To reach Sawtelle Peak from Yellowstone National Park, take Route 20 south from West Yellowstone, Montana. After you cross the Targhee Pass and descend into Island Park, Idaho, look westward for Sawtelle Peak. The FAA flight traffic control radar station on Sawtelle's summit gives it away. The station's parabolic dish antenna is visible for miles.
About 25 miles from West Yellowstone, begin looking for Sawtelle Peak Road. The road, on the right, meets Route 20 at a four-way intersection, where a Chevron Station and a Subway, a sandwich shop, are located. If you pass Sawtelle Mountain Resort or reach Mack's Inn, turn around; you'll have missed the road that takes you to the summit.
Sawtelle Peak Road
The 12-mile Sawtelle Peak Road, of hard-packed dirt and gravel, is well-graded and well-maintained, suitable for family cars. However, once you begin climbing the mountain, you'll be committed to reaching the summit; there are no turnarounds along the way. Long vehicles or cars towing trailers are not recommended on the steep, narrow road, which twists around tight hairpin turns and has no guardrails. An experienced driver paying close attention should have no trouble traversing the Sawtelle Peak Road. The views at the summit make the drive worth any sweaty palms. Sawtelle Peak Road is closed between November 1 and June 1.
As you wind your way up the mountain, you'll pass wildflower meadows edged with evergreens and catch segments of the 360-degree view you'll see from the summit. Be a passenger to appreciate the scenery. The driver will have to concentrate on the road, so take a passenger who can become the driver for the return trip.
Views at the Summit
Take a camera, too, to capture what you'll see on the summit. You'll look down on jagged-toothed mountains, including the Teton Range, distant river valleys and Henry's Lake in Island Park. A quilt of myriad, colorful alpine wildflowers decorates the mountaintop during the summer. The high-altitude wildflowers--Indian paintbrushes, shooting stars, glacier lilies, to name a few--remain in bloom well into August. You may even see some wildlife. An Island Park summer resident says mountain goats, bears, moose, foxes and wolves have been spotted on the mountain.
An option for driving a car to the summit: rent an ATV at Action Motor Sports on Sawtelle Peak Road at the mountain's base. We drove to the summit in July. Initially we were the only visitors. A handful of other viewers arrived before we left, and we passed several ATVers ascending as we descended.
Pamela Crowe - Pamela Crowe
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