I’m trying to take advantage of the sweet fall days by getting outside this October.

Temperatures and sunny days have been nearly perfect for rock climbing, cycling, hiking and lollygagging.

To avoid getting in the way of hunters, I drove to West Yellowstone, Montana, with my bike in the back seat last Friday.

When I pulled up to the trailhead of the new Yellowstone Shortline rail trail in West Yellowstone, I wondered if I was in the right place.

My confusion was caused by two side-by-side ATVs riding along the paved pedestrian/bike path from the west. They came to a stop, blocked by large boulders and a sign announcing the start of the trail. They somehow managed to get on the trail and headed east into town. The ATVs were trapped on the wrong side of the start, and I expected a ranger to show up at any minute and give the drivers tickets for riding on a nonmotorized trail.

The first driver got out with a puzzled look on his face — wondering why the trail was blocked. Then he read the signs proclaiming no motorized vehicles and a sheepish look crossed his face as he saw me.

“I guess we got on the wrong trail,” he said. Fortunately for his party, there was an unlocked gate allowing him to go around the roadblock and get off the paved trail.

The Yellowstone Shortline Trail leaves the west side of town (near the intersection of Iris Street and Obsidian Avenue) and heads almost due west along the abandoned railroad bed to near the Idaho/Montana border — about 9 flat miles. At the end of the paved trail, a dirt trail continues along the railroad bed into Idaho and on to Island Park.

The Shortline Trail’s bridges and paving were mostly completed in 2023, and its other amenities — such as signs and benches — were installed this year.

Ever since I heard about the path, I’ve wanted to ride it. With its fancy signage, butter-smooth asphalt and informative interpretive displays along the route, it’s clear that this is meant as a tourist attraction.

The Shortline Trail is very pleasant. Nice bridges pop you over tributary streams of the Madison River. About every half-mile to a mile, there is a colorful sign describing ecology, geology, local critters or railroad history. The Shortline Railroad once delivered passengers to and from points south all the way into Yellowstone National Park. One sign explained that in the 1910s for about $50, you could get a five-day package from Salt Lake City. The trains stopped rolling through here around 1960.

I visited the trail on a Friday and saw a few other bikers and a handful of pedestrians.

After riding the trail, I rode my bike into Yellowstone National Park to the Madison Junction picnic area, ate some snacks and rode back. The whole day ended up being about 45 miles of riding in nearly perfect weather. The traffic in the park was moderate and most of the animals were hiding during the midday. I did see a few elk along the Madison River.

While the coming weather will cool off, outdoor activities should still be good to go with an extra layer of clothing.

The Shortline Trail is part of the Greater Yellowstone Trail that will eventually connect West Yellowstone to the east side of the Teton Range into Grand Teton National Park. When all the pieces finally connect, the trail will be about 180 miles long and should be an amazing attraction for people nationwide.

I do have one small bone to pick, though, with the inconsistencies already popping up on allowed uses on this trail. I can’t help thinking the Forest Service is missing the boat by excluding e-bikes on the Shortline Trail (there’s a prominent sign prohibiting them). Not that I own an e-bike, but for the past few years, e-bikes have accounted for a major portion of total bike sales across the world. Bicycle traffic, whether e-bike or not, has little to no impact on paved trails. Remember that this route was once used by one of the noisiest forms of transportation known to man: a locomotive.

Along the developing Greater Yellowstone Trail, there are already a variety of users allowed — from ATVs, horses, pedestrians and bikes.

I know that there can be some confusion about different classes of e-bikes. Some are just pedal assist, while others are throttled motorbikes thinly disguised as bikes. Perhaps rather than banning e-bikes, posting a speed limit would tone down the speedsters and still allow e-bike traffic across the entire trail system. This setup works fine on many other paved paths.