Jackson Hole - Red Lodge - Beartooth Highway Motorcycle Tour

The short version of the Beartooth trip. Five days out of Jackson Hole, four nights and around 470 miles, going straight for the highlights of Grand Teton, Yellowstone and the Beartooth Highway without the longer loop through Cody.

Day one is an easy 100 miles through Grand Teton National Park to West Yellowstone, with the Teton range filling the view for much of the ride, and the geyser basins and hot springs of Yellowstone itself on the approach. It is a gentle opening to a trip that otherwise gets straight to the point.

Day two is the reason to book. The route crosses the Lamar Valley, the quietest part of Yellowstone, then climbs the Beartooth Highway to nearly 11,000 feet, up through switchbacks and out onto a high alpine plateau of lakes and lingering snow before dropping into Red Lodge. The final ride is the longest of the four at 220 miles, returning on the Chief Joseph Scenic Byway and through Yellowstone’s east entrance, past Yellowstone Lake and back through the Tetons.

EAGLERIDER provides the bike and books all four nights, with Harley-Davidson touring models alongside Triumph and BMW sport machines. Fuel, meals and insurance are arranged separately. The Beartooth opens late in the season, so dates need checking before booking. For riders with a short window who want the single best mountain road in the American West, this gets out to it and back inside five days, with two of the great national parks thrown in on either side.