What to do with a week off in October in the middle of a pandemic and mostly dreary looking forecast? Normally this would have probably involved a flight to somewhere warm and sunny but that was off the table for safety reasons. @hungryjewlz and I decided instead, that a road trip was probably our safest option, and allowed for more locations depending on how the forecast went. Several options were discussed but ultimately we decided on visiting Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks.
The drive to Yellowstone was thankfully uneventful and soon we arrived in West Yellowstone and spent the night. We had grand visions of dirt bagging it in the truck for most of the trip but forecasted temperatures in the teens drove us to warmer accommodations.
The weather wasn’t look great for sunrise but we got up early and headed to the Lamar Valley knowing it is generally a good spot to see wildlife. We didn’t luck out for a sunrise but the valley itself it is a beautiful place. The wide open valley was such a contrast from the Cascades where peaks jut into the sky and the valleys are steep and narrow. We soon started to see some wildlife and quickly realized big zoom lenses are necessary here.
We stumbled across a big group of vehicles parked alongside the road and a fairly large crowd gathered on the hillside. These were the wolf hunters and we excitedly learned there was a pack of wolves relaxing across the valley. As you can see in the photo below my 300mm lens was nowhere near big enough. Oh, the wolf is that tiny black shape….. Soon we got bored and decided to see what else we could find in the park. A herd of buffalo stopped us on the road and to our surprise a coyote lingered in the background of the herd for a few moments.
Next we wandered around Mammoth and the Mammoth Hot Springs area and enjoyed the out of the world terrain that the hot springs creates there. While challenging to photograph the textures and shapes were alien yet organic at the same time.
The next day we headed in to try for sunrise and again were thwarted by heavy clouds and little light. We made an unplanned stop along the river were we found a herd of elk slowly starting their day too. It had been years since I had heard a bull elk bugling and it brought back fond memories of my childhood hunting with my dad.
Old Faithful was next and proved to be on time, though the rows and rows of empty benches was another reminded of the pandemic. We soon headed to the Grand Prismatic spring and were blown away by this one. The fleeting views between gaps in the steam revealed colors that were mesmerizing and hypnotic. The brilliant blues reminded me of glacial ice but instead of a cold frozen world, it was boiling hot. On the way back to our vehicle we had a to close encounter with a grizzly, I won’t go into too much detail but always carry bear spray in Yellowstone!
We continued south making our way towards the Tetons but a quick stop at the West Thumb Overlook trail proved to be one of our favorite part of the visit. The elevated boardwalk was fun to walk on and see the multitude of smaller hot springs from all angles.
Soon it was time for my first visit to Teton National Park and as we drove closer the Tetons proved worthy of their praise. The jagged skyline revealed itself slowly as we headed south and soon the iconic range dominated our westward view. We stopped at several places along the way to draft out our plan for sunrise and sunset shots. There are some classic viewpoints including the famous Snake River Overlook where Ansel Adams took his classic photo. Our favorite stop though was when we pulled over and spent some time with a herd of horses as they grazed in pasture with the Tetons in the background.
Over the next two days we explored the area, taking photos, and appreciating the beauty of the park. Finally on the last evening of our time in the park we got the epic sunset we were searching for. The video below is from the time-lapse I took on my iPhone X and below are some of the shots from the sunset. All of these are available on my photography website.
This was just a small taste of the Tetons and I can’t wait to go back. I am slowly considering adding to my bucket list the goal of reaching the high point of all of the National Parks so climbing the Grand may certainly be in my future.
To check out these photos and others in much higher quality follow this link to my photography page. Thanks again for following along on my adventures!
For further reading I recommend:
Yellowstone National Park History