My Ride on Beartooth Highway
By Greg ( Mr. G )
There are road trips, and then there is Beartooth Pass. I’ve been working with my son Doug by my side at Santa Clara Cycle for almost 27 yrs with our goal to make sure every customer has what they need to be safe, support their love to ride, and help in any capacity to support the motorcycle community. But as contemplate retirement I realized Doug and I had never did a ‘father/son’ adventure road trip ourselves just for the love of the sport. I told Doug let’s go make it happen - and so we did this past week.
We decided our trip would be what is called the highest and the most scenic road in the country - the Beartooth Highway, spanning 68 miles, famous for switchbacks, alpine scenery, and thin mountain air at almost 11,000 ft. Sounded perfect for our road trip!
Here is my journal of this epic 5 day ride from an unforgettable trip - it was all about two wheels and some of the most scenic roads America has to offer
Day One - Travel Day
We planned and did all our own arrangements (which we always learn something about logistics :) We flew from San Francisco to Bozeman, Montana by way of Salt Lake City. We packed - more like stuffed - summer and winter/rain gear into our waterproof backpacks! Wore boots and jackets on the flight to make room and helmet bags were our personal carry on We typically are the folks customers ask about the gear we sell, so it is almost comical I share our biggest challenge was getting our intercoms to SYNC in our helmets…go figure . Low and behold sitting at the airport we figured it out….so all systems were a go phones, navigation, intercoms
The other major piece of planning was locating bikes we could rent after landing in Bozeman. Not many dealers in the area had bikes to rent. Doug was able to secure motorcycles - 1 from Rider Share and 1 from Twisted Road. He arranged one of the owners to pick us up at the airport and took us to his place to pick up first motorcycle. Then we rode double up, leaving our gear at his house to ride 20 min to the next pick-up. After securing that motorcycle we rode back to first stop to grab gear, load our bikes down and head out. We rode about 1 1/2 hrs to Red Lodge, Montana, typically the starting point for riding the iconic highway. Weather was absolutely perfect - which were told the week before it down poured rain. Our hotel was about a mile from town, so after check in and got settled - we walked into town, plenty of restaurants and places to meet up locals which is always delightful.
Day 2 - The main event.
Beartooth Highway is one of the most spectacular roads I have ever ridden. The mountains climb quickly to almost 11,000 feet straight up into the clouds - making the view down into the valleys, lakes, just amazing. Looking out you can almost see the curve of the earth. Promise you - these views you won’t find at home! There are lots of flowing 40 mph corners with plenty of 20 mph hairpins. When you get to the top you truly are on “top of the world” with just silence. The air leaves you breathless. Take the short gravel road to the official summit for a 360 degree view. At this point you are well above the tree line. As you ride down the other side, into Wyoming, make sure to stop at the Top of the Mountain Store (must stop for snacks, supplies, and “riders-yack” from all over) to get a t-shirt. No t-shirt it didn’t happen . Stop often, gasp, and take lots of pictures. A short while later we turned left onto Chief Joseph Highway heading for Cody, Wyoming. Cody is a historic town named after Buffalo Bill Cody with plenty of places to eat, drink and shop. Park your bike and walk the historic district. The people were great, we met many other riders, some coming back thru from Sturges.
Day three. Repeat
We woke up and said we need to ride back to the top of the pass again…..just because! So we did…..weather was incredible and more and more riders were loving it too! This highway is indeed epic in both directions. There are dramatic climbs as we navigated the switchbacks no matter where we pulled out to witness the sweeping views and stretch our legs. Take your time - even 2nd time - every mile brings a new reason to pull over and take it in. We made a short ride out to Cooke City on the way back for lunch. It was great - sat outside under trees and a had delicious cheeseburger 
Continued our ride back into Cody for the night, nice western vibe and great place for huge steak and potato!
Day Four. Already?
They say plan a plan work the plan! Today’s plan - ride back to Bozeman to return the motorcycles. Bikes held up well and always part of the adventure riding unfamiliar machines but once we got the gear secure all was good. We were all set to fly out in the morning back to California.
As I think about our trip ending I’m reminded once again that the best rides are not measured in odometers - riding with my son, sharing experiences, conversations, exploring new places, I know will become cherished stories and created a marker for life!
We want to thank Scott F. for all his knowledge and advice to help share is knowledge to make this trip possible.
In Summary
For any motorcycle enthusiasts - the Beartooth Highway is a right of passage and must be on your bucket list!
Next Up…Doug & I are talking next year ….Colorado’s Million Dollar Hwy & Pike’s Peak
Who’s been there and knows??