Planning a visit to Cooke City or Silver Gate this summer?

A few fun facts about Cooke City you may or may not have known. If you plan on staying/dining/shopping/exploring in Cooke City, here are some things you should know.

1. Cooke City is NOT New York City. Cooke City has about 75 year-round residents. Some years they have a few more and some a few less. People come and go. During the summer months, that number usually doubles. But there are roughly 75 residents year-round.

2. There is no cell service of any kind in Cooke City or Silver Gate. Wi-Fi can also be sketchy everywhere in town. Yes, there are still entire towns without cell service and Cooke City happens to be one of them.

3. Cooke City is the highest elevated town in Montana. There is always some debate about this, but Cooke City sets somewhere between 7,580 and 7,652 feet above sea level. It must depend whether you’re on the east or west end of town, or which sign you read lol.

4. Medical services are far, far away. Cooke City does have an amazing local volunteer EMS team, but they are limited in their capacity. What you would normally drive yourself to the doctor for, here you’ll leave town in a very long ambulance ride or a trip across the Beartooth Mountains in a helicopter.

5. There is no bank in Cooke City. There are several ATM machines around town, but the nearest bank is 1.75 hours away.

6. The General Store carries a good selection of groceries, but there is no Wal-Mart, Target, or Kroger’s here. If you need that kind of supermarket, you’ll want to go before coming to Cooke City/Silver Gate.

7. Cooke City/Silver Gate are the only two towns in Montana you cannot drive to from Montana. No matter how you drive here, you must drive through Wyoming first. Yep, if you’re anywhere else in Montana, you must leave the state, and drive a significant way through Wyoming to get to Cooke City, Montana.

8. During the winter months, Cooke City becomes the most isolated community in the lower 48.

9. There is no law enforcement services in Cooke City/Silver Gate.

10. Cooke City has a one-room school which educates local kids through the 8th grade. And yes, there is only one teacher for all grade levels.

11. Cooke City/Silver Gate is surrounded by Gallatin National Forest. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of miles of hiking trails around us. Outdoor opportunities are seemingly endless for fishing, hiking, camping, hunting, ATV riding, etc.

12. There is wildlife in and around Cooke City and Silver Gate. People have seen a moose run down the middle of the street; others have seen bears walking down the center dividing line in the road. Bison are often in parking lots and fox roam the area in the evening.

13. Each year there are a few visitors who make this next statement necessary. THESE ANIMALS ARE NOT PETS!!! Don’t approach them. Don’t touch them. For goodness’s sake don’t feed them!!! Every year someone inevitably are carelessness and show lack of concern for wildlife. DON’T PET THE FLUFFY COWS, or any other animal you might encounter.

14. The only public restrooms in Cooke City are at the Visitor and Information Center. There is no sewer system in Cooke City (yet). Every home and business is on a septic system. Cooke City receives over a million visitors a year. And most need to use the facilities. This would require businesses to have their tanks pumped weekly.

Of course, restaurants will allow you to use the restroom if you’re patronizing their establishment. But if you just need to use a restroom, the Visitor and Information Center are the only places.

15. Cooke City has an awesome Visitor’s Center and museum. By all means, stop and spend a little time there. It explores the history of Cooke City and its historical importance to and relationship with Yellowstone National Park. The staff are friendly and informative.

16. There is not a single air conditioner at any hotel or business in Cooke City. Our mild climate doesn’t require it. Yes, it may get warm during the day. But as soon as the sun sets behind the mountain early in the evening, it cools down considerably. Cooke City guests and residents cool their rooms and homes the old-fashioned way by opening the windows. We promise you’ll get a great night of sleep with the cool night breezes flowing through your rooms. Also, there are no elevators in Cooke City. Nearly every hotel/motel/lodge in Cooke City has some rooms on a second or third level. Stairs are the only way up.

17. When visiting Cooke City/Silver Gate and surrounding areas you will be in "Bear Country." There are two kinds of bears in the area — grizzly bears and black bears. These bears are amazing creatures!!! But nearly all encounters between bears and humans (which don’t end well for the bear) are the fault of human beings.
Bears are magnificent, but also potentially deadly and are best observed from a safe distance. However, if you’re out and about hiking in our mountains, you never know what you’re going to encounter. It’s best to always be prepared. Know what to do if you encounter a bear (of either kind). And always have bear spray with you when you’re in bear country. And most importantly, know how to use it.

18. Let’s talk about roads and weather. Yes, even during the summer, it’s not uncommon to have inclement weather in mountainous areas. Cooke city has seen snow every month of the year. Hailstorms will drop a few inches of frozen pellets on the warmest days. Occasionally, when there is inclement weather at high elevations, and Yellowstone will temporarily close a road(s) for the safety of travelers. Yellowstone Park will do so without any notice. This is one of the many reasons visitors are encouraged to be flexible with their
travel plans. So many people get fired up and angry when this happens. It’s nothing to get upset about. Would you rather have a slight delay? Or would you rather be caught in a surprise blinding snowstorm and drive your vehicle off a cliff because you can’t see where you’re going?

19. Do not count on Beartooth Highway to be open. Summer snow may close the road causing a long detour to get to your lodging in Cooke City/Silver Gate.