The rugged Beartooth Mountains are Montana's highest mountain range. This beautiful range of the Rocky Mountains rises dramatically from the plains of south-eastern Montana and stretches to the northern reaches of Yellowstone National Park.

Now in its fourth edition, Day Hikes In the Beartooth Mountains includes an extensive collection of hikes within this mountain range and the adjacent foothills and plains. The eighty-seven hikes range from 11,000-foot alpine plateaus and peaks to treks along the Yellowstone River as it begins its journey through the arid plains (including sixteen new hikes around the Billings area). A wide range of scenery and ecosystems accommodates all levels of hiking, from relaxing creekside strolls to all-day, high-elevation outings.

The hikes lie within a 75-mile radius of Red Lodge, an active resort and ski town. The Beartooth Highway, heralded as "the most scenic highway in America" by Charles Kuralt, heads out of town into the Beartooth Mountains, connecting Red Lodge to Yellowstone Park. The 68-mile road hugs the mountain-side along curving switchbacks that traverse up, across and back down the alpine plateau.

A wide range of scenery and ecosystems accommodates all levels of hiking, from relaxing creekside strolls to all-day, high-elevation outings. All hikes can be completed during the day. Map sources and references are listed for extending the hikes.

Each hike includes:
>Detailed map
>Accurate driving and hiking directions
>Distance/time/elevation statistics
>Summaries to help hikers find a trail appropriate to their ability and desire
>Several overall maps to show the hikes in the greater area

Since 1991, veteran hiker Robert Stone has been writer, photographer, and publisher of Day Hike Books. Robert has hiked every trail in the Day Hike Book series. With 21 hiking guides in the series, many in their third and fourth editions, he has hiked thousands of miles of trails throughout the western United States and Hawaii. He is an active member of RMOWP (Rocky Mountain Outdoor Writers and Photographers), OWAC (Outdoor Writers Association of California), and a Los Angeles Times best-selling author. Robert resides summers in the Rocky Mountains of Montana and winters on the California Central Coast.

Clay Butte: The Clay Butte Overlook Trail begins at the 9,811-foot Clay Butte Fire Lookout, perched on the south tip of the butte. The panoramic views are as spectacular as you will find anywhere. The butte consists of sedimentary rock left by an ancient inland sea. The trail crosses the expansive alpine plateau, rich with wildflowers, to the north edge of the weathered cliffs. The Beartooth Mountains, Beartooth Butte, the Clarks Fork valley, the twisting Beartooth Highway, and the peaks of the Absaroka Range are all visible from this high mountain overlook. (followed by driving and hiking directions, map)