Montana and Wyoming While the official western terminus of US 212 is at the
Northeast Entrance of
Yellowstone National Park near the Wyoming–Montana state line, some commercially produced maps show the highway within the park itself, contiguous with Northeast Entrance Road, starting from its western end at Tower Junction on the Grand Loop. From the park, US 212 heads east through
Cooke City, Montana, then crosses the Wyoming state line and re-emerges into Montana approximately later. The section of US 212 between Cooke City and
Red Lodge is known as the
Beartooth Highway. Rising to an elevation of above sea level at Beartooth Pass, the highway traces the historical route of
Civil War General
Philip Sheridan over the
Beartooth Mountains. In his book
Dateline America published in 1979, the late
CBS correspondent
Charles Kuralt referred to the highway as "the most beautiful drive in America". . Along this series of switchbacks, US 212 climbs over to Beartooth Pass. Running northeast from the Beartooth Mountains, US 212 joins
US 310 before passing into the town of
Laurel, Montana. Here US 212 joins
Interstate 90 (I-90) eastbound, while US 310 ends. Together, US 212 and I-90 run east through
Billings to the town of
Crow Agency between mile markers 434 and 510, a distance of . Within the
Crow Indian Reservation, US 212 leaves I-90 and runs east and southeast through the high plains of Montana. It is the main east–west road through the
Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation. Southeast of
Alzada, US 212 recrosses the Wyoming state line; after about , US 212 enters
South Dakota. For the entire length of US 212 in Montana between I-90 and the Wyoming state line, it is also known as the Warrior Trail Highway.
South Dakota US 212 enters South Dakota near the junction of the Montana, Wyoming and South Dakota state lines, and continues southeast to
Belle Fourche. Here it intersects
US 85, and then continues eastward, skirting the southern end of the
Belle Fourche Reservoir. It continues east, passing the town of
Nisland, until connecting with
South Dakota Highway 79 (SD 79) south of
Newell. It runs north into Newell, then turns generally east again, passing through the town of
Faith and entering the
Cheyenne River Indian Reservation. US 212 then passes through
Dupree and
North Eagle Butte, finally crossing the Missouri River. Continuing east, it then intersects (and is co-signed briefly) with
US 83 near
Gettysburg and then continues eastward, passing through Gettysburg,
Seneca, and
Faulkton. It intersects with
SD 45, where it is cosigned for a brief southern leg, before turning eastward again and passing through
Rockham,
Zell and
Redfield, where it intersects with
US 281. Continuing east, US 212 passes through
Clark, before entering
Watertown, following 9th Avenue SW. Just east of Watertown, it intersects with
I-29 and continues east of the Minnesota state line. Legally, the South Dakota section of US 212 is defined at South Dakota Codified Laws § 31-4-206.
Minnesota The of US 212 in Minnesota are officially designated Minnesota Veterans Memorial Highway. Yellowstone Trail is the original name designation for this same stretch of US 212 from the auto trail days. Yellowstone Trail was one of the first designated names written into law in the state. The route in Minnesota connects the cities of
Montevideo,
Granite Falls,
Olivia,
Glencoe,
Norwood Young America, and the southwest suburbs of
Minneapolis. Legally, the Minnesota section of US 212 is defined as Routes 155, 12, 187, and 260 in Minnesota Statutes §§ 161.114(2) and 161.115(86), (118), and (191). ==Major intersections==