Teton & Yellowstone in Fall?

[jonpaulgallery]

I am going to Yellowstone & Teton the last 10 days of September. I

am hoping for images of the Tetons with fall foliage. I am also

hoping for images of bison herds in misty grasslands, Moose, elk,

etc. I have a 4x5 as well as a Nikon with an 80-200 and a 2x

teleconverter. Any information on photo locations during this season

would be appreciated.

 

Thanks in advance- Jon

[pat_kearns1]

That should be a pretty good time for the colors. I was there in Mid September about 3 years ago and had a great time. Lots of bison in Yellowstone and only saw a single moose. The bison may look tame but remember they are wild and have been known to injure and kill so give them wide berth. I've had an itch to get back to the Tetons in the last few days but I don't think I will be able to make it for another year. Have a good trip. Happy shooting and may the light be with you.

[carl_crosby3]

Jon: You will enjoy yourself! The road construction may even be finished. Bring some 200-400 speed film, because the weather can be very dark and grey. It can also be so beautiful that it will take your breath away. If it rains, put on your waterproofs, cover your camera with a plastic sack. and have at it! Bring a sturdy tripod, and before you do anything off the road, tape your trousers around your ankles and apply insect reprllent to your shoes, socks and pants legs. Reapply every 2 hours. Yelowstone chiggers are MEAN, and Rocky Mountain spotted fever is not sometning you want to flirt with. Don't worry about it, just take a little care, and all will be O.K.

 

The last of September is just before the Elk rut, and all the bulls are in hard antler, (no pun intended) and tend to congregate in several areas. The rangers at the gates will give you information as you enter, but sometimes pure luck is on your side.

 

Entering the park from Jackson Hole, Wyo., through Teton Nat'l Park (Two parks for the price of one!) There is a view area tht will give you a great view of the Tetons and a river in the foreground. A river really does run through it. The place will be fairly well stocked with photographers, but I've never had any trouble with the gendarmerie. I use a 35mm, and don't look like a "pro", whatever that is supposed to look like. Just look like a tourist. Entering the park from West Yellowstone, There are several meadows on the sides of the road, where Bison, Elk, and Coyotes can be seen on good days. Look up the back issues of OUTDOOR PHOTOGRAPHER, and read Leonard Lee Rue's accounts of trips he has taken there. That sly old dude doesn't give many clear directions, but the places are there, if you can spend some time looking.

 

Last time we were there, we saw two wolves. I thought "That is the BIGGEST damn Coyote I have ever seen!" Wrong!

 

Best to carry a camera you can run with, if you plan to get far from the car. Better yet, don't get too far away. Bears can cover ground amazingly well. Although I have tried to explain I am in no way interested in their ladies, Bull elk are not noted for their great intellect or sense of humor. One year, a woman with a P&S was attempting to approach an elk with two or three cows, and had to step lively, because the Bull was about to do her! There is a herd of Elk that live around Mammoth, which is inside the North entrance, at Gardiner, Mont. That entrance gate is a must see, IMO, and Moose can be seen on what is known as the "upper Loop"

 

There are actually two loops in the park, and it will take about a day to do each one, to get your bearings. The eastern entrance to the Park, near a place called Pahaska Teepee, where Buffalo Bill had a hunting lodge sometimes has Grizzly Bears 'WAY up on the mountainsides, so you need a lens like the Hubble Telescope to even tell what it is. That gate leads to Cody, Wy., Where the Buffalo Bill museum is located. It is a definite should see, but it will take a day to drive there and see it.

 

Do visit the Old Faithful Inn. It is a national treasure, IMO. The food isn't very good, and the rooms are little and overheated,but it is a photographer's joy. Old faithful is a great sight, when it decides to coperate.

 

Don't approach the Buffalo, no matter what everyone else is doing! It will be the end of the season, and the animals are nervous and just plain tired of dumb humans harrassing them. The day we were there, a few years ago, a pilgrim got gored in the parking lot of the Inn. The buffalo threw him about as high as the 20 foot pine trees they have for decoration.

Bring LOTS of film, and enjoy your trip to one of my favorite places on earth. We are going in October. Boy, this got really long. Does it show, I love the place? Good Luck!

[wes_carroll1]

I haven't been there is several years and the last time was too early for the peak fall colors. The first week of Oct. would have been better. Each year varies some what though. The Snake River Lookout and The Oxbow Bend are the best places for very early morning photos in my opinion. The ponds just south of Moose are where I have seen the most moose. Gee, that stands to reason doesn't it? Actually just about anywhere in Teton Park that has willows is a good place to watch for moose. Signal Mountain is the only place I've ever seen a bear. It was a black. Teton Park is also better than Yellowstone for autumn colors. Elk are all over Yellowstone. The gysers don't do much for me. The various falls and Mammoth Hot Springs can produce some nice photos.

I doubt I'll ever go to Yellowstone or Teton Park during the summer again. After Labor Day it's much more pleasant. The mass of people has thinned drastically. It was probably eight years ago the last time I visited and I was not yet involved with large format, but cameras of all sizes are frequently seen. I saw and met Leanord Lee Rue on my last visit also. He was shooting video of elk, and later that day I saw him again in search of otter.

Take enough film. The stores in Jackson are very expensive if you run out. Abi Garamon has two photo galleries you might want to visit. One is called Under The Willow. I can't recall the name of the other. I don't think his work is exceptional, but he has been selling a lot of photographs to the tourists for years. You may get a few ideas as to some good photo subjects after seeing his work. Tom Mangelsen's Images Of Nature gallery is worth seeing too. He has been very successful selling his wildlife photographs and has several galleries in several states.

I think it's the Weather Channel's web site that has a fall leaf color map that starts tracking the leaves as they start changing. You might want to check that before you finalize your trip. You might consider calling the Jackson Chamber Of Commerce too. I was very disappointed to have to leave just as the leaves were starting to get good. I may go over there this fall for a few days myself. I still haven't decided where I'm going for my autumn excursion yet.

[randy_redford1]

I would strongly urge you to go to www.phototraveler.com and

order their traveler's guide for both yellowstone and grand tetons.

The guides give very detailed maps and good shooting

directions in terms of good forgrounds and time of day to shoot

from that location.

I was in both earlier this year and the scenery and wildlife was

great. For wildlife, it is best to be in the park before dawn and, as

far as Grand Teton is concerned, slowly take the north/south

road from Jackson that lies to the west of the main N/S highway.

There is much more wildlife on that road than on the main

highway. By 8:30 or 9:00 am, most of the wildlife other than the

bison are way back in the trees.

This shot is fom Grand Tetons. Great shooting all the way

around in both parks.<div></div>

[dan_smith]

Just finished talking with a horse packing guide in Jackson Hole & he thinks next weekend the colors should be great.

[Jeremy Stein]

I was in Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons early this week, and the aspens are starting to change color now. I think this weekend might be good, but I would expect it to take a little longer than that - maybe the weekend of the 22nd.