Where do I begin?

[mike_smith2]

OK, I am a reasonably serious amateur wildlife photographer and I am

about to make my first foray into the USA from the UK accompanied by

a less serious photographer, ie I have to balance "crawling through

the undergrowth bird photography" with scenic/walking. Holiday

length will be 2 weeks end Aug beginning Sept. I have kept up with

some of the favoured locations, Florida, etc, and I know that I am

probably asking the inevitable how long is a piece of string, but can

you guys recommend either a source of reference information, book or

website or give recommendations for a two week itinery, ie would

Florida/everglades be better touring base than say a West coast

location. Fall colour availability too early?, canyons? We would

prefer a compact itinery rather than spending hours and hours on

planes or cars shuttling from location to location.

 

A toughie I know.......

[michael_hohner]

WRT Florida, I recommend winter/early spring for bird photography. In winter there is a greater variety of birds in Florida than in summer. So for summer I'd recommend one of the other destinations. The south-west will be hot in Aug/Sept, north-west will be nice, too. In the higher regions, most of the snow will be gone by September, so there should no be any problems with road closures etc. (which can occur in May).

<p>What are your main interests? Birds? Other wildlife? Landscape? Macro?

[mike_smith2]

I know that Aug Sept are the usual "dead months" as most birds are in moult season, so my expectations are not so high nature photography wise, Main interest to date is birds but that is mainly because mammals are so timid in the UK. Have flirted with insects and flower macro, but not my bread and butter.

 

"Other half" is more interested in landscape work, so I suspect best compromise is the West coast(?) national parks and the rockies and or grand canyon??, it is difficult comprehending the distances involved when compared to the UK which is so compact!

 

Sounds like Florida is best early season combined with Mexico Bosca D'Alpacho (excuse splelling!)The Florida "board walk" reserves sound tempting but may be pointless at this time of year?<div></div>

[Jerry_]

Fall colors in Florida -- not to good an idea. If you want a decent hiking route, the Smokey Mountain area (Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee) offer the better (i.e., less steamy, hot) weather in the late summer months. The southern part of Florida has a quantity of late afternoon thunderstorms that make lightning watching favorable over bird watching...

 

You can do a web search on southern Florida, too.

[stevef]

Mike,

 

If you are looking for wildlife and your "other half" is more interested in landscapes, you should consider visiting Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks (they are adjacent to each other). September is a good time for both wildlife and scenics in this area as fall colors will be starting and the large mammals will be in rut. For information on all of the national parks, go to the national parks foundation web site and look at their park profiles at http://www.nationalparks.org/PlanYourParkTrip/ParkProfiles-select.asp.

 

Steve

 

Steve

[guytal]

I would say Florida is excellent for birds but otherwise fairly flat and boring. If at all possible I would dedicate at least a week to the Western US and visit one or two of the national parks in Colorado, Utah or California.

<br><br>

Guy<br>

<a href="http://scenicwild.com">Scenic Wild</a>

[melissa_eiselein]

Mike: I'm in southern California. The weather is hot (upper 90s) and skies are gray-brown...so not all that great for scenics. It's much too hot to be out hiking in the desert, when the rattlers are moving faster than you can. The absolute best time for scenic photography in So Cal is February and March when the skies are blue and the mountains are covered with snow.

 

<p>If you are interested in wildlife and don't mind a "canned" safari of sorts, you might check out the Wild Animal Park in San Diego County. (I believe it's actually Escondido.) The photo tour is rather costly and plans must be made in advance, but you get to ride in the back of a truck and get really close to the animals in the sanctuary. I've been told that giraffe will come right up to the truck.

<br><a href=http://www.sandiegozoo.org/wap/visitor_info.html> http://www.sandiegozoo.org/wap/visitor_info.html </a>

 

<p>San Diego is a good place to visit for other reasons, too. There's the San Diego zoo and Sea World. You've also got the very first California mission: San Diego de Alcala. Two other, less primitive missions are within driving distance. There's also an old adobe house in Old Town and a college campus that lights up beautifully at night. You might catch a cityscape shot overlooking the bay.

<p>I live about 1 1/2 hours away...and I've just about talked myself into making a trip down there myself so I can play with some night shots.

[alan_woolnough]

Mike, i cant believe it,

 

Have you lost your mind!!

Why on gods earth are you trying to avoid the wind, rain and fog, in dear old blighty.

 

If you really must go, i hope you have a great time.

 

all the best

 

Alan

[dloose]

I just got back from Grand Teton National Park and can definitely recommend it for birds and wildlife. We saw moose, bison, elk, mule deer, a black bear, bald eagles, osprey, heron, and much more. Plenty of places to hike and look for animals, plently of landscape, waterfalls, etc. We went into Yellowstone for a bit, but it has lots of burned trees from an '88 forest fire, and the attractions (Old Faithful) seemed pretty commercial, lots of buildings, people, etc.

 

Here's the link we used to plan our stay in Colter Bay...

http://www.nps.gov/grte/

 

Enjoy, and let us know where you go!<div></div>

[ryan_taylor1]

In late summer south Florida is uncomfortably hot for those not accustomed to the climate. You'll find birds but the numbers will be low as they are dispersed at this time of year due to high water. Finally, the biting insects can be down right miserable in the Everglades in late summer. If you are absolutely intent on shooting birds, south florida is probably still one of your best bets, just be forewarned of the conditions I've mentioned above.

[jess_lee]

Mike,

Before Mid-September there are very few areas in the US that have fall colors, including Glacier the Tetons and Yellowstone. The elk rut is just beginning to start the second week in September. That said the end of august and early September can be a great time in the Pacific Northwest with clear skies and lovely views and some southward migrating shorebirds.

[richard_cochran]

I would suggest the mountains of the northwest, including

perhaps Glacier, Yellowstone, Grand Tetons. Those

three parks are enough to keep you busy for two weeks

easily. The Colorado

Rockies are another possibility. I lived in Florida

for three years, and while it has its beauty, it has no

mountains and very little scenery. It does have birds,

beaches, alligators, and condos. And it will be hot at that

time of year.

<p>

I've taken a couple of extended vacations in the western

US around that time of year, documented <a

href="http://webs.lanset.com/rcochran/twomonths.htm">

here</a> and <a href="http://webs.lanset.com/rcochran/sab2/">

here</a>. I had much more time than you, and I enjoy long

extended driving, so you definitely shouldn't plan on

going all the places I did.

<p>

I'd urge you to resist the temptation to see everything

in a two-week trip, but try to pick a small area and see it well.

[J.W. Wall]

Arizona has lots to see, but it is extremely hot still at the time you are travelling. If you do want to see Grand Canyon National Park -- which is absolutely spectacular -- be aware that rooms can be scarce, and the most popular spots may be full of tourists. Our drought continues this summer, so there are many forest fires, and many lakes are far below capacity or even dry. Feb-Apr is best here, to me, or at least sometime in Nov-Apr. I'm in beautiful Tucson, the Old Pueblo. We have 106 degrees F today, predicted 115 in Phoenix. There's lots to do and see. The desert has its charm, e.g., see the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum. Best to come in a cooler time! Wish you a great and safe trip.

[vegasllew]

I would echo a recommendation for the Grand Tetons/Yellowstone Park. Interestingly, you won't know for sure whether you'll have 80 degree weather (as I did when running a workshop in Jackson Hole the first week of September), early snows, or some combination of each! But if you go prepared, you will certainly enjoy the majesty of the area and the photo ops available. Just got back from Glacier/Waterton Park, and that area is certaily a wonderful alternative for the time period you have in mind.

[bill_caskey2]

Mike,

As previously stated, you cannot go wrong by Yellowstone/Grand Teton. They are right together with many wonderful locations for vistas/landscapes and with an abundance of approachable wildlife. You will be too early for the fall folage, but will be in prime time for big game such as elk and moose. You will also have some wonderful small towns to visit such as Jackson and Cody in Wyoming and West Yellowstone and Gardiner in Montana. By all means, spend a couple of nights at the Old Faithful Inn in Yellowstone. This area is the jewel of American nature locations. Have a great trip.

Bill

[imaginator]

Consider California... the high country is great (Yosemite)and you can also visit the coastal areas (Point Lobos) I like to think of it as "top of the world" (high elevations) and "edge of the world" (the beach) Best of both worlds...

[joe_garrick]

I'll second the nomination for California. San Francisco would make a nice starting point and is a fine city as well. Point Reyes, Big Sur, and Yosemite are all within driving distance.

<P>

If you're interested in desert and canyon country, you might want to have a look at Utah - Arches and Canyonlands National Parks are practically across the road from each other.

<P>

One area worth considering that hasn't been mentioned is the Lake Superior area. The lake country of northern Minnesota is beautiful and very isolated once you're a lake or two away from the trailheads. This is an area where "crowded" means you might meet one or two other parties per day and "quiet" means you won't see another soul for a week. The north shore of Lake Superior is IMO as spectacular as any shoreline in the US, including the previously noted Big Sur. Some areas here can get crowded, and traffic can be slow, especially on weekends. Also nearby are Isle Royale, the Apostle Islands in Wisconsin, and the Porcupine Mountains (hills really) in the upper peninsula of Michigan. You will be too early for fall colors, even in the extreme north in Minnesota. Watch for deer when driving.

<P>

You may have already figured this out, but "compact" is a matter of perspective in the U.S., especially in the west, where most states are significantly larger than all of England, and some are as large as all of the British Isles combined. You should expect to drive a while between any places of interest. Don't be surprised to hear people describe a place as being "only" a four, six, or eight hour drive away.

<P>

You can take a quick photo tour of many of the national parks at <a href="http://www.terragalleria.com/">Terra Galleria</a>. A photographer there is on a mission to photograph all 57 national parks and has reasonable collections of many, with enough photos for you to get a feel for the places without spending all day at google. For more park info, visit the <a href="http://www.nps.gov">National Park Service</a>. The NPS is long on info, but short on photos. There are, of course, many wonderful areas that aren't national parks.

[chuckk]

How about Washington State? Olymic National Park, between Seattle & the Pacific, has a variety of plant and animal life as well as scenic landscapes. Olympic has one of the few rainforests in North America--obviously not tropical though! The Pacific coast line is one long park/wildlife refuge and off-shore marine sanctuary.

 

I would think one week in Yellowstone one in Washington would be great. You could even drive between the two for more scenery, but the distance is 600 miles--which really is no big deal, but takes time.

[greg s]

Mike,

 

So many places... sigh! Well, here's another possibility.

 

The southern Oregon, northern California region has some opportunities for diverse wildlife photography. If you look on a map you'll see Tule Lake and the Upper/Lower Klamath wildlife refuges right on the border. These are major staging areas for the Pacific flyway and have a wide range of waterfowl year round (plus a wide variety of other western birds, including raptors). This also puts you in reach of places like Lassen Park in Calif, Crater Lake in Oregon, and even the Pacific coast.

 

The Tetons sounds very nice, but I thought I'd toss in another possiblity... especially if bird photography is high on your list. There are several blinds avail to be rented for $5/day (may need reservations) and there are mosquitos, but at a level which can usually be dealt with via repellant. A good backroad system allows wandering around and 'from the vehicle' photography.

 

If this is of interest to you, email me. I know lots of places there... I currently live in northern Oregon (we have refuges up here as well :)

 

Have a pleasant and safe trip whereever you go!

 

Cheers,

Greg

[steve_thompson]

Lots of good ideas here but what about Alaska?