30 p.m. for the remainder of the 2026 season because of incoming severe weather. The highway provides a spectacular high-elevation connection between Red Lodge, Montana, Cooke City and the Northeast Entrance of Yellowstone National Park.
Yellowstone National Park had previously listed Oct. 12 as the projected closing date for the Beartooth Highway, although the National Park Service cautions that conditions can force earlier closures on the high-elevation route.
The closure comes ahead of a major change in weather across the Absaroka and Beartooth mountains. The National Weather Service in Billings currently forecasts rain and snow developing Saturday night, followed by snow showers Sunday and additional chances of snow into Monday. Accumulation is possible in the mountains, with temperatures dropping sharply after an unusually warm start to October.
Beartooth Highway Climbs To Nearly 11,000 Feet
The seasonal highway carries U.S. 212 between Red Lodge and Cooke City, climbing through the Custer Gallatin and Shoshone national forests before reaching Beartooth Pass at 10,947 feet.
Keeping the road open at that elevation is heavily dependent on weather. Montana Department of Transportation crews maintain the Montana section, while the National Park Service handles portions of the highway in Wyoming. MDT notes that the highway is generally open from Memorial Day weekend through mid-October, but snow, ice and rapidly changing conditions can force temporary or seasonal closures.
This year’s season began with weather problems as well. The road opened May 23 after a winter storm delayed the Wyoming section, giving travelers a little more than four months to drive the full route before Friday’s closure.
The highway also provides access to Beartooth Basin, the unusual summer ski area located along the route in Wyoming. Beartooth Basin operated into late June this year before ending its summer ski season.
Yellowstone’s Northeast Entrance Will Remain Accessible
Closing the Beartooth Highway does not close Yellowstone’s Northeast Entrance or cut off Cooke City.
Drivers traveling between the Red Lodge area and Cooke City or Yellowstone’s Northeast Entrance will need to use Wyoming Highway 296, the Chief Joseph Scenic Byway, rather than crossing Beartooth Pass. The Chief Joseph route connects with U.S. 212 east of Cooke City and provides access toward Cody and other routes into the region.
The National Park Service lists the Chief Joseph Scenic Byway as a seasonal connection between Cooke City and Wyoming Highway 120. The lower portion remains open year-round, while the section closest to Cooke City generally remains open to wheeled vehicles until early November, depending on weather.
Inside Yellowstone, the road between the Northeast Entrance, Lamar Valley, Tower Junction, Mammoth Hot Springs and the North Entrance at Gardiner is generally maintained for vehicle travel throughout the winter, conditions permitting. Most other Yellowstone roads close to regular vehicles later in the fall.
For anyone hoping to make one final trip over Beartooth Pass this year, the window is now set. The highway is scheduled to close at 2:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 9, and will not reopen to regular vehicle traffic until 2027.
