United States, Montana and Wyoming
Swaths of switchbacks climb to 3337 metres past alpine lakes and snowfields.
Length
109 km
In miles
67.7 mi
Driving time
3 hr 24 min
Atlas rating
9.7 / 10
The run
Red Lodge to Cooke City, following the US 212. Drive it in either direction, though the views usually favour the climb.
Season
Open only from late May to mid October
Checked by the Drivers Atlas desk
Scored and written by the Drivers Atlas editorial desk, drawing on driven routes across the UK and Europe, mapping data and member road reports. Every road in the library carries a driving and scenery score set by the same method. How we score roads.
Last reviewed 27 April 2026
Nearby
25 km away
Chief Joseph Scenic Byway
Switchbacks over Dead Indian Pass into a canyon nobody else seems to know about.
125 km away
Bighorn Medicine Wheel Passage
A wall of a climb onto the Bighorn plateau with a descent that tests every brake.
525 km away
Going to the Sun Road
A cliff shelf road through Glacier National Park under hanging valleys.
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Trail Ridge Road
The highest continuous paved road in America, tundra above the treeline the whole way.
673 km away
Mount Blue Sky Road
No guardrails, thin air and switchbacks to the highest paved road in North America.
694 km away
Independence Pass
Narrow shelf tarmac to 3687 metres, tight, exposed and completely absorbing.
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