Greenough Lake, MT, (Beartooth Highway & Yellowstone)

Again our site in the campground backs up to the creek which could be called a small river and the rushing water provides a nice backdrop to the beauty all around us.  The campground has 18 sites with some along the creek and reservations are available for many of the sites.  There are no hookups and only one hand pump water source.  But there are vault toilets and the campground is kept very clean.  There are two more We are spending August 5^th to the 8^th at Greenough Lake Campground which is south of Red Lodge, MT on Hwy 212, the Beartooth Highway.  The campground is along Rock Creek just before the road climbs from 7200’ to nearly 11,000’ (10,976’ to be exact) via switchbacks for about 6-8 miles, maybe more campgrounds nearby; Limberpine and Parkside.  We chose this campground as we had stayed here in the late 80s on a return trip from Ohio.  It has been completely redone since then.

Our Campsite.

Sadie and me just behind our site and near the creek.

We now have a large NROA decal on the back of our trailer which I had made at a local sign shop.

On the 6^th we drove the Beartooth Hwy to Cooke City and into Yellowstone to check out the animals we could see in the Lamar Valley.  On a past trip we were fortunate to see a Grizzly off in the distance.

Near the top of the switchbacks there is a vista point to pull out and see the valley below and some of the road just traveled.

Once you reach the 9000’ level you feel like you are on top of the world.

Over the years when we have driven the Beartooth Hwy we have taken lots of pictures but they just don’t capture the grandeur of it all.  As such we just photographed some of the spots along the way.  It is one of those “you have to be there to appreciate it” places.  For those that remember the segment on CBS’s Sunday Morning “On the Road with Charles Kuralt”, he called the Beartooth Hwy the most beautiful highway in America.  There are some great drives in this country and this is one of them.

The Bear’s Tooth.  You can see it in the notch in the mountains of the previous picture.

There are lots of lakes and ponds as you go over the route as well as a number of campgrounds.  We drove in to see one of the larger lakes and the nearby campground.  Both were quite nice and we did see some large trailers in the campground.  They may have come in from the Wyoming side and didn’t deal with the switchbacks or too many miles of narrow road.  We certainly wouldn’t tow a trailer over this route.

Much of the road is narrow and because of the drop-offs people tend to hug, if not ride on the center line.

As we neared Cooke City we were treated to the view of Pilot’s Peak.

Before you reach Cooke City, there is the junction with the Chief Joseph Scenic Highway that goes through the Sunlight Basin and on to Cody, WY.  We have taken it in the past and it is well worth the drive if Cody is on your agenda.  If in Cody, a nice day drive loop is to go into Yellowstone east gate, up through the park to the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, Tower Junction and out the Northeast (Silver Gate) and then take the Chief Joseph highway back to Cody.

After entering Yellowstone’s Northeast entrance you travel about 10 miles to the heart of the Lamar Valley.  There were lots of people fishing the Lamar River but we were looking for animals.  The Bison were plentiful.

One decided to delay traffic while it leisurely crossed the road and then ambled alongside the road.

We did see one antelope and Linda saw a Golden Eagle on the ground above the road.  No place to stop to take pictures.

Returning we stopped to get some shots of the abundant wildflowers along the road.  There were many places they were plentiful but with no pullouts on a narrow road, no pictures.

Gardner Lake and trailhead was a pullout with a great view.

When we returned to camp we left Sadie in the trailer and drove into Red Lodge so we could get on the internet long enough to receive and send some email.  We will be going in tomorrow (the 7^th) to spend the day checking everything out and upload the blog while there.

When we returned to camp we took a short hike to Greenough Lake.

Next post will be after we get to Cody, WY (Aug 8^th to 11^th) and we have cell and internet service.  The wild woods with all the Grizzly Bear warnings are great but we did miss the internet connection.