The Beartooth Ranger District is located in south central Montana and encompasses the Beartooth and Pryor Mountain Ranges. The district office is located in Red Lodge, MT, 65 miles southwest of Montana’s largest city, Billings. The district is known for its rugged mountains and sub-alpine tundra plateaus. The highest 41 peaks in Montana are located in the Beartooth Ranger District, including Granite Peak, which is the highest and stands at 12,799ft. The district serves as the northeastern gateway to Yellowstone National Park and is home to the Beartooth Scenic Highway . The Beartooth Highway is consistently rated one of the most scenic mountain drives in America. The highway, open from Memorial Day to mid-October (weather permitting), climbs to 10,947ft and offers stunning vistas and many recreation opportunities on the Custer Gallatin National Forest and the Shoshone National Forest . The Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness makes up 65% of the Beartooth Unit and offers a wide range of scenic landscapes and hidden treasures.
Source: rec_gov · last verified 2026-05-14