Cooke City, Montana is the quintessential mountain town that is also an entrance to Yellowstone National Park. It is also well known for for it’s connection to Red Lodge, Montana via the world-famous and stunning road known as the Beartooth Pass (shown below).
The community of Cooke City is located in the southeast corner of Park County, and though it has a small population of less than 100 people, it’s a tourist hotspot thanks to the incredible surrounding views and opportunities for outdoor recreation in the area.
In particular, the stunning views of the Beartooth Range in this stretch have made Cooke City a popular pitstop on the way to or from the park.
Cooke City was named after Jay Cooke, financier of the Northern Pacific Railroad. Born in Sandusky, Ohio, Cooke also financed the Union during the American Civil War. There are also several parks, townships, schools, and roads named in his honor across Pennsylvania and Minnesota.
Until 2010, Cooke City was part of the Cooke City-Silver Gate CDP. The neighboring community of Silver Gate lies to the west of Cooke City, both towns nestled in the valley of Soda Butte Creek, in the Yellowstone River watershed.
The creek flows into Yellowstone National Park and joins the Lamar River.
The Best Hotels For Cooke City
