In 2002 US Highway 212, often referred to as the Beartooth Highway, was officially designated a National Scenic Byway “All-American Road”. With that official designation in place the Beartooth All-American Road’s surrounding gateway communities of Cooke City and Red Lodge, Montana, and Cody, Wyoming have the opportunity to guide and influence the future of this amazing resource.
The National Scenic Byway program encourages the formation of local organizations to work on long-range promotion, preservation, and partnership projects that affect the health of Byway and All-American roads. Toward that end Friends of the Beartooth All-American Road (FBAAR) was formed in May, 2004. It is a non-profit membership organization established to interpret, showcase & preserve the Beartooth All- American Road as the nation's premier rooftop scenic experience through the partnerships among gateway communities and agencies. Much of FBAAR’s work is guided by the Corridor Management Plan (link to CMP .pdf document) that was written to secure the All-American Road designation with the National Scenic Byways Program.
The Friends of the Beartooth All-American Road Board of Directors is comprised of representatives from the three gateway communities of Cooke City and Red Lodge, Montana, and Cody, Wyoming.
In 2005 FBAAR, working with the National Scenic Byways Program, the Montana Department of Transportation, and Beartooth RC&D, secured its first $25,000 National Scenic Byways Implementation Seed grant. Funds were used to:
- Organize as a 501(c)(3) corporation in order to apply for future grants from various funding sources.
- Begin development of a Beartooth All-American Road web site utilizing a grant from the USDA - Forest Service.
- Update and maintain accurate gateway community and Beartooth All-American Road information on the National Scenic Byway web site.
- Assist Cooke City with the development of a new community web site.
- Assist with the emergency response to the May, 2005 mud slides.
- Develop a valuable membership program that will help to ensure long- range financial stability for the organization.
- Begin development of a Master Interpretive Plan for the Beartooth All- American Road.
