Cooke City is a tiny community at the end of the world, or so it can feel, wedged into a mountain valley just outside the north-east corner of Yellowstone National Park. It began as a mining camp in the 1880s, when prospectors found gold, silver and lead in the surrounding hills, and it was named for Jay Cooke, a financier who backed the Northern Pacific Railroad. The railway never came, however, and the boom faded, leaving a handful of log buildings and a small, hardy population.
Today, the town survives on summer tourism and winter snowmobiling. Visitors pour through in high season, and its main street has the wooden storefronts, cafes, motels and gift shops of a classic mountain outpost. Its neighbour, Silver Gate, a short way east, is smaller still and has a rustic charm of its own, with log cabins and quiet lanes. Both lie in grizzly bear country, and locals take bear safety seriously.
One strange fact: in winter, Cooke City is cut off from the rest of Montana, because the Beartooth Highway closes under deep snow. The only way in is through Yellowstone, along the park road that runs through the Lamar Valley, which is kept open year-round. It makes the town one of the most remote communities in the lower forty-eight states, and winter here is a serious business.
For the rider, Cooke City is the practical hub. It has fuel, which is the first you will see after Red Lodge if you have come over the pass, and a few restaurants and places to stay. Prices are higher than in the lowlands, and opening hours can be limited outside summer, so plan ahead. The road east over the Beartooth Pass is just behind you, while to the west the park road leads into the Lamar Valley.
Moose, elk and bears wander through the valley, and you may meet them on the road, especially at dawn and dusk, so keep your speed down and your eyes open. The air smells of pine and woodsmoke, and the stars at night are astonishing. If you can, stay a night and watch the light fade over the peaks before you move on.