Yellowstone, Grand Teton reopen briefly before winter

Cheyenne, Wyo. • Furloughed employees of Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks are returning to work with the job of reopening facilities for the final few people who will visit before winter season.

The parks will be open for about two more weeks before most roads will again close for winter. Most lodges in the parks already were closed for the year.

Grand Teton spokeswoman Jenny Anzelmo-Sarles says closing the park for the shutdown took three days and reopening will take about that long. She says park employees will need to do things like unlock restrooms, clear any branches that fell on roads and make sure pipes haven't frozen.

All roads in Yellowstone have reopened except the one over Dunraven Pass. That route is always first to close for winter.