Beartooth Pass, which spans the Wyoming-Montana border about 30 miles east of Yellowstone National Park, is set to close Friday, October 9, at 2:30 p.m. The pass, home to North America’s sole summer-only ski area, was initially scheduled to close four days later, on October 13. However, due to an encroaching winter weather system, officials have decided to close the highway ahead of schedule.
The early-season storm, driven by cold air from western Canada pouring over the Northern Rockies, is slated to drop around a foot of snow on the nearly 11,000-foot pass by Monday afternoon. The forecasted accumulation was deemed enough to close the highway for the winter, as the road is not routinely plowed.
The top of Beartooth Pass, in the heart of the Northern Rockies, can receive an estimated 300 to 600 inches of snow annually. Gargantuan snow totals and low demand for access, especially during the winter months, rule out plowing throughout the season until the highway inevitably reopens after snow melts off, usually around Memorial Day.
Permanent winter road closures and heavy snow that doesn’t fully melt until midsummer set the stage for something entirely unique in North America: Beartooth Basin, the continent’s only ski area open strictly during summer months. When snow is cleared from the road in late spring while the mountains remain cloaked, Beartooth Basin kicks into gear.
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While the resort’s opening schedule is rather unpredictable given the unique nature of the ski area, Beartooth Basin was able to open in 2026 for around 30 days before closing on June 28. Two Poma surface lifts served about 1,000 vertical feet and 600 acres of skiable terrain, giving skiers and riders one last taste of winter before hanging up the sticks.
The closing of Beartooth Pass marks one more step in a seemingly never-ending march toward the 2026-27 ski season. However, after the final turns of the upcoming winter are in the rearview mirror, the pass will reopen, and so will Beartooth Basin.
