The changing leaves were at their peak brilliance and, when it could sneak a peek through the clouds, the sun warmed the ground at Yellowstone National Park. With most interior roads closing Nov. 1, many locals took to the park last weekend to catch their final views of the year — at least until oversnow travel begins.

Near sunset Saturday a blonde grizzly bear sat and watched the sunset after gorging on grubs near Yellowstone Lake most of the afternoon. She tore at the ground under rotting trees, picking out each nibble like popcorn in a greasy paper grocery sack, until the sun started showing off, seemingly forcing her to take notice.

The absence of a park ranger didn't give a small group of visitors courage while watching the bear move from one hole to the next. They stood mostly quiet at a safe distance. At times, when a new vehicle pulled in and folks climbed out, you could hear them squeal in delight.

"OMG!" one younger onlooker said after getting their first glimpse of the thickly-proportioned bear. Its body looked dark, covered in mud and wet, but a dry face gave away the naturally lighter coloring of its thick fur.

Then, in a flash, the bear bluff-charged the onlookers, making up have the distance of a football field in seconds before relenting and finding a comfortable seat to watch the sun set over the lake. Further down the road, a man with a giant lens said watching the mix of cellphone photographers and those sporting pricey-looking spotting scopes scramble to the safety of their vehicles was "more entertaining" than seeing the bear trying to make its bluff believable.

Near Lake Village, a pair of great gray owls getting ready for a night of hunting drew a crowd of polite visitors. One of the patient owls perched comfortably 6 feet off the ground on a fallen branch when the sun's inviting rays found a way through the surrounding foliage. The stunningly beautiful bird turned its head to look to the horizon, possibly celebrating the warmth while feeling fall reaching its end in its bones.

Another young grizzly bear snoozed atop a prized elk buried in leaf litter on the shores of Sylvan Lake. As a breeze blew through the trees above its cache, small globs of snow fell from the trees with a plop, causing the ever-vigilant bear to investigate. Looking up, the beast may have suspected nearby ravens gathering — just in case a chance arrived to get a nibble of the half-eaten ungulate.

In the meadows near Nez Perce Ford Picnic Area, a stunning coyote moved slowly in the shadows. Listening for movement in the dry grass after sniffing the air for the presence of a quick, pudgy snack of northern pocket gophers or shrews, the yote often looked close to pouncing, but never took the leap within view of a few visitors parked in pull-outs on either side of the road. One erroneously thinking visitor told someone on the receiving end of their phone call that they were watching a gray wolf at work. Nobody immediately interrupted the exuberant call to correct their assumption; a common mistake in the park.

Further up the road in Hayden Valley, bison calmly moved up a hillside, drawing only one or two vehicles to stop and a couple more to simply slow enough for passengers to catch a glimpse of the mostly cows and a few calves about to brave their first winter.

As fall settles over Yellowstone National Park, most park roads and three entrances will close to regular vehicle traffic on Monday.

Each year, the park closes its West, South and East entrances, along with nearly all roads, to prepare for winter operations and the start of  snowmobile and snow-coach travel season
scheduled for Dec. 15.

"Halloween will be the final day visitors can drive most of Yellowstone’s roads in this year," the park's annual press release (which was forwarded to news representatives last week) reported.

Visitors traveling to Yellowstone by car during the winter can access the park only via the road connecting the North Entrance in Gardiner, Montana, and the Northeast Entrance in Cooke City/Silver Gate, Montana. This famous route passes through Mammoth Hot Springs, Tower Junction and Lamar Valley and remains open year-round, weather permitting.

The coming year will be a challenge for the park. The top two leaders, Superintendent Cam Sholly and Deputy Superintendent Mike Tranel, have both left the National Park Service. Sholly departed the Service in late September after more than three decades to join the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation as chief operating officer. Chartered by Congress in 1984, the organization is the nation’s largest conservation foundation, supporting projects nationwide and in U.S. territories. Tranel, who has more than 40 years of service, retired and is pleased to have more time for his family and making music.

Kristen Kosick, who last worked in Yellowstone as the chief of staff, replaced Tranel. A new superintendent has yet to be selected.

Sholly and Tranel led the park through difficult moments while maintaining the trust of passionate national park fans. Combined, most were pleased with their responses to the pandemic, a flood that closed the park, massive construction projects and successfully stopping a would-be assassin carrying a large capacity weapon on ill-fated Independence Day plans.

“Every so often, a superintendent comes along who doesn't just run the park well — he redefines what running it well even means,” said Brian Yablonski, CEO of Bozeman-based Property and Environment Research Center, in a writtewn statement on the PERC website about his friend. “Cam Sholly has been that ‘once in a generation’ leader, a superintendent who will be remembered as one of the most impactful in Yellowstone's history.”

Yablonski wasn't just impressed by Sholly's management of park resources and a staff of hundreds.

"Over eight years of friendship, what I’ve admired most is this: Cam cares deeply about Yellowstone, but he cares just as much about the people who dedicate their lives to it. That’s the mark of a great leader."

There wasn't an announcement when Tranel retired, but he said “Yellowstone has been a special place to me for a long time, having grown up in the region and enjoyed many adventures in the mountains in and around the park over the years," he said shortly after being hired. "One adventure included working two summers during graduate school at Bridge Bay Marina, a great base for exploring the backcountry. During that second summer, I decided to embark on a long-term career with the NPS, so Yellowstone for me is where it all started."

Sholly was also from the region, having worked seasonal jobs in the park as a kid and graduating from the gateway community's Gardiner High School. He was quick to contact all gateway communities to open lines of communications, which helped guide the region — not just the park — through adversity.

 If you go

The park wants visitors planning to drive in the park during the fall and winter to be prepared for changing conditions. Before traveling: 

Monitor changing weather conditions and plan accordingly. 

Have flexible travel plans. 

Expect limited services. Check Operating Dates for details. 

Anticipate possible road closures due to inclement weather and dangerous driving conditions. 

Check for temporary travel restrictions or closures, which can occur at any time without notice. 

Pack blankets and other cold weather essentials and keep your gas tank full.  

Stay informed about current road conditions in Yellowstone by:  

Visiting the Park Roads webpage.  

Signing up for Yellowstone road alerts on your mobile phone by texting “82190” to 888-777 (an automatic text reply will confirm receipt and provide instructions).  

Calling (307) 344-2117 for a recorded road conditions update.