Beartooth Pass & Yellowstone NP, 5/06

[kcowyo]

I had a three day weekend over Memorial Day weekend so I took the opportunity to ramble through NW Wyoming. I visited Cody, the Sunlight Basin north of Cody and drove over Beartooth Pass on the WY & Montana state line. I also went through Yellowstone NP and back out to Cody, then home to Lander.

It was a solo trip, looping through some of my most favorite country, not only in WY, but in the western US. The rawboned, rugged wilderness of the Absaroka Range and the Beartooth Mountains is impossible to describe. Charles Kuralt called it the most scenic drive in America, so who am I to argue? It's like stepping back in time every time I drive through. I spent several summers in the early 90's working on a ranch outside of Cody and I've made numerous trips into Yellowstone. But it's new everytime.

The first day was spent in Sunlight Basin along Sunlight Creek. It started raining and turned to falling snow after lunch. Found a great spot for lunch and wound up camping there for the night. Too wet to make a fire, so I settled in to the camper with a book, the heater and some Canadian corn squeezin's. The next morning the clouds had cleared out and I headed north towards Beartooth Pass.

Some pics from Sunlight Basin, north of Cody, off of Chief Joseph's Scenic Highway -

 

[kcowyo]

I had planned to go over the newly opened Beartooth Pass, into Red Lodge Montana, for gas and then back over the Beartooths and find a campsite for that night. However, once at the top of the Beartooths I was in a complete whiteout. The snow was whiping and blowing around and it was still deep,deep.

I made a sandwich and watched a few snowmobilers for awhile and a kite-snowboarder before deciding to go back down towards Cooke City, MT. I was bummed to make the trip up only to find zero visibilty, but to paraphrase Mark Twain, the coldest months of May I've ever experienced were in NW Wyoming.

Pics from the Beartooth and Cooke City area -

 

[Darren]

Ooh, yes! That's my kind of stuff! Looks like awesome camping from that first set.

 

[kcowyo]

I wound up staying in Yellowstone instead of Cooke City on Sunday evening. I was able to get a campsite in my favorite YNP campground, Slough Creek. Slough Creek is pretty remote within the park. The scenery and creek are OK, but the campground has so much sentimental history with me. I've camped over 20 times here, including the first couple of days of my honeymoon.

I keep coming back because of its proximity to Lamar Valley, which in 1995, was the best place to see the newly released wolves. Now the wolves are everywhere and the crowds that flocked to Lamar Valley have gone back to Old Faithful and Mammoth, so its usually a quiet hidden retreat.

Saw lots of snow in the park, near the east entrance and Cody. This drive from YNP, out the east entrance to Cody was called by Theodore Roosevelt, the most scenic 50 miles in America. As with Kuralt, who's going to argue with Mr. Big Stick? It certainly rivals the Million Dollar Highway in CO, the road over Three Sisters in OR, and the drive through the Cascades in WA.

I did see some wildlife in the park. The best was seeing a Momma Grizz (according to Ursidae8675309) and her two cubs. I was only a few miles from the east entrance, preparing to leave the park, taking pics of watefalls and runoff. I heard a cub whining and looked up the hill further and saw them. The Momma had crossed a small, dry gulley and the two cubs were trying to get across. She went back to help them and shot me a look. I bid a hasty retreat, content with a few pics and a sighting that no one else had seen.

After that I rolled along the Northfork of the Shoshone River, into Cody and back home. It was a fun 3 day weekend in my favorite corner of Wyoming.

Some pics from the park -

 

[paulj]

I had similar weather a couple of years ago in the fall, coming from Montana. Visibility coming up the switch backs was ok, but we got flurries at the vista, and low visibility at the top. Then cleared as we approached the turn off to Cody, followed by some snow over the next pass.

I kind of rushed through the area on that trip, having spent one night in Bozeman MT, and the next in Gillet, WY

paulj

p.s. I've added a view down the north side switchbacks.

 

[calamaridog]

That area is my favorite in the whole country.

I haven't been through there since 96, I think

 

[HongerVenture]

I had a three day weekend over Memorial Day weekend so I took the opportunity to ramble through NW Wyoming...

This is a wonderful post... the above picture is just provoking my itch to move out west somewhere. In addition, it's is encouraging me to start searching for my own Four Wheel Camper (you'll have an e-mail full of questions in your inbox soon).

Joel

 

[Ursidae69]

KC, your posts are sensory overload dood! :exclaim:

The picture from the first set from inside the camper looking out into that meadow is just awesome. Hell, they are all just awesome!

 

[chet]

KC, your posts are sensory overload dood! :exclaim:

The picture from the first set from inside the camper looking out into that meadow is just awesome. Hell, they are all just awesome!

Ya no kidding! Your style of writing is excellent. Not sure if you covered it before but what camera do you have?:luxhello:

 

[Scenic WonderRunner]

KC.........

Excellent!!!!!!!!!!!

The pics are stunning!

That's my kind of country!

Thanks for sharing!

~Mark

 

[Westy]

Great post. Thanks for sharing.

Reminds me of my most recent adventure in MT where my cousin and I lived in MT for a summer about 3 years ago. We were @ Cliff Lake just north of West Yellowstone off the Madison River.

The Beartooths and surrounding mountains are some of the most beautiful and remote places in the West. Good shot of the Grizz :elkgrin:

 

[slepe67]

now ya done it...I grew up in MT, and am currently stationed in NW FL. REAL scenic. Right. Anywho, I haven't been home to MT in 2 years. Life and marriage keeps getting in the way. Well, not this summer. I am going home, and these pics have inspired me to do something I havent done since I was 12 (that was 22 yearas ago??? holeee crap!), I'm going to take this route North to go home. I gotta get planning my entire trip. My wife grew up in Lawn Guyland, and has NEVER even seen mountains like this. I'm sure it will blow here mind. Went to Helen GA, last fall, she loved it. Just wait, I tell her. Just wait. Thanks for the isnpiration. I am homesick.

 

[Redback]

Spectacular scenery, and the best time of year to go camping IMO.

Love it, keep it up.

Baz.