Road to Hellroaring Plateau as seen from the Beartooth Highway near Red Lodge, MT

When we were in Montana in June, 2008, we failed at reaching the top of the Hellroaring Road in our attempt to get up onto the Hellroaring Plateau (most of which is around 10,000 feet elevation) due to snow and further up, downed trees making the road impassable at that time of year. As a child, I'd heard stories about my aunt and uncle going there every year to camp and fish in the lakes near the top and on the top of the plateau. Now that we've finally managed to reach the top (in September, 2009), I wonder that my aunt and uncle ever made it at all in a regular passenger car. The road up to the top of the plateau is rough, rock strewn and requires a high-center vehicle and a driver willing to travel at speeds that rarely (if ever) exceed 10 MPH on the 7 mile Hellroaring Road. Once reaching the top, the views are spectacular and I'll post some of those in the coming week. (my posting has been somewhat sporadic due to all our travel and other obligations)