Grand Teton National Park is one of our Park system’s best kept secrets. The eastern side of the Teton Range juts vertically from the high flat valley, making this one of the most dramatic and visually striking of the National Parks. Grazing animals abound through the lush rivers and thick grasses of the valley below.
We have been most fortunate to have been able to visit this park a few times over the years. Fall colors were alive and well on our last tour, followed by storms that announced the coming of winter, blanketing the towering mountains with the first snows of the season.
Our Fall Colors sojourn through Grand Teton National Park started in Jackson Hole, where a guide picked us up before dawn to take us to the most dramatic view spots for an exhilarating photographic tour. Since we were short on time this trip, we found this to be a very enjoyable and time-efficient way to see the Park, hear the stories and maximize our time at each stop.
This iconic view of the Snake River, reflecting the stark granite peaks and fall colors, gave us a memorable start to our tour, brightened by the early morning angled sun.
Animals were out early, filling their bellies in preparation for the coming of winter. We found this female moose slowly munching on the pond plant offerings and alertly checking her surroundings as she came up for air.
The Park Service had added a boardwalk overlook so we could view the local animals in their natural habitat without disturbing them.
The sun continued to favor us and we continued our wanderings through the valley with our guide, arriving at one of his favorite view spots of the Snake River: Oxbow Bend.
As we admired Mt. Moran and the rest of the Teton Range in the background, a canoer came into view, putting the size and dramatic colors in perfect perspective. I took the photo at the top, which is one of my favorites of this Park.
That night, as we were camping in the State Park Campground, the first storm of the season arrived. We could hear the rain pounding on the top of our trailer.
Crisp and cold, with lingering clouds in the sky and a light dusting of snow on the ground, we rose the next morning and decided to survey the Park, preparing to exit if the storm signs increased, being careful not to challenge mother nature.
We walked where we could and drove when we needed to be circumspect about the weather, enjoying the lingering views of the river, framed by the fall colors and snow covered peaks.
We decided to return to Oxbow Bend and were rewarded with the dramatic reflections of the fall colors and clouded, snow-covered peaks in the distance.
** National Park Service Centennial Special:
The Grand Teton National Park Centennial Notecard Set
In honor of the NPS Centennial, I’ve put together these 4 photos into a 5 X 7 Grand Teton National Park Centennial Notecard set available at my VisualTravelsPhotos Etsy store. They are also available as prints.
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