Grand Teton National Park: 2011

I am lucky enough to have visited the Tetons twice this year. Well renowned for their rocky peaks rising into the sky, the Tetons were a destination both my husband and I had on the top of our list of place to see in Wyoming. Having spent years admiring other’s photographs of the jagged rocky peaks I was excited to take my own photographs of this legendary vacation destination. Although Jackson, WY is a hot destination for winter sports enthusiasts that was not the primary interest for us, so we planned our first trip to western Wyoming for early May. Being the planner that I am we booked a cabin in February, and waited anxiously for May to arrive for what we thought would be a perfect weekend in the mountains.

Well, as the saying goes; best laid plans.... This is our first year living in Wyoming and we had no idea that spring in the mountains meant cloudy, foggy, snowy weather. We arrived on a Friday afternoon to an overcast sky and fog covered mountains. Undeterred, we headed out for a drive before darkness descended, and randomly drove down the Gros Ventre road and out to Antelope Flats. There were hundreds of elk along the way, staying close the National Elk Refuge near Jackson, where they are provided hay as additional feed in winter. As we drove down the road we saw a few bison wandering through snow and sagebrush... Just as we began to believe there was nothing more along the way we spotted some bull moose laying in the snow. They seemed very content where they were with no intention of moving, so we drove on a little further, and then turned around to head back into town. The moose had decided to start moving around; and there were now several Bull Moose grazing along in the sagebrush and headed right towards the road we were driving along. I quickly pulled the car over and both me and my husband grabbed our cameras for this amazing photo op. For about 30 minutes we watched the moose wander along, play charge each other, moving closer and closer to us.... They grazed right alongside the car and seemed oblivious to us. In the end an oncoming car spooked them back into the field, and as it was nearly dark and we were ice cold, we decided it was time to head back to our cabin for the night.

The remainder of that weekend was generally uneventful – we walked around downtown Jackson, trying to wait out the rain that drizzled down on the town square. We took a couple of drives out into the park, watched the elk and spied a few more moose and bison. A near glimpse of one of the Tetons raised my hopes for a brief moment, before burying them in another bank of fog. We left Jackson early Sunday morning, hoping to beat an incoming snow storm – only to run straight into the snow storm over Togwotee Pass. Creeping along as slowly as possible, praying my car did not slip into a snow bank high in the mountains miles away from help.... I vowed to never again visit the Tetons in May!

Several months later we made a spur of the moment decision to again visit the Tetons, this time in mid-October. Once again we made the mistake of not understanding Wyoming weather... Obsessively watching weather.com I finally made hotel reservations for the weekend a couple of days before we left for Jackson. My reasoning was that surely, with just a couple days ahead of the forecast; we couldn’t go wrong, could we? So early Saturday morning we headed out, directly into a slow moving snow storm that was supposed to have passed by two days before. We were blessed the entire drive to Jackson – a fresh snow all along the way made for a beautiful drive and gave us hope the Tetons would be beautiful with snow.

Togwotee Pass this time was a gorgeous enchantment – when we first drove over it in May it had been invisible to us thanks to the Spring snow storm.... although again covered in snow, this time sun breaks brought out the contrast of fall foliage against snow covered hills. As we drove down towards Jackson Hole valley we got our first glimpse of the Tetons – rising majestically above low lying clouds, sprinkled in snow and outlined starkly against a deep blue sky. We stopped first at the Snake River overlook, a photo many have seen famously beautiful in a crimson sunset with the Tetons majestic against the skyline. The funny (not in a ha-ha kind of way) thing about the Tetons is that often, when high above the valley they are visible through a cloudy day. However, if it is cloudy or foggy; they will remain hidden from the valley floor. This was the case today from the Snake River overlook. As an amateur photographer I was pretty frustrated, and as you will see from my photographs the only shot I was happy with was a black and white photo. Black & white would prove to be the best shot many times over the next couple of days as the fog and clouds only thickened...

Sunday morning started out foggy but with a prediction of clearing skies for the afternoon. We decided to take a drive out towards Yellowstone National Park, which is about an hour from the northwest border of the Tetons. A sign warning of icy roads and tire chain requirements prohibited us from going far into Yellowstone, and soon we headed back down to the Tetons... In typical Wyoming weather fashion, the promise of clearing skies had changed to gathering clouds and the threat of snow for the Tetons. Knowing that any great photo opportunities were just not going to happen, we took our time driving around and enjoying the wildlife. One of the greatest things about a national park is the wildlife. Because normally wildlife are protected (there are special hunts allowed in some parks) in these parks they are generally more trusting of people, and so allow us to see them far more than normally wild animals will permit. In the Fall elk are in rut and visitors have a chance to see and hear this unique interaction between the bull elk as they challenge each other for cow elk – and if you are truly lucky you will see them duke it out... we did not see any bulls clash this time but still enjoyed listening to the early morning and late afternoon elk bugling.

On Monday morning we checked out of our hotel and stopped at Bubba’s for breakfast before heading home... when we left the restaurant we could see the clouds breaking and by the time we started driving towards Togwotee Pass we could see the snow sprinkled Tetons rising up into a clear blue sky. We could not resist the temptation and took the long way out of the park... As beautiful as all the pictures are in a book or magazine – to see the Tetons yourself on a brisk fall morning is a breathtaking experience. The sun touched the peaks of the Tetons and warmed the frosty morning. Fog rose from the ground, creating an ethereal beauty around the Grand Tetons. As we finally drove away that morning we were thankful for finally experiencing the beauty of these majestic peaks that early Fall day.

If you get the chance to visit Jackson, WY and the Tetons there are a few places I happily recommend... Obviously you will want to spend time in GTNP itself. You will find Mormon Row and the famously photographed barn down a side road on Antelope Flats. The Snake River overlook is on the main road coming into Jackson from Togwotee Pass – either one are about 30 minutes (or less) from Jackson. Jenny Lake is very popular with the Tetons towering over the clear mountain lake, and for those with the time and inclination there is a hiking trail around the lake. In the winter the elk are easily found close to town in the National Elk Refuge – our first visit in May we stayed at the Rustic Inn Creekside Resort and Spa, just across from the visitor’s center for the refuge. The Rustic Inn has great cabins with a fireplace and the hard to find well cooked breakfast, which is included with your room. A great place to eat is the Snake River Brewery; this non-pretentious gem has a great menu, fantastic original brews, and incredibly fast service. For breakfast we were referred to Bubba’s, which looks like a BBQ place but also serves a great breakfast, perfect for starting a day of adventure.