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Beartooth Pass (US-212) on the Montana and Wyoming border completely closed Friday due to 4″ of snow, high winds, and ice. An update yesterday (Saturday) from the Wyoming Department of Transport advised that the pass will be closed through at least Monday while crews clear five foot high snow drifts.
“CLOSED due to SNOW – the higher portion of Beartooth Pass ❄️⛄️❄️⛄️
⚠️ The Beartooth Pass, along US 212 south of Red Lodge, is closed due to winter weather as of Friday, 9/22. Crews will evaluate conditions on the pass this weekend. The road will reopen if conditions are favorable. This post will not be updated over the weekend, so please check our MDT 511 map/app for current highway status and conditions: 511mt.net”
The NOAA has issued a Hazardous Weather Outlook:
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Riverton WY 204 AM MDT Sat Sep 23 2023 WYZ001>020-022>030-241215- Yellowstone National Park-Absaroka Mountains-Cody Foothills- North Big Horn Basin-Southwest Big Horn Basin- Southeast Big Horn Basin-Owl Creek and Bridger Mountains- Bighorn Mountains West-Bighorn Mountains Southeast- Northeast Johnson County-Southeast Johnson County- Teton and Gros Ventre Mountains-Jackson Hole- Wind River Mountains West-Wind River Mountains East- Upper Wind River Basin-Wind River Basin-Lander Foothills- Green Mountains and Rattlesnake Range- Natrona County Lower Elevations-Casper Mountain-Star Valley- Salt River and Wyoming Ranges-Upper Green River Basin Foothills- Upper Green River Basin-South Lincoln County- Rock Springs and Green River-Flaming Gorge-East Sweetwater County- 204 AM MDT Sat Sep 23 2023 ...Freeze Warning in effect this Morning for Lower Elevations of Western Wyoming... This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for Western and Central Wyoming. .DAY ONE...Today and Tonight. Showers over northern portions will be ending this morning. West to northwest winds, with gusts up to 40 mph, will be decreasing through the afternoon.
The high-elevation Beartooth Highway, US 212, connecting Yellowstone National Park with Red Lodge, Montana, opened for the season on May 26th. Beartooth Basin ski area, the nation’s only summer ski area, opened the following day. The pass then closed on June 24th for 24-hours after a summer storm dumped four feet of snow.
The 68-mile road, which peaks at 10,947-feet, typically closes from early Fall through April or May as a result of deep snow. After opening for Memorial Day last year, the road had to close for 5-days at the end of June due to snow. It then closed on September 11th for the winter.
The road was cleared on the Montana side on May 22, but a blizzard at the summit caused it to be reclosed. Crews work tirelessly through the spring to clear the highway, often encountering snowdrifts well in excess of 20-feet deep.
The Beartooth Highway is an All-American Road on a section of U.S. Route 212 in Montana and Wyoming between Red Lodge and the Northeast entrance of Yellowstone National Park, passing over the Beartooth Pass in Wyoming at 10,947 feet (3,337 m) above sea level. It has been called “the most beautiful drive in America,” by late CBS correspondent Charles Kuralt. Because of heavy snowfall at the top, the pass is usually open each year only from mid-May through mid-October, weather conditions permitting.
Beartooth Basin Ski Area is a cash-only ski area located at Beartooth Pass in the Shoshone National Forest on the Montana-Wyoming border in the United States. It is the only ski area in North America that is only open in the summer, generally from late May through early July, since U.S. 212 is closed in winter. It opened in 1962 and totals 600 acres at an elevation of 10,900 feet. The area is served by two platter lifts.
Every year from late May to early July the mission of Beartooth Basin is to keep the spirit of skiing alive with two surface lifts atop the iconic 10,000-foot elevation Beartooth Pass, MT-WY. Formerly known as Red Lodge International Summer Racing Camp, Beartooth Basin is one of North America’s oldest alpine ski training areas.
Ownership changed in 2003 when an adventurous group of Red Lodge locals invested in the race camp and opened the door to a younger generation of skiing enthusiasts – freestyle skiers, big mountain riders, terrain park jibbers, and of course, anyone keen for summer skiing.
Beartooth Basin is not your average ski hill. You could describe it as backcountry skiing with a lift. Similar to traditional lift-served ski facilities, the Basin is staffed with professional ski patrollers and skillful lift attendants. And just like other ski areas, it faces extreme economic challenges – aging infrastructure, high equipment costs, expensive insurance policies, and rigorous engineering inspections. All of these obstacles are made even more difficult with the access issues experienced due to its remote location at the whim of multiple surface owner-operators of US Hwy212.
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