Wender·Vista
Beartooth All-American Road through alpine tundra
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileMontana
US 212 between Red Lodge and the northeast corner of Yellowstone

Beartooth All-American Road through alpine tundra

— — the road that climbs above the trees.

— Where it lives

Not only on a wall.

A small tile on the nightstand catching the morning. A larger one above the fire. Yours, wherever you spend the slow hours.
— On the nightstand, a 6-inch on a walnut stand
— Among the books, a 6-inch leaning into the spines
— Beside the kettle, a 12-inch propped
— Down a quiet hall, an 18-inch floating off the wall
— Above the fire, the 24-inch in a walnut surround
— a note from the studio

“The 68-mile stretch of US 212 that lifts out of Red Lodge, switchbacks up the East Summit, crosses Beartooth Pass at 10,947 feet, and drops into Cooke City at the northeast door of Yellowstone. Above 10,000 feet the road runs across open tundra: granite, snowfield, and a few hundred small lakes in the cirques. Open the Friday before Memorial Day to about mid-October, weather permitting.

from the studio
Beartooth All-American Road through alpine tundra
— bring it home

Beartooth All-American Road through alpine tundra, on ceramic.

Each tile is finished by hand in our Knoxville studio. Artwork is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, and rests beneath a thin glossy finish. The colour lives in the surface, not on top of it.

What kind of piece?
One tile — square or rectangle.
How big?
the popular one — counter, shelf, nightstand
6 × 6 in · 15 cm · 1.6 lb
Surface finish
A clear glossy finish — the artwork reads as if under resin. Ideal for show-pieces and framed wall art.
How it sits
A hidden cleat — sits ¼″ proud of the wall.
$58
Hand-finished and shipped from our studio at the foot of the Smokies. On your wall in about ten days.
— size
6 × 6 in
15 cm
— weighs
1.6 lb
solid in the hand
— surface
ceramic, hand-finished
art rests beneath a thin glossy finish
— from
Knoxville, TN
our family studio, at the foot of the Smokies
— start a Coaster Set

Pick any four 4-inch tiles — National Parks you've been to, a Smokies set, the four seasons of one place. $ for a set of , cork-backed, ready to live on the table.

— about Beartooth All-American Road through alpine tundra

The place, in three passes.

A little of what's known, in case you fall down the rabbit hole — or want to go see it yourself.
— the place

The Beartooth Highway is a 68-mile stretch of US 212 between Red Lodge, Montana and Cooke City, Montana, crossing a corner of northwest Wyoming and topping out at 10,947 feet on Beartooth Pass. Designated an All-American Road in 2002 by the Federal Highway Administration, the route was completed in 1936 and serves as the northeast approach to Yellowstone National Park. Charles Kuralt called it the most beautiful drive in America. The Forest Service closes the road from mid-October to late May for snow.

— informed by Wikipedia, FHWA Scenic Byways
— the air

Above about 10,000 feet the highway crosses open alpine tundra: granite benches, snow-fed tarns, and cushion plants no taller than a boot sole. Several hundred small lakes sit in the cirques around the road, some of them iced over into July. The treeline on this part of the Absaroka-Beartooth is one of the lowest in the lower 48, pushed down by wind and a short summer. Mountain goats and pikas are common at the pull-offs near the West Summit.

— the season

The road is a summer road. The Forest Service opens it the Friday before Memorial Day in most years and closes it in mid-October as the storms come back. July and August are the dependable months; June can carry plowed snowbanks ten feet high along the shoulder. Afternoon thunder builds quickly above the trees, and the pass closes a few times each summer for weather. There is no fuel between Red Lodge and Cooke City; the Top of the World Store is the only stop.

— where
United States · Carbon County, Montana and Park County, Wyoming
— within
Custer Gallatin and Shoshone National Forests
— elevation
3,337 m · 10,947 ft
— the neighborhood

What's nearby.

A handful of named places within an hour's walk or short drive. Some we've already painted; some we will.
at the lake
Red Lodge
Montana trailhead town
110 km SW
Cooke City
Montana town at the Yellowstone NE entrance
55 km S
Beartooth Pass
10,947 ft state-line pass
N
Beartooth All-American Road through alpine tundra
Red Lodge
Cooke City
Beartooth Pass
— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about Beartooth All-American Road through alpine tundra — and about bringing the piece home.
— about the place

US 212 between Red Lodge, Montana and Cooke City, Montana, crossing a corner of northwest Wyoming. It is the northeast approach to Yellowstone, sixty-eight miles end to end.

Beartooth Pass tops out at 10,947 feet on the Wyoming side of the border. The East Summit and West Summit pull-offs both sit above 10,900 feet on open tundra.

From the Friday before Memorial Day to roughly mid-October, weather permitting. The Forest Service closes the highway through the winter, and pass closures of a day or two happen even in summer.

Charles Kuralt called it the most beautiful drive in America. The Federal Highway Administration designated it an All-American Road in 2002. It is the only paved road across alpine tundra in this part of the Rockies.

Open ground above treeline where cold, wind, and short summers keep plants close to the soil. Cushion phlox, moss campion, and dwarf willow grow inches tall. Most of the Beartooth high country sits in it.

No. The Top of the World Store near the West Summit has snacks and basic supplies, not gasoline. Fill the tank in Red Lodge or Cooke City before climbing.

— about the piece in your home

It carries well for drivers who remember the switchbacks above Red Lodge or the tundra past the West Summit. The piece reads as the road they remember. A Small ships nicely.

Mountain-modern, alpine-modern, and library-traditional rooms. The granite-grey and snowfield-blue palette sits well against unfinished wood, leather, and brushed metals. It also holds against pale plaster.

Yes. Alpine-modern has moved toward place-specific art tied to real ranges and named roads rather than generic mountain scenes. A signed All-American Road suits the direction cleanly.

A single Large above a console, a 4-tile Mural above a sofa, or a 9-tile Mural where the wall can hold the full switchback sweep up to the pass.

Yes, in Dura Satin or Matte finish. Both are scratch-resistant and handle steam and splash. Glossy stays in dryer rooms where the sheen reads as art.

Microfibre cloth and water. No abrasives, no ammonia cleaners. The colour lives in the surface, not on top of it, so wiping does not lift it off.

Yes. Every WenderVista piece is made in our Knoxville studio, no licensing, no third-party stock. Reid Wender chooses each place and signs off on each finished tile.

— if this one stayed with you

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