Leaving Yellowstone - Avoiding Beartooth Highway

harold1946 wrote:
Beartooth is the the arguably the best, most beautiful drive in the US. Why avoid it?

I see no reason that the OP has to justify where he wants to and doesn't want to drive. I came in from the North off of I-90 and left to the South past tetons.
bumpy

Do the brakes work? Can you down shift?

You 2 basic choices - continue out the NE corner, and take Chief Joseph to Cody.
'backtrack' to the Lake, and go out the east entrance to Cody.

On the east entrance, you have a slight rise to a pass near the park entrance, and then a steady downhill.

On Chief Joseph you will have a drop to the Beartooth junction, and then a bit more to a scenic canyon crossing (stop to look), and then a climb over a pass and down. You could figure out the actually altitude changes via the contours on Google Maps (terrain mode).

After Cody you have a crossing of the Big Horn Mtns, US16 is usually recommended.

If you want none of that, then consider the north exit to Livingston, and I90 the rest of the way.

I'm worried our 30' RV from 1992 won't make it :).

Beartooth is the the arguably the best, most beautiful drive in the US. Why avoid it?

Not that Chief Joseph is not doable, but there is a climb to the top and then that long downhill to the bottom.



This is what you have to climb to get to the Pass.



At the Pass.



These are the grades you will encounter.

Just go out the NE entrance to Cody. There are some climbs on the Chief Joseph hwy but you can do it.

Real easy. Just take Chief Joseph Highway (296) down to Cody, the go to Casper, finally over to Custer. Alternative is Chief Joseph High down to 120 north which changes to 72 at the state line north to I90 over to Custer.