PHOTOGRAPHER'S PERSPECTIVE ON LOCATION SERIES: WYOMING

GRAND TETON NATIONAL PARK
NORTHWEST WYOMING
Text and image copyright E.J. Peiker, all rights reserved

ACCESS
Grand Teton National Park can be accessed from the south via US 89 and Jackson, Wyoming, the east via US 26 and Dubois, Wyoming, and the north via Yellowstone National Park and US 89. The main roads are paved and maintained during winter. Grand Teton National Park is accessible twenty-four hours a day, 365 days a year. There is an entrance fee of $20 per car for a one week pass which includes Yellowstone National Park. If you are a holding a National Park Pass or a Golden Eagle Pass, entrance is free.

AREA LAYOUT
The park is nestled along the Teton Range, a sub range of the Rocky Mountains and Jackson Hole; the valley that the Snake River meanders through. There are numerous turnouts throughout the park for scenic and wildlife viewing. Most are built to handle everything from bicycles to large busses.

WHAT YOU’LL FIND
The Teton range is often referred to as The United States’ most spectacular. It is a very young range and therefore still has very sharp features. Incredible landscapes abound, as does wildlife.

Some key landscape photo areas include Oxbow Bend at sunrise and sunset, Jackson Lake, String Lake, Jenny Lake, and Schwabacher Landing (requires off road driving). The many turnouts provide numerous viewing and photography opportunities without having to hike great distances from your car. Mormon row is an area of several old barns on the eastern side of the park which make great foreground subjects to the spectacular Tetons. There are also numerous hiking trails for all levels of conditioning that can take you to other areas for fantastic views of the mountains and some backcountry lakes.

Wildlife is abundant throughout the park. You will likely see American Bison, Moose, and Elk during all seasons. During the warmer months waterfowl and White Pelicans are abundant. Osprey, Owls, Eagles, Wolves and Pronghorn may also be spotted. Bears are rare in this park.

Northern Wyoming can be bitterly cold during the winter months; Wyoming has the coldest average temperature in the lower 48 states. It can get below freezing at night during any season but the winter is extremely cold with daytime highs often not exceeding zero degrees, so be prepared. You will find the mountains snow covered from October through June with some traces still visible in July and August. This can lead to some amazing photographs. Peak fall color is late September and early October. The most signifciant tourist crowds are in July and August, especially around holiday weekends.

LIGHT
The most spectacular photographs in Grand Teton National Park are often taken from a half hour before sunrise to two hours after sunrise. In wintertime, the sweet light lasts significantly longer due to the low angle of the sun. Afternoons can bring dramatic clouds, and some excellent backlit mountain scapes are possible in the evening.

MORE INFORMATION
The most complete reference for photographing this area is a book called Photographers Guide to Yellowstone and the Tetons by Joseph K. Lange. I highly recommend this resource prior to embarking on a journey to northwest Wyoming. For more information, please see the National Park Service web page at http://www.nps.gov/grte/index.htm.

E.J. Peiker has been photographing in the Western North America for over 20 years. To see more photographs of Grand Teton National Park, please visit http://www.ejphoto.com/grand_teton_page.htm.