Get to Know Your Neighbors: Cooke City and Silver Gate

Tucked into the mountains at the Northeast Entrance to Yellowstone National Park, the towns of Cooke City and Silver Gate remain uniquely remote and a wonderful place to escape the bustle of everyday life. 

Cooke City began as a mining town in 1869-1870 when gold was discovered. While most mining towns were remote, Cooke City was even more so, given that the nearest settlement was 130 miles away in Bozeman. Silver Gate came into existence in 1932 when the Park County Commissioners approved the townsite to serve the tourist population in Yellowstone and as a site for potential buyers to build summer resorts. 

When mining was no longer a viable option, the towns shifted gears and promoted their rich snowmobiling, backcountry and Nordic skiing, hunting, fishing, hiking and off-road riding to keep the tourism trade alive. Today, the area is known for its deep powder and late-season snows. 

Visitors base out of this entrance due to its proximity to the Lamar Valley in Yellowstone, where most of the wolf packs reside, and to drive the famous Beartooth Highway to Red Lodge. Summer events include the Forget Me Knot Fest, the Beartooth Rally Poker run, and the Fireman's Street Dance. 

For those who prefer to get away from the crowds and into some big mountain experiences, Cooke City and Silver Gate do not disappoint.