As four main gates swung closed for the season Monday at Yellowstone National Park, another opened early to cheers.

Crews finished striping the historic Old Gardiner Road to the North Entrance a couple days early, giving park officials reason to celebrate as the gates opened for the first time this year since the 500-year flood event forced the park shut on June 13.

The road opened just about four and a half months after the North Entrance was forced to close. Yellowstone Superintendent Cam Sholly was emotional as he spoke Saturday morning during the grand opening at the North Entrance.

“I can't tell you the emotions that I feel, and how proud I am of the work that everybody has done to get us to this point,” he said, adding “What this last several months has shown is that when we come together and we put our mind to things, we can get a lot done even under the most difficult circumstances.”

The road, which the park invested more than $25 million in construction since June, allows access to Gardiner and beyond for residents in the gateway communities of Silver Gate/Cooke City for the first time since the flood. It is also the only option for area enthusiasts wishing to experience the park during the winter season — a four-hour drive from Powell.

The newly improved road includes steep grades and sharp curves, park officials warn. 

“Drive slowly and with caution,” they said in a weekend press release. 

Speed limits range between 15-25 mph and there are no length or weight restrictions on the road. However, oversized vehicles and vehicles with trailers must use caution in curves to maintain lanes. Minor road construction work will continue with one-way traffic control and short delays in certain locations on the road. 

Traffic-safety improvements include turning the 1880’s single-lane dirt road into two lanes, paving and striping the entire 4-mile road, installing over 5,000 feet of guardrail, expanding road widths, creating new pullouts, and building a new .25-mile approach road into Mammoth Hot Springs to avoid a 12%-15% steep grade on the original road.  

The project is being completed with support from the Federal Highway Administration and funded largely by FHWA Emergency Relief for Federally Owned Roads. HK Contractors is the primary construction company under contract to complete this project.

Wait until spring

The East, South, West and Northeast entrances will reopen in spring. For many, the seasonal closing and the long wait for the traditional opening date on the first Friday in May is tough to take.

Realizing the season finale was near, Northwest College Associate Professor of Photography Christine Garceau said she couldn’t believe how fast the summer season disappeared.

“I feel panicked. I have to work really hard to get in there one more time,” she said while attending the opening of Plaza Diane’s annual Invitational Show Thursday celebrating area artists’ work inspired by Yellowstone National Park.

Garceau has been visiting the park about once a week this year, but it’s never enough, she said. 

NWC Assistant Professor of Photography Jen Litterer Treviño always feels a sense of dread as the gates close.

“I think I feel a little bit of FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out),” she said. 

She loves the changing seasons, but has a “young family” and isn’t able to get into the park as often as she would like. She is hoping to make it back before hordes of tourists return next June.

Former NWC professor and celebrated local birding enthusiast Rob Koelling said he enjoys when the East Gate closes for the season.

“Once it's shut, there's no traffic on the North Fork. So you can drive up [the highway] and it's absolutely and wonderfully deserted,” he said.

A rare bird

One extremely rare visitor to the park, a northern hawk owl, drew birders from around the region rushing to the east side of the park for a chance to see the beautiful raptor before the gates closed. As the owl perched in a tree near Cub Creek, the spectacle created an equally rare event; a bird jam with drivers stopping in the road, giant cameras and binoculars in hand.

The northern hawk owl is one of the least studied owl species in North America, according to the National Park Service. 

“Found in boreal forests throughout the northern hemisphere, hawk owls live throughout most of Alaska and Northern Canada, and are occasionally found in northern portions of the contiguous United States,” the service reports. 

Unique for their long tails and pointed wings, hawk owls are often seen during the day perched on treetops or snags (standing dead trees) in search of prey. Much of the hawk owl’s diet consists of small mammals, such as voles and shrews, but they have been known to eat larger prey species, including snowshoe hares and grouse.

Northern hawk owls are not a global species of concern due to their wide distribution throughout the northern hemisphere. However, the species is only documented once every 10-20 years in Wyoming, according to Zach Hutchinson, owner of the dedicated Wyoming birding website, Flocking Around. 

“It's such a treat,” he said. “It’s a very unique and special predator. It's the kind of [sighting] that lures people in.” 

He said the species even draws attention from non-birders, partly due to the charisma of owls and their rarity this far south. 

“It’s not one that people get to see every day in their backyard,” he said.

Due to the rarity of the species, it is a species of concern in Montana. But since so little is known about their life cycle, population size and reproduction, this listing has not resulted in specific conservation measures.

Now that the East Entrance is closed, the only way to have a chance to see it is to wait until over-snow travel opens Dec. 15. Gary Fales Outfitting is the only vendor available at the East Entrance, offering snowmobile guided tours and rentals. 

Hutchinson said you don’t have to be in the park to see rare birds in the area. 

“There is no offseason for unusual birds popping up. It doesn't matter the time of year,” he said. 

Birds that aren't our typical species in Wyoming’s backyards are constantly on the move, he said, pointing out that snowy owls and rare finches like grosbeaks and redpolls are on the top of his winter viewing list.

“Birds don't follow roadmaps and political boundaries. And so as winter comes on, look for other really cool birds,” he said.

Travel advice

Park officials request those traveling to the park on the newly repaired Old Gardiner and Northeast Entrance roads to the park during the fall and winter prepare for changing weather conditions, have flexible travel plans and expect limited services. 

“Travelers should anticipate possible road closures due to inclement weather and dangerous driving conditions. Temporary travel restrictions or closures can occur at any time without notice,” the park said in a Monday press release.

Stay informed about up-to-date road conditions in Yellowstone:

Park roads: nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/parkroads.htm

Call (307) 344-2117 for a recorded road conditions message.

Wyoming birding information: www.flockingaround.com

Yellowstone art at Plaza Diane

Plaza Diane’s annual Invitational Show  “Yellowstone National Park,” runs through Nov. 28 and features work from artists Randy Burke, Christine Garceau, Rob Koelling, Mike Kopriva, Jennifer Litterer-Trevino, Cat Pentescu, Lynn Richardson, Stephanie Rose, Dorci Tremblay, Greg Wise and Jane V. Woods. Gallery hours are Saturdays 11 a.m.-1 p.m. or by appointment.