Wild is the word for the abundant wildlife found along the Beartooth Highway. Here in the midst of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem large and small mammals, birds, and river trout thrive in one of the few intact ecosystems found anywhere in America.
Traveling the Beartooth Highway visitors have unparalleled access to this still pristine landscape – and wildlife viewing is one of the most exciting and popular pastimes for Beartooth Highway travelers.
Locals will tell you that the best time to view wildlife is early each morning and close to dusk each evening.
The Grizzly Bear
Lewis and Clark wrote about them, mountain men feared them, and they are often the main characters in Native Americans legend. For years they have represented the true "wild" west. Today, this elusive giant roams the wild
areas surrounding the Beartooth Highway, and grizzly bears are frequently sighted in the Lamar Valley of Yellowstone. Wildlife watchers most often spot these solitary creatures early in the morning and at dusk each evening as they amble close to tree line in search of food. The Fish and Wildlife Service reports that approximately 600 grizzly bears currently inhabit areas in and around Yellowstone National Park.
It is important to remain "Bear Aware" along the Beartooth Highway corridor. The Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee provides an excellent website ( http://www.igbconline.org )were visitors can familiarize themselves with grizzly bear information. The new website is user-friendly for easy navigation and includes information about grizzly bear recovery efforts, bear safety techniques, educational programs and opportunities, and research projects, as well as information about local events.
The Gray Wolf
In 1995 the majestic gray wolf was reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park. Reintroduction efforts have been successful and wolves now roam the wild regions of Yellowstone National Park and surrounding areas. In the upper northwest corner of Yellowstone National Park lies the 
wild expanse of land known as the Lamar Valley.
The Lamar Valley has become the premier wildlife viewing area in Yellowstone, and is especially popular as a wolf watching headquarters. The Beartooth Highway provides direct access to the Lamar Valley through the Northeast entrance to Yellowstone, and many travelers find the small mountain hamlets of Cooke City and Silver Gate, Montana serve as a perfect headquarters for wildlife watching – providing comfortable accommodations and quick access to both Yellowstone Park and the high reaches of the Beartooth Wilderness.
The Mountain Goat
Watching the mountain goats of the Beartooth Highway scamper along the steep rocky cliffs of the high mountain peaks will send a heart racing wildly! It is not uncommon for a goat to leap from one narrow mountain ledge to another or make a quick turn around on a narrow rocky precipice that is only inches wide. These fleet footed inhabitant of the Beartooths are not native to the area, but have adapted will since their introduction in the late 1940's and early 1950's. Their pure white coats often stand out against the green grass of the warm summer months.
The Beartooth Highway is one of the few American roads that take visitors to the very top of the world for a view of the wild world of the mountain goat. Locals will tell you that the best time to view wildlife is early each morning and close to dusk each evening. Visit these great sites for wildlife watching tips: Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Viewing Wildlife in Yellowstone
Birds Abound
Many birds are summer residents to the alpine. One hundred fifteen species of birds have been identified within the Beartooth Corridor. Here are just a few:
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The Beartooth Highway is home for the Mountain Bluebird - it lives on insects and worms. Bluebirds hunt from perches and often drop onto the ground to catch their prey. Nests are built in cavities in trees and snags, and frequently in nest boxes. Nests are made from woven grasses, then lined with fine grass, soft bark, hair, or feathers. |
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The American Dipper (Cinclus mexicanus), also known as a Water Ouzel, is a stocky dark grey bird with a head sometimes tinged with brown, and white feathers on the eyelids cause the eyes to flash white as the bird blinks. It has long legs, and bobs its whole body up and down during pauses as it feeds on the bottom of fast-moving, rocky streams. |
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As only a summer resident, the Horned Lark nests and raises its young amid the short grasses of the tundra. This bird is probably the most numerous song bird in the world. |
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Here is a bird worth seeing! The White-crowned Sparrow is handsome, with its black and white crown and gray breast. It summers among timberline trees. Here the young are raised on only seeds. |
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You will find the Green-winged Teal nesting along water's edge. It eats aquatic plants. |
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Ruffed Grouse live along the Beartooth Highway - nesting on the ground and feeding on seeds and berries. |
Did you know?
You can find great wildlife watching tips on the sites:
The Porcupine 
Porcupine are fantastic gnawers and live off the inner bark of pines. Using their tails for defense, the quills readily attach to an enemy!
The Pika
If you hear a high pitch, piercing whistle which echoes back and forth among the stone in a most eerie manner, look about the rocks and you may see a tiny Pika. The Pika has many names: coney, rock rabbit, whistling hare, or Hay Maker. It is one of only two mammals that are a permanent resident of the alpine. The pika makes its home among the crevices between jumbled rocks. Pika stores grass in miniature haystacks.
Pika Haystack
By summer's end it can boast a 50 pound hay crop to live on during the winter. Rabbit like, the pika is about 7-8 inches long, with large rounded ears and no visible tail. They have fur on the soles of their feet that acts as a nonskid device in climbing rocks. The grayish-brown fur "hides" the pika among the rocks, with only its peculiar, short squeaks, and haystacks to betray its presence.
Black Rosy Finch
Many birds are summer residents to the alpine but one bird that you will see is the black rosy finch. Watch for them as they flutter about the Beartooth's rocky knolls. These birds migrate in springtime to the tundra slopes to nest among the rocks and raise their young. Like the alpine plants whose growth cycle is hastened alpine birds nest, produce and mature quickly. The young leave the nest when about twenty days old. When winter's snows fall these small birds are found at lower elevations. The family groups, assembling in flocks, utilize buildings or caves for roosting year after year.
It's a Photo Contest!
The purpose of the contest is to celebrate the 75th Anniversary(2011) of the opening/completion of the Beartooth Highway, All-American Road, which is located along US 212 from Red Lodge, Montana to Cooke City/Silver Gate, Montana and the northeast entrance to Yellowstone National Park.
The contest is open to amateurs and advanced and professionals. There are 3 categories to enter and winners will be awarded in each category.
Introducing the Top 10 Scenic Drives in the Northern Rockies. Ten spectacular drives through some of North America's most scenic mountains, lakes, charming towns, and historic places. The drives connect 19 spectacular National Parks, Monuments, and Recreation Areas via nationally-designated Scenic Byways and National Historic Trails.
| © Friends of the Beartooth All-American Road | P O Box 983 | Red Lodge, MT 59068 |
| info@beartoothhighway.com | www.beartoothhighway.com |
FBAAR Partners
| Red Lodge, MT | Cody WY | Cooke City, MT
