Going To Yellowstone!

Hey Gang,

Well I am planning a trip to Yellowstone and Grand Tetons. I will be RVing ther from SF Bay area in Calif. with my family, wife and three kids. We will be doing what we did last year in Utah. I have been to Utah before so I had an idea of where to go and what I wanted to photograph. I have never ben to Yellowstone and was wondering if any of you could give me some good ideas of where to park the beast we are going to rent, a 27 footer towing my 4Runner, and where to go around for hikes, and photography. We will be heading out, God willing, September 19 and getting back September 29.

Any help you could give me would be appreciated.

Hi Youssef,

I can't help with RV suggestions, but I recommend picking up a copy of Joseph Lange's "Photographer's Guide to Yellowstone and the Tetons". I was glad that I had it when I visited last year. I don't care for his canned compositional suggestions, but it's good for its information on best times of day to shoot particular subjects.

Try to visit hot springs in the afternoon when the temperature has risen. When I was there last September, it was unusually cool, causing lots of steam to rise and block the subject, although by afternoon the situation improved.

If you want to photograph popular spots such as Snake River Overlook, be there at least half an hour before sunrise! The few good spots will be filled with other tripods if you wait till sunrise (or sunset).

Youssef,

By the time you get their the fires should be no problem. We usually have cool weather by then and most likly some snow showers. I am assuming that you will be coming in through West Yellowstone. If so than the Madison Campground will be a good one to stay at with your RV. It is centrally located to the geyser basins and some goold wildlife area anong the Madison River. You will be hitting the peek of the Elk rut and should see lots of wildlife photographers. Most of the elk spots are around Norris and the road to Mammoth. The Lamar Valley is also a good spot and provides a chance to see wolves if you are luckey. Roger Andersons book Day Hikes in Yellowstone (or something lik that) is a good one for short hikes and is on sale at the parks visitor centers.
Good luck
Steve Sherman

Youseff,

I was there last month with my wife and three kids. We had a wonderful time and they put up with my photo time. I'm sure others will have tips who have spent a lot more time there, but here's mine:

Mammoth Hot Springs was difficult to photograph. The terraces are not as dramatic as they were when I was there 13 years ago. Be there as the sun comes up over the hill to the east (Capital Dome?) There is 10 minutes of magic light and then it's gone. We also had a fun family hike to Beaver ponds which starts right behind Liberty Cap. Some lovely ponds and birch groves and vistas.

Geyser basins are also great at dawn with dramatic shots of the sun behind the steam. There was much more steam in the cool morning, too. At the West Thumb basin you can get a great sunrise over the Lake and behind the thermal features. Many close-ups of the beautiful colors and features of the bacteria mats and algae in the thermal waters! Also, if you have walkie talkies ask the ranger for the channel used to monitor the eruptions. Geyser watchers will often give indications whether a geyser may be going soon.

Animals!! The easiest to spot are where the traffic backs up. Not only great approaches to bears, moose, bison, elk, deer, but fun shots of all the dumb people who get out of the cars and closely approach the animals. Fortunately saw the rangers ticket two photographers who ignored their warnings to stay 100 feet (?) from some moose. Have the camera ready. One of my best shots was a coyote that ran across the road, posed on a ridge in the evening light long enough for 2 shots and then ran below the ridge.

We only spent a day in Teton. Beautiful sunrise light on the range with Jackson Lake reflections just past the Colter Bay ranger station.

Have a wonderful trip.

Paul

Youssef,

I will be in the Yellowstone/Teton area from 9/16 - 9/25. I lived in Jackson for 15 years and know the area pretty well. If I can help at all, please give me a shout by email or PM. Also, we should plan a time to hook up!

My mobile phone number is 619-517-5540. Not sure of the coverage in the area though. I'll be staying at a friend's place near the NE entrance of the park. I shouldn't be too hard to find: I'll be the guy with a fly rod in one hand and a camera in the other!

Anyway, let's plan on hooking up, at least to say "hello". Do you have a schedule as to where you'll be and when? I'm leaving today for Toronto (for a week), so email access will be slim-to-none for a while.

Jim

Youssef,
I was in Yellowstone and GT last fall during the same period. It was a great fall for bears. Norris and Madison meadows are wonderful for elk as is Mammoth. Don't miss the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. I found much larger bull elk in GT. They're spooky there, but can be approached with proper technique. GT is also wonderful for moose.
In GT don't miss the following for beautiful vistas: Swabacker Landing, Oxbow Bend of the Snake River, Signal Mt, String Lake, and Mormon's Row[old barns]. As previously recommended, Joseph Lange's book is a must and covers all of the sites mentioned. Good luck.
Bill

Youssef: Count me in on recommending Lange's book. It does help. My wife and I stayed in Canyon in Yellowstone last year and liked it a lot. Good central location and a fine facility. I shot a lot in the canyon but when we were there the sunrise was much further north than what it is now. Unless it is cloudy you will have to deal with fairly deep shadows until mid-morning. Ditto what the others said about Mammoth.

In the Tetons we stayed at Jenny Lake, but that is for tents only. The Gros Ventre campground is the closest to Jackson and the closest to Mormon Row. Signal Mountain is closer to Oxbow Bend. Colter Bay is further north but has more extensive facilities.

The classic shots in the Tetons are all morning shoots. Schwabacher's Landing may be a little tough to negotiate in an RV but is a great location. Do get there early if you are going to shoot the Snake River overlook, maybe even park your RV there overnight The Mormon Row barns can fill up pretty quickly too. You might check out the barns on the south side of Antelope Flats Road. They seem to get a little less traffic and IMO are better subjects. If your kids are up to an adventure, try to find the Old Patriarch tree. It's a mile or so off the road, unmarked and untrailed but is a marvelous subject, again best shot in the morning. Lange's book offers some rudimentary directions. Hope you have a great time. It is a wonderful corner of the planet. ><>