Beartooth Highway, MT · WY
Open meadow, high-country creeks and a junction with Trail #620.
Overview
Map & elevation
Plan your hike
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Beartooth Highway Tour Guide
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Beartooth Highway. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Beartooth Highway audio tourRecorded for this trailhead
Clay Butte Lookout Detour“Up ahead is the access road for Clay Butte Lookout. The tower is two point six miles up a steep, rough gravel spur, so I'd skip this detour in a low-clearance car.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Beartooth Highway Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Trail guide
Clay Butte Trail #614 is a 3.0-mile one-way point-to-point walk from the signed Clay Butte Trailhead to its junction with Trail #620. The opening meadow looks across to Pilot Peak; beyond it, the trail rolls along the west side of Beartooth Butte. This is a backcountry connector, not the separate road walk to Clay Butte Lookout.
The first 1.1 miles descend to a signed Granite Lake junction at about 9,260 feet, roughly 320 feet below the trailhead. Past the junction, the tread winds over small hills and crosses several tiny creeks. The mapped route meets Trail #620 at the far end; hikers continuing toward the high lakes should treat that as a separate extension. The trail sits between about 9,250 and 9,770 feet, with roughly 548 feet of ascent and 343 feet of descent.
Allow about 1¾–2 hours one way. Walking back the same route makes it about 6 miles total; otherwise arrange a pickup or research a longer connection before setting out. From US 212, reach the signed trailhead on gravel Clay Butte Road. Do not confuse it with Forest Road 142, which climbs to the lookout. Parking capacity and a trail-specific dog rule were not confirmed, so check access with the Forest Service before you go. Snow or freezing temperatures can occur even in summer, and afternoon thunderstorms can bring lightning.
Wildlife
42 sightingsGrizzly BearMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
22 sightingsGray WolfMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
49 sightingsBisonMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
122 sightingsMooseMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
260 sightingsMountain GoatMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
16 sightingsBighorn SheepMost seen around 7 PMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Beartooth Highway. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
Keep exploring
ModerateGranite Lake Trail via Clay Butte10 mi · 6.5 hr · At the trailheadA 10-mile out-and-back to a 228-acre high-country lake.
ChallengingHigh Beartooths Lakes Loop22 mi · 12 hr · At the trailheadA full-day circuit linking alpine lakes above 8,700 feet.
ModerateBeauty Lake Trail #6214.6 mi · 2.5 hr · 2.3 mi awayA steady high-country climb leads to a reflective lake.
ModerateBeartooth Lakes Loop7.8 mi · 4 hr · 2.3 mi awayA six-lake loop over high ridges and wildflower meadows.
ModerateNative Lake Trail7.9 mi · 4 hr · 2.3 mi awayA high alpine lake reached after meadows and 1,300 feet of climbing.
ModerateIsland Lake to Beartooth Lake Trail5.5 mi · 3.5 hr · 4.6 mi awayFive alpine miles, ten lakes and a shuttle between trailheads.ModerateBeartooth High Lakes Trail8.9 mi · 5.5 hr · 4.6 mi awayNine miles of alpine lakes, granite benches and big plateau views
EasyIsland and Night Lakes Trail3.4 mi · 2 hr · 4.6 mi awayTwo alpine lakes on an easy, high-altitude walk off the highway.
Sight · 0.6 mi awayClay Butte LookoutA historic fire tower with a 360-degree Beartooth panorama.
Scenic pullout · 1.3 mi awayPilot and Index Peaks OverlookTwo sharp peaks crown the Clark’s Fork valley view.
Sight · 1.7 mi awayBeartooth FallsA quick roadside look at the Beartooth Highway waterfall
Sight · 2.1 mi awayBeartooth LakeLaunch, picnic, or take in Beartooth Butte across the lake.
Campground · 2.2 mi awayBeartooth Lake CampgroundA lakefront base for fishing, boating and nearby high-country hikes.
Scenic pullout · 3.6 mi awayClarks Fork OverlookA roadside view where the valley's geology comes into focus.
Store · 3.6 mi awayTop of the World Store and ResortA 9,400-foot store and lodge midway along the pass drive.
Sight · 3.8 mi awayLake Creek FallsA short bridge walk reaches a waterfall in a granite gorge.Parkwolf’s Beartooth Highway ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
