Rocky Mountain Routes
This item appears on page 26 of the May 2021 issue.
In north-central Wyoming sits the Bighorn Mountains. From Buffalo, Wyoming, take US Route 16 west, crossing the southern part of the Bighorns. On the western edge, the highway enters Tensleep Canyon, an absolutely jaw-dropping example of what Mother Nature can do with a river and a sandstone deposit.
Fortunately for drivers, there are turnouts, so you can absolutely stop and take it all in, which you’ll probably want to do more than once, as my wife, Barbara, and I did in 2019 and 2020.
Another scenic drive in the Rockies — for those heading from Billings, Montana, to the north entrance of Yellowstone National Park, you’re in store for an added treat.
US Route 212, south from Laurel and just west of Billings, passes through the town of Red Lodge and climbs to offer stupendous views of the Beartooth Mountains, a bluish-purple jumble. It is billed as one of the most scenic byways in the country.