Cycling Yellowstone's roads without all the traffic

Note to self:

Yellowstone National Park staff begins plowing snow from roads the first Monday in March.
Cars and other vehicles aren't allowed onto the park roads until the third Friday in April.
In the meantime, the roads are open to bicycle riders.

The Missoulian reports that bicyclists in Yellowstone can freely roam the park's roads during those weeks without having to worry about cars, campers, RVs or SUVs.

Park rangers just warn cyclists that they proceed at their own risk. Staffing is limited, and the high country weather can change from mild to frigid in a couple of hours.

But cyclists seem to think the risks are worthwhile. They often encounter buffalo and elk along the highways, and they can gaze at the scenery as they ride instead of worrying about staying out of the traffic.

I've stumbled across other national park roads that offered the opportunity for idyllic bicycle rides without concern for cars.

Many years ago I threw my bicycle on my VW and headed down South. The Smoky Mountain National Park was my first stop, and I happened across the Cades Cove Loop Road. The road passes through a restored Appalachian farming community.

I happened to bicycle there from the campground during a period when cars weren't allowed on the road. I felt transported back in time as I cycled past the farm fields and old log cabins. Cars are still restricted from the loop road until 10 a.m. Wednesdays and Saturdays in the summer.

I enjoyed another carless bicycle ride on the Grand Canyon's south rim when I stopped there on my TransAmerica bicycle tour. Pedaling up to Desert View on the park entrance road had been a white-knuckled trip, with lumbering RVs passing closeby on the narrow road.

But one morning a couple of days later, we took a leisurely ride along a closed portion of the West Rim Road between the main visitor's center and Hermit's Rest. It was the perfect way to watch the sunrise over the Grand Canyon.