Chief Joseph is the auto-route's most photogenic byway — the road that returns the loop east from the Yellowstone/Lamar reach toward Cody and the Fort Raymond endpoint. It is named for the 1877 Nez Perce flight, a chapter unrelated to Colter, but the road is the route home.
The Sunlight Basin and the Clarks Fork drainage were country used by Crow, Shoshone, and Nez Perce. The byway's modern name commemorates Chief Joseph (Hin-mah-too-yah-lat-kekt) and the 1877 Nez Perce flight through this country during the U.S. Army pursuit. That story is its own chapter and is not Colter's.
The Nez Perce flight crossed through what is now Yellowstone National Park during August 1877 and exited east via the Clarks Fork country. The byway carries that history in name; interpretive copy along the road covers it directly.
The Clarks Fork of the Yellowstone — named for William Clark, who reached it in 1806 — was a major fur-trade transit through the early 1800s. Colter's return route plausibly used the Clarks Fork drainage to close the loop back toward Fort Raymond.
WY-296 climbs from Cody west over Dead Indian Pass (8,071 ft) into the Sunlight Basin and then north to Cooke City and the Northeast Entrance of Yellowstone. It is a designated National Scenic Byway and one of the most photogenic paved drives in Wyoming.
Whether Colter's exact return crossed Dead Indian Pass or one of several lower alternates. The byway is a tourism proxy, not a precise retracement.
WY-296 is open seasonally (typically late May through October, weather permitting). Dead Indian Pass has a major scenic pullout with interpretive signage. The road connects Cody (via WY-120 north) to the Beartooth/Yellowstone NE complex.
Phase 3 target: 360° at the Dead Indian Pass overlook; pairing with the Beartooth pass profile.
Sources & attribution: Wyoming DOT · Wyoming Scenic Byways · NPS (Nez Perce NHT cross-reference)