Making the most of Yellowstone

[dave.englund]

I am taking my first vacation/trip to Yellowstone National Park from my home in

Minneapolis MN in mid-June. I am driving so I can make the most of seeing

additional sites along the way (the Badlands, Rushmore, Devil's Tower, etc.). In

other words, "Road Trip!" ;-)<br /><br />

 

Here's my basic plan. I'd like any kind of feedback on how I can tweak it (it's

getting late in the game to change reservations), and any specific information

anyone can give me on how to best shoot these sites. I defiantly want to go past

"snap shots," but I also recognize I do not have the luxury of really immersing

myself in many of these subjects either. I need to be smart and plan, plan, plan

ahead and make the most of my opportunities. So, I welcome all manner of

feedback, tips, and information. Thanks!<br /><br />

 

<b>Trip Itinerary [2460.8 miles (3960.2km)]</b><br />

<b>Day 1</b><br />

Travel: Twin Cites MN to Interior SD, 512.5 miles (824.8km)<br />

Photography: Badlands National Park<br />

(I hope to get some Sunset pictures of the Badlands)<br /><br />

 

<b>Day 2</b><br />

Travel: to Crazy Horse & Mt. Rushmore, 121.5 miles (195.5km)<br />

(I will need to leave in very early AM to get Sunrise pictures of Mt.

Rushmore)<br />

Photography: Crazy Horse Memorial (Custer) <br />

Photography: Mount Rushmore National Memorial<br />

Travel: Interior SD to Sundance WY, 103.0 miles (165.8km)<br /><br />

 

<b>Day 3</b><br />

Travel: Sundance to Devil?s Tower, 28.3 miles (45.5km)<br />

(getting up in early AM to get Sunrise pictures of Devil's Tower area, and spend

up to half day there)<br />

Photography: Devils Tower National Monument, WY<br />

Travel: Devil?s Tower to Buffalo WY, 132.0 miles (212.4km)<br /><br />

 

<b>Day 4</b><br />

Travel: Buffalo WY to Wapiti WY, 203.6 miles (327.7km)<br />

Photography: (stopping at any sites of interest along the way)<br /><br />

 

<b>Day 5</b><br />

Travel: Wapiti to Yellowstone National Park, 94.8 miles (152.6km)<br />

(early rise and shine to get to Canyon Village for Sunrise pictures)<br />

Photography: Canyon Village Area<br />

Travel: Yellowstone E to Yellowstone W, 30.5 miles (49.1km)<br />

Photography: Old Faithful, and Geyser Basin<br />

(will make the most of the PM and Sunset for pictures of geysers)<br />

[by the way, I do have Joseph Lange's "<a

href="http://www.amazon.com/Photographers-Guide-Yellowstone-Tetons-Joseph/dp/0811728951/ref=sr_1_2/002-5915879-6769644?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1179457017&sr=8-2">Photographer's

Guide to Yellowstone</a>" and I am pouring through it to try to plan when to be

where]<br /><br />

 

<b>Day 6</b><br />

Photography: Geyser Basin, Mammoth Hot Springs<br />

(again, will try to plan for the best spots for Sunrise, mid-day, and Sunset

pictures)<br />

Travel: to West Yellowstone MT<br /><br />

 

<b>Day 7</b><br />

Travel: West Yellowstone MT to Yellowstone ? Tower Fall, 63.3 miles (est)<br />

(will get up early to be in Tower Fall for Sunrise)<br />

Photography: Tower Fall, other<br />

Travel: to Gardiner MT, 10 miles (est)<br /><br />

 

<b>Day 8:</b> Travel: Gardiner MT to Sundance WY, 442 miles<br />

 

<b>Day 9:</b> Travel: Sundance WY to Pierre SD (dinner with friends), 266.7

miles (429.2km)<br />

 

<b>Day 10:</b> Travel: Pierre SD to Twin Cities MN, 456.1 miles (734.0km)<br

/><br />

Again, since this is my first trip to Yellowstone (or, to the Badlands and

Devil's Tower, for that matter) I know I'll be part tourist, part photographer.

But I would truly appreciate any feedback on how I can maximize my photography

along the way:-)

[ellis_vener_photography]

To make the most of Yellowstone you are gonna need at least a week there, and preferably before Memorial Day or after Labor Day. You want to be there before the tourist traffic jams. Unless you absolutely must see Mt. Rushmore, I'd skip it.

 

The wildlife in Yellowstone is amazing. and take your time in the Badlands. it can be really beautiful there in the late afternoon/early evening and dawn hours.

 

Take long lenses for all of these places. I had a 300mm with me and often times that felt just too short to make the kinds of photos I wanted: the spaces are huge.

[lheusinkveld]

I hope you have good weather... Such a packed program allows no time for wet or overcast days with flat light. I recently attended a slide presentation, the presenter had allowed only two nights at each stop on his trip, and in every case the full day he had in the location had dismal light for photography. The day he left the location and did all the driving was invariably the day with the great light. You might want to prioritize the sights you plan to see and allow yourself some flexibility in the schedule so that you can work around the weather.

[dave.englund]

Good feedback. Thanks. Yes, I was thinking of nixing Crazy Horse and Mt. Rushmore too. That is, I think I'll save the Day 2 morning light for the badlands and really take my time there. Then, mossy over to the memorials, and if there's a good shot fine, if not, okay move on.

 

I know Yellowstone needs more time for a serious effort. Maybe in the future I can plan to fly into Gardiner and spend a week in Yellowstone. But this is what I can afford to do on this first trip west. I'll just have to trust God for good opportunities in the park and to move me to the right place and time or two;-)

[dave.englund]

Oh, by the way, I just ordered a Canon 70-200mm L lens from Adorma (my first L lens). I'm also going to order a 1.4 extender. Hope to get a few days practice in locally before running off to the planes.

[jay sturdevant]

If you haven't been there before you might be surprised by how big Yellowstone is, as I'm

fond of telling people it is the size of two small Eastern states ( I forget which ones).

Trying to plan with any certainty what you will see with a fixed amount of time strikes me

as a recepie for frustration, if it were me i would have a loose idea and go with the flow.

You may hit some traffic that time of year. Yellowstone isn't a place of superlatives, some

of the best places are just far enough off the ring road to cut out 90% of the hordes, and

the real joy of the place is the backcountry, I would spend a day hiking to the geyser basin

on Shoshone lake and don't worry about the shots of the major places that have been

done thousands of times before. I don't mean to sound flippant, but do you really want to

take a picture of Tower falls that everybody has while surrounded by 3,000 Japanese

tourists? I have that canon lens, it is really sweet! Have a great trip

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[gman]

A few years back my family visited Yellowstone for a few days on our way to Oregon. We went in mid August and the crowds were not too bad. I think I only saw about 500 Japanese tourists and about the same number of Europeans! :] We did not have the time to go into the back country to hike and explore so we did all the basic stops. We will do that on another trip. Old Faithful is fine but I would suggest taking the trail that is there and check out the Beehive Geyser...we thought it was great and there were lest people standing around!

You are not always gonna have the great light you would prefer and want. I know I did not, but you make do with the light and conditions you have. Even if the weather is crappy, I would still take pictures. Stormy weather is often avoided by photographers but the pictures can be dramatic...certainly not your typical travel photos. If you do not have one, I would suggest a warming polarizing filter for your trip. I have the Moose Filter manufactured by Hoya which is a combination circular polarizer and 81a warming filter. I have been pleased with it. I think going to Mount Rushmore is worth the visit.

[dave.englund]

Thanks for the helpful feedback y'all!<br /><br />

 

Wayne, I did get a Hoya Warming Polarizer for my Canon 70-200mm f/4L. I also have a Cokin kit with a couple of GND filters (1&2), and an 81c warming filter. I am covered with both a 67mm and 58mm adapter for the Cokin set, since two of my primary lenses are 67mm (the Tamron 17-50 and Canon 70-200) and the other is a 58mm (Canon 100mm macro).<br /><br />

I got some feedback in the Nature forum on weather protection, and bought a package of cheep clear shower caps for the camera, plus I have a rain jacket for me;-)<br /><br />

I have been pouring through Joseph Lange's "Photographer's Guide to Yellowstone," and have notes on all the major sites in Yellowstone and what time of the day is best to catch them. I'm going to use this as a sort of menu to select from as I make my way through the park, knowing I'll need to remain flexible because of weather, crowds, beasts, etc.<br /><br />

On a side note, my co-workers have been excited for me also. One of them has been checking in on the Old Faithful web cam every morning (<a href="http://www.nps.gov/archive/yell/oldfaithfulcam.htm"><u>http://www.nps.gov/archive/yell/oldfaithfulcam.htm</u></a>). Said they will be looking for me there and expect me to turn and wave to the camera ;;-)<br /><br />

I did revise my itinerary to get to Yellowstone one day sooner, so I will have four full days of shooting there now. Well, back to packing. Thanks again everyone - lots of helpful advice and info :D