While the four main entrances to Yellowstone National Park are congested with visitors throughout the summer, a lesser-known and less-traveled way in is the northeast entrance, approached via Red Lodge, Montana. The northeast entrance requires traversing the Beartooth Pass, or U.S. Highway 212. This route reaches an altitude of almost 11,000 feet along treacherous hairpin curves, and through extensive snow fields (even in August) and low clouds. It does not offer the expediency of the other four entrances and therefore requires a much longer time frame to enter the park. Also, this route is open only during the shortened summer season. The journey results in a Yellowstone seldom seen by the masses.
Instructions
1. Check with rangers at the entrance about bear sightings and use the necessary precautions when viewing these animals. Note that many Yellowstone enthusiasts, including park rangers, will attest that if any bear are sighted in Yellowstone, it will usually be along this road. This route leaves the ancient caldera and gains the altitude bears prefer in the hot summer months.
2. Enter the park and drive between several 10,000-foot peaks along the Lamar River. Look for moose cows and calves along the river, and possibly a lone bull. If you don't see any moose, take the turn at Pebble Creek and access a trailhead near the campground. Take a short hike up the creek and continue pursuing moose sightings.
3. Continue the drive through the Lamar Valley. The valley floor along the river offers ample views of buffalo and antelope, deer and elk. They seem to prefer these open fields away from roads. The roadways in the lower part of the park go directly through the grazing land and brings severe congestion. Don't expect to take any close photographs here, but rather more natural ones.
4. Take advantage of the ample parking areas to view the wildlife. This road less-traveled will mean fewer sudden stops by the car in front of you. It seems that many drivers when on congested roads between Madison and the Village lose road courtesy when the see their first buffalo.
5. Take the exit north to the Slough Creek Campground. Well-detached from the main road, the accessible trails around this area allow a visitor to experience a more natural element of the park. Here you are less than an hour away from complete solitude, a rarity in such a popular destination. You may want to continue pursuing moose along the creek.
6. Turn either direction at the Tower-Roosevelt Junction and begin the northern loop of the park. Mammoth Hot Springs to the north is where the hot terraces are located, and Canyon Village to the south allows access to the two famous waterfalls of the Yellowstone River.
Tags: along river, away from, continue pursuing, continue pursuing moose, more natural, National Park, northeast entrance
