Current and historic US Highway ends at the Northeast Entrance to Yellowstone National Park
Photo credits: Chris
Elbert, Jim
Teresco
| Highway | Approx. time period |
|---|---|
| US 12 | 1939-1959 |
| US 312 | 1959-1962 |
| US 212 | 1962-present |
The northeast entrance of Yellowstone National Park was first served by a US highway in 1939, when the US 12 designation was extended southwest from Miles City to Silver Gate, via Billings and Red Lodge. That lasted about 20 years, until the route of US 12 was changed to run west from Forsyth (as it does today). At that time, US 312 was commissioned to serve US 12's former corridor from Forsyth to Silver Gate. Then, just two years later, the route of US 212 was changed: it was truncated at Broadus MT, and instead of heading north from there to Miles City, it went west via its current path. So the route from Billings to Silver Gate became a part of the extended US 212, and the west end of US 312 was cut back to Billings. US 312 was completely decommissioned in 1981, but US 212 continues to serve the northeast entrance to Yellowstone. The photo below shows the sign at the northeast entrance to Yellowstone:
Elbert, summer 2003
Over the years this point has marked the east end of US 12, US 212, and US 312. Here's another nearby sign:
Teresco,
July 2003
Below is the first eastbound US 212 sign...
Elbert, July 2009
...which is actually within the Park boundary. This is strange, since officially there are no US routes within the Park. The first "conventional" trailblazer is about 16 miles east of there:
Elbert, July 2009
Everyone who's driven US 212 through this part of the country confirms that it's a spectacular drive. My in-laws, who frequent Red Lodge, sent me the postcard below:
That's looking northeast down the Rock Creek Valley towards Red Lodge. Westbound 212 comes up the valley at left and negotiates four hairpins before ascending the flanks of the Beartooth Mountains at right. After crossing those, the road descends into the valley of Clarks Fork of the Yellowstone River, and then has to cross the Absaroka Range via Colter Pass before dropping down again into Yellowstone Park itself. The segment between there and Beartooth Pass is closed during the snowy months.