My first experience visiting the Mountain West region of the U.S. was a summer trip that I had been excited about for the months leading up to it. My wife had informed me that she'd be attending an event in the Jackson Hole, Wyoming area and that if the timing worked out with my schedule, that I should join her. Thankfully, it worked out and I was ready for an amazing opportunity to explore a new location and make some images!
At the time, Wyoming was a state that I didn't know much about. I knew that it was a great destination for skiing and hunting (I'm not in to either so that wasn't a draw) but I also knew that Grand Teton National Park was located there and thankfully, not far from where we were staying.
After our flight from Philly landed in Jackson Hole, it was a short drive to our hotel in beautiful Teton Village. The view from the car on that drive set the tone for this trip: warm, sunny days, the fields exploding with wildflowers of every color you can imagine, and of course, the epic sight of the Tetons- it's just an incredible experience for all your senses.
So, after getting settled, I was ready to start my journey through Grand Teton National Park...with an additional stop at Yellowstone National Park. Here are some of the highlights of my trip!
There are only about 60 continuous frost-free days a year in Jackson Hole, so the growing season is very short and the dominant blooming flowers change quickly from week to week.
Early morning ballooning in Teton Village.
Grand Teton National Park
One of the advantages of staying in Teton Village was its proximity to the park. In 7-minutes, you'll be at the park's Moose Entrance and ready to explore! You also have horseback riding, hot air ballooning, hiking and skiing just minutes away. Our homebase was the Four Seasons Resort Jackson Hole (it's in Teton Village, not Jackson Hole) which also provided spa and dining options as well.
There are many must see locations and all are easy to access. Mormon Row, Oxbow Bend, Schwabacher Landing, Jenny Lake and Signal Mountain are just a handful that will inspire you. And that's not accounting for all the beautiful trails and other scenery you'll come across while you're going from point A to B. This park is a nature lover's paradise with beauty at every turn!
Grand Teton National Park completely swept me off my feet and into a state of pure awe. I can picture myself driving along the miles of winding park roads, and then bam! Another jaw-dropping vista opens up of those towering, jagged granite peaks...it's like a scene plucked straight from a painter's dreamscape.
This beautiful, serene location was just off a road that I was driving on after shooting the sunrise. No hiking involved, just pulled the car over and chilled here for a bit. It was incredibly peaceful listening to the running water, the scent of the trees and hearing the birds sing. A perfect way to start the day!
With the Grand Teton mountains in the background, Moulton Barn is the most photographed barn in America.
Oxbow Bend
Something about this location kept me coming back. At first it was the symmetry of Mount Moran's reflection in the lake. But each day, I loved that the vibe changed with the weather patterns that would come through the park. It could be beautiful and peaceful one day, majestic the next, and ominous and foreboding the following day.
Just before sunrise at Oxbow Bend. Thank you to my Pelican friend for adding some additional interest to Mount Moran's relection!
Different days...
...different moods.
The Grand Teton Range
Almost anywhere you go in the Jackson Hole area, you'll find stunning views of the Tetons. I didn't realize that the Teton Range is part of the Rocky Mountains. It extends for approximately 40 miles in a north–south direction through Wyoming, east of the Idaho state line. It is south of Yellowstone National Park, and most of the east side of the range is within Grand Teton National Park.
Just one gorgeous slice of the Grand Teton range before sunset.
This particular viewpoint is where the master, Ansel Adams, captured his iconic 1942 photo "Tetons and the Snake River". The landscape has of course changed in that period of time as the trees have grown to hide the bend in the Snake River below.
Regardless, it's a breathtaking vantage point of the Teton's.
Schwabacher Landing is famous for its water reflections of the Teton. Well worth the 4:45am wake up time!
On the way to Yellowstone! The Teton's from Driggs, Idaho
Wildife
Unfortunately, I didn't have much luck when it came to photographing some of the larger animals. As much as I craned my neck and peered into the forests and meadows, I couldn't find as many animals as I thought I'd be able to see on this trip. Were they laying low or hanging out in some other corner of the park? Or, was I not visiting at the best time to view the wildlife? More on that later!
However, a huge highlight did occur after I wrapped up a sunrise shoot at Oxbow Bend. On my way back to Teton Village, I came across a momma bear and her cubs about to cross the road I was traveling on. I quickly pulled my car off the road and tried to discreetly take some photos without momma bear getting angry with me. It was a beautiful moment and one that I'll never forget. Once I got back to my car and thought about what had just happened, I realized that things could have gone in a completely different direction and I'm thankful that momma bear could sense I was a friend and not a threat.
Still, I tried to look on the bright side - not seeing any of the big fauna just meant I'd have even more reasons to come back to Grand Teton N.P. again. Maybe next time I'd finally get to witness a couple of bull elk locking antlers, or a coyote loping across an open field. For this trip though, I had to be content with a few wildlife sightings but mostly, the incredible landscapes that lay before me.
Lucky for me, that was more than enough to keep me entertained and in awe of nature's diversity.
Yellowstone National Park
I was only able to take one day to visit Yellowstone National Park. While not ideal, I was thrilled by the opportunity to experience its beauty!
Luckily for me (and everyone), Grand Teton National Park is connected to Yellowstone National Park by the 27-mile John D. Rockefeller Highway in Northwestern Wyoming. With that in mind, I chose to head west from Teton Village into Idaho then north to the western entrance of Yellowstone in Montana, essentially creating a loop back to Teton Village.
Yellowstone is like being transported to an alien world. Half of the world's geysers gurgling up from underground, crazy vibrant hot springs and breathtaking views. It's such a magical place!
While the roadless areas of Yellowstone are incredibly vast, I found that nearly all of the park's most famous natural wonders were conveniently close to the Grand Loop - the 140-mile, figure-eight-shaped main road running through the heart of the park. The Grand Loop Road consists of two main sections: the north loop featuring sights like the alien landscapes of Mammoth Hot Springs and the thundering Tower Falls, and the south loop with attractions like Old Faithful's eruptions, the massive Yellowstone Lake, the Grand Prismatic hot spring, the lush Hayden Valley teeming with bison herds, and the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. I chose the South Loop for this one day excursion.
Interesting Fact: Having this great circular route allows you to efficiently experience the absolute highlights of Yellowstone without having to venture too far off the beaten path into the park's roadless wilderness interiors. At each stop along the Grand Loop, you can simply park your car, and find yourself face-to-face with some of Yellowstone's most iconic geysers, waterfalls, canyons, and wildlife in a remarkably accessible fashion. The figure-eight loop makes sure you can cover many of the must-see attractions in an intuitive, straightforward route over one day. Despite the huge size of the park overall, the Grand Loop neatly packages Yellowstone's diverse natural wonders into a series of convenient roadside exhibits for you to comfortably take in and enjoy.
Yellowstone National Park Geysers
Most of Yellowstone sits atop a supervolcano. A supervolcano is a volcanic field that can produce a massive eruption. The Yellowstone supervolcano sits over a giant pool of magma which contains enough magma to fill the Grand Canyon 11 times!
This supervolcano powers the geothermal activity in the park, creating the geyser basins and bubbling mud pots that attract me and thousands of visitors every year.
The Yellowstone supervolcano last erupted 640,000 years ago and is overdue for its next eruption. However, scientists have been monitoring the volcano and there are no signs of a future eruption.
Yellowstone's Grand Prismatic Spring
As I was exiting Yellowstone and driving south back into Grand Teton N.P., I encountered a storm that was passing through the area. These two images were captured just before leaving Yellowstone (above) and a double rainbow just after returning to the Jackson Hole area after the storm (below). I love the drama!
Final Thoughts
Have you ever experienced those moments that seem to awaken your soul and bring you back in sync with the natural rhythms of the world around you? For me, it's those times that make me feel truly alive and connected to the landscape. When all the busyness and noise of civilization falls away, you can be truly present amidst the raw, natural splendor. Pleasure doesn't get simpler yet more profound than watching the world gradually settle down in a fiery wash of a beautiful sunset.
Grand Teton National Park is an amazing location for a summer vacation. The park offers something for anyone who loves scenic hiking trails, breathtaking mountains, historical sites, and wildlife. Winter not only adds world class skiing to the list but also the wildlife population explodes in the winter. Thousands of mule deer, elk, moose, bighorn sheep, and bison migrate into the valley in search of food each year along with coyotes, fox, bald and golden eagles, swans, and even packs of wolves. This gathering of wintering wildlife makes winter one of the best times to view wildlife in Jackson Hole! I'll be making a winter trip back here in the future to photograph all the wildlife I missed this time.
Next stop: Dubai & Abu Dhabi, U.A.E.