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Posted by Granite Head (128.135.212.27) on 06:49:57 09/30/2009
In Reply to: Thinking of doing a trip out to Yellowstone/Glacier/Beartooth Hwy posted by Ken
The Beartooth is officially closed for the season in mid-October (this year, October 13) but can be temporarily closed any time before that if weather warrants it - rain at lower elevations translates to ice and snow at Beartooth heights. So by mid-September you should have a plan B for getting into the park if the B-tooth happens to be closed. To be more sure you can get over the B-tooths think about mid-June through late August-very early September. Having said that, I certainly highly recommend the Beartooth Highway! Allow a good 3 hours from Red Lodge to North East Entrance, more if you want to stop and hike along the way.
I'd suggest allowing plenty of time to explore Yellowstone, it's big, and highly varied. If you're planning to lodge in the park (as opposed to camping in the park) it's not at all too soon to make reservations (Xanterra is the exclusive lodging concessionaire). You'll have to pay one night's deposit at each locale you book, but the deposits are refundable (up to a certain date prior to arrival, be sure you check that when you book).
As for orienting yourself to Yellowstone, you can't do better than to take a copy of Janet Chapple's Yellowstone Treasures. It's a thorough, stop-by-stop guide to the wildlife, scenery, geology and thermal features, with some history thrown in. You can buy it from her through her Web page (linked) or from Amazon.
What else can we tell you?
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