Yellowstone Country

Yellowstone Country covers the south-central mountain country of Montana, the gateway region to Yellowstone National Park’s northern entrance at Gardiner. The terrain is dominated by the high peaks of the Absaroka, Beartooth, and Gallatin ranges — the tallest in Montana east of the Continental Divide — with the Yellowstone, Madison, Gallatin, and Stillwater rivers cutting through the valleys. The Beartooth Highway from Red Lodge over the Beartooth Plateau is one of the highest-elevation paved roads in the country. Five counties cover the region. Gallatin holds Bozeman, the largest city, and Montana State University; Park holds Livingston (a historic rail town and gateway to the Paradise Valley) and Gardiner (the only year-round entrance to Yellowstone); Carbon holds Red Lodge and the Beartooth Highway; Stillwater holds Columbus; Sweet Grass holds Big Timber. The Custer Gallatin National Forest, the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness, and the northern entrance to Yellowstone National Park concentrate the public-land scenery. Most trips here split between Yellowstone and the Bozeman area. Yellowstone’s North Entrance and Mammoth Hot Springs draw the largest single visitor stream; Bozeman runs the Museum of the Rockies (with the largest T. rex collection in the world) and the Bridger Bowl ski area; the Madison and Yellowstone rivers carry world-class fly fishing.