It's that time of year: Crisp air, occasional snows, that autumnal scent of dried leaves, and the bugling of elk in the Rockies. And the annual warning from Glacier National Park officials to hunters that they can't hunt in the park or pursue game into the park without the assistance of a ranger.

The newly designated Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail will link three national parks, seven national forests, several major mountain ranges, and two border-to border national scenic trails. One day it will also be a key link in the coast-to-coast pathway that trail developers have been dreaming about.

Experiencing our national parks’ grandeur from the saddle of a road bike is a bit like summiting a high peak. The arduous pedal through the park is rewarded with the scenery and equally thrilling descent from the park roads’ high points. Fall is sublime for cycling in national parks, so with the season quickly approaching, now is the time to experience the Mountain West’s greatest national park road cycling routes.

The 1980 movie “Heaven’s Gate,” a mega-flop filmed in Glacier National Park, was so wretched that it nearly destroyed the director’s reputation, helped extinct United Artists, and sent Hollywood westerns to the doghouse.