The Grand Tetons National Park and the Fall Colors
The Grand Tetons National Park is a great place anytime of year, but during the color changes of the fall the place comes alive. With both people and colors.
This past year during October of 2008, I was lucky enough to hit the date for the peak color change. I made the plans months in advance and had to just simply guestimate on when I wanted to try and be there. Most people were telling me I planned the trip too late as fall colors are in full swing during late September. I planned my trip for the first week of October. Below is a map to the main locations to photograph in the Tetons. Someone was nice enough to post one like this on one of the photo forums I hang out on. Helped me a lot in the begining. Click on it and it will bring up a larger version. Print it and take it with you.
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The leaves were just starting to change with no real color the first couple of days. But as it got colder the color was getting better. By day 4 the color was in full swing and it seemed to happen suddenly.
I was hitting the main areas to photograph and it was a zoo with all the photographers. Over 100 of them were lined up along the road looking on and photographing Oxbow Bend. I was getting up at 5:30am every morning. Not so I could get first light since that was a couple of hours before sunrise, but to establish my position for the shot I wanted.
Almost everyday, I was the first to arrive at the scene where ever I was going. I scoped out each location the day before so I know were I wanted to be. Schwabacher’s Landing was no different. Photographers were lined up all along the small pond or lake with the Tetons hitting the water. There is a smaller window to get the so called perfect spot. Really about 6 or 7 people can get that perfect angle. The rest have to position themselves in other areas along the pond.
It’s pretty much the “photographer’s code”. If you miss the opportunity to get the right spot, have enough manners to move on to a different spot and try again the next day. But there were a few times someone would try and move in between us who were late arrivals. I let them know to move on somewhere else. I hit Schwabacher’s Landing twice and both times was either the first or second person there. The first arrivals would jokingly talk about what to expect as the late comers would arrive one by one.
I was out in the elements for this trip the entire time camping for 12 days mainly at the Signal Mountain Campsite. I was a little disappointed in the cloudless days we seemed to be getting as I hate cloudless days, but we had good weather while I was there until the last couple of days. During the last 2 days I was there a strong cold front came through with heavy rain. Seems the following days the wind had blow away most of the leaves on the trees. I was kind of surprised by this but felt fortunate to have had plenty of time to get most of the shots I wanted during my time there.
My dad had gone on this trip with me. So during the day we tried our luck fly fishing the Snake River and a few lakes. We did not catch very many fish while were there but my dad did catch I think 4 nice sized trout. I caught one. We had a great time camping out. But I was surprised how few in numbers there were of actual photographers camping as opposed to most staying in a hotel…wimps. : )