A Beartooth Pass road closure is in effect after snow and extreme weather forced the shutdown of U.S. Highway 212 at the Montana/Wyoming state line. Plow crews are en route, but no reopening timeline has been confirmed.
The 68-mile road, which peaks at 10,947 feet, typically closes from early Fall through April or May due to deep snow.
The Beartooth Highway is an All-American Road on a section of U.S. Route 212 in Montana and Wyoming between Red Lodge and the Northeast entrance of Yellowstone National Park, passing over the Beartooth Pass in Wyoming at 10,947 feet (3,337 m) above sea level. It has been called “the most beautiful drive in America” by the late CBS correspondent Charles Kuralt. Because of heavy snowfall at the top, the pass is usually open each year only from mid-May through mid-October, weather conditions permitting.
Beartooth Pass Road Closure: What Travelers Need to Know
Travelers heading to Cooke City or the Northeast Entrance of Yellowstone National Park should not use the pass at this time. Officials are directing drivers to use Wyoming State Highway 296, also known as the Chief Joseph Scenic Byway, as an alternate route.
Visitors approaching from Red Lodge may still access Vista Point, but must return to Red Lodge afterward. The pass itself remains impassable.
Road conditions can change quickly in the area. Travelers are urged to avoid relying on map applications for current road status. For real-time updates, check the Montana Department of Transportation at 511mt.net or the Wyoming Department of Transportation at map.wyoroad.info.
The road closure also cuts off access to Beartooth Basin, the only summer-only ski area in the United States. Sitting at 10,900 feet on the Montana-Wyoming border, the ski area opened on Memorial Day, May 25, after a cold spring delivered strong early-season conditions across the high peaks of the Beartooth Absaroka Mountains. The 2026 season marks the area’s 64th year of summer ski operations, a tradition dating to the mid-1960s, and follows several difficult recent seasons, including a full cancellation in 2024 due to insufficient snowpack. The ski area relies entirely on U.S. 212 for access; without a clear road, neither staff nor visitors can reach the mountain.
Beartooth Basin’s History
The ski area was established in the mid-1960s by three Austrian-American race coaches as an alpine ski racing summer training ground. The founders, Pepi Gramshammer, Eric Sailer, and Anderi Molterer, established what was to be known as the Red Lodge International Ski and Snowboard Camp. In the late 90s, the trio decided to sell the ski area to its new owners, who opened it up to the public. The newer ownership group has changed a bit over the years, but is now majority-controlled by Austin Hart, Justin Modroo, Kurt Hallock, and David Leuschen.
Beartooth Basin has been plagued by four consecutive bad seasons, which saw the ski area not open at all in 2022. In the 2023 season, the mountain was only open for two and a half weeks, and again not open at all in 2024. In 2025, the ski area opened on May 28 but remained open only until June 15.
With 29 inches of early snow and 64 years of stubbornness, this might finally be the year Beartooth Basin gets its full season back.
Basin Ski Resort Stats:
- 10,900 feet peak elevation
- 9,900 feet base elevation
- 1,000 vertical feet
- Two high-speed platter lifts
- Skiing terrain that varies in pitch from 15° to 50°
- 3,000 vertical feet of shuttled or hike-in backcountry skiing and riding
- Related: Beartooth Basin, MT, Opens on Memorial Day to Kick Off the 2026 Summer Ski Season
