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Nugget 9: High Passes Through the Mountains |
In three places, Yellowstone's roads go above 8000 feet (2440 m): Sylvan, Dunraven, and Craig passes. These are the latest roads to open in the spring and the hardest to keep clear of falling rocks and huge potholes, but they are special places to summer visitors. You'll see mounds of snow persisting into June and early July, numerous waterfalls tumbling out of the mountains, and a million wildflowers.
* This end of the Mt. Washburn Trail is still not accessible due to road construction. Completion is expected during 2005. |
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 Just outside the Northeast Entrance is the Beartooth Highway, the road Charles Kuralt once called "the most beautiful road in America." As the road crosses the mountains at almost 11,000 feet (3350 m), the near views are studded with lovely lakes (including Twin Lakes, at right) and the far views take in much of the high Beartooth Plateau to the west and the Absaroka Range to the south.Almost as spectacular and also leading to the Northeast Entrance is the Chief Joseph Scenic Byway. Although 3000 feet lower than the Beartooth Highway at the summit, the views here (below) are also outstanding. |
CREDITS: All photos on this page are by Bruno Giletti. ˜ ˜ ˜
Revised January 14, 2005 |
At left is a view of wildflowers you can see from the Mt. Washburn Trail near Dunraven Pass.* Bighorn sheep live here, and bears feast on whitebark pine nuts at the end of summer.
Indian paintbrush is one of the kinds of flowers you can see north of Dunraven Pass, the highest road in the park at 8873 feet (2704 m).
View from the summit of the Chief Joseph Highway. 
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