Tetons have good color now, Schawbacher, Snake River overlook and Oxbow are pretty good. No snow on the mountains and few if any clouds however. Weather is great but no dramatic sky's. Got there too late today for good pictures but will be at Schwabacher at dawn.
Also, the trip from American Fork UT via Heber and up 89 was great for color. Scrub oak in abundance as well as cottenwood, willows and aspen. I hope its not finished before I get home.
Wild at Heart Images-Wildlife and Nature Photography
GTNP Trip Report 09/28/11: After a hike to Shoshone Lake this morning, we arrived at GTNP in early afternoon. I'm happy to report that the smoke seems to have cleared and the leaves are near peak (how did that happen in 3 days?).
Just spent an afternoon in Acadia. As expected, nowhere near peaking yet... my guess is, as normal, the second/third week of October will be best. Lots of greens still and a lot of tired looking browns... fingers crossed for a good season.
gdanmitchell wrote:
Don't know how the "controlled burns" work in Jackson, but here in California they mostly allow naturally started fires to burn themselves out in natural ways, with only minimal control. This is a very good thing for the forest - forest ecology relies on periodic fires, and suppressing them has historically led to horribly bad fires when excessive fuel built up.
Dan
Hasn't California had major issues with wild fires every year
The colors are starting to near peak at Oxbow - probably 3-4 days away still, which kind of sucks since I have to leave by noon on Saterday.
WHile the colors are coming around, the smoke from the fires has taken a turn for the worst. There was already 3 controlled burns going on. This afternoon another fire started close to the base of the Teton range. Fire is at the base of the range, somewhere between Moose Junction and the airport. Lots of heavy smoke and we could actually see the flames on the way back from sunset.
This is probably the worst conditions I've ever had during my seven trips to the Tetons (4 in the fall). It looks to have been a very dry summer, as there are block spots on most of the leaves around here, lots of haze from the smoke/fires and very few clouds.
On top of that Schwabacher Landing has really changed. The classic shots are no longer possible, since there is a lot less water then usual and really no longer any foreground. On the plus side, if you come late, there are more spots to shoot from, since there is kind of a little island you can walk out to due to the lower water levels.
Lastly, the workshops are really out of hand. It was extremely frustrating shooting at Oxbow for sunrise this morning, when there was an idiotic workshop leader that decided to have his group of around 8 or 9 camp out along the middle of the river bank -t completely ruining the classic shot from the parking lot area.
Anyways, sorry for sounding so negative, but even though I did get some good shots, between the frustration with the controlled burns and running into 3 workshops over the last couple of days that really pissed off a lot of other people who had gotten to locations before the workshop groups to setup and have their shots ruined by lack of courtesy by these groups has really left me in a foul mood on this trip.
khurram1 wrote:
The colors are starting to near peak at Oxbow - probably 3-4 days away still, which kind of sucks since I have to leave by noon on Saterday.
WHile the colors are coming around, the smoke from the fires has taken a turn for the worst. There was already 3 controlled burns going on. This afternoon another fire started close to the base of the Teton range. Fire is at the base of the range, somewhere between Moose Junction and the airport. Lots of heavy smoke and we could actually see the flames on the way back from sunset.
This is probably the worst conditions I've ever had during my seven trips to the Tetons (4 in the fall). It looks to have been a very dry summer, as there are block spots on most of the leaves around here, lots of haze from the smoke/fires and very few clouds.
On top of that Schwabacher Landing has really changed. The classic shots are no longer possible, since there is a lot less water then usual and really no longer any foreground. On the plus side, if you come late, there are more spots to shoot from, since there is kind of a little island you can walk out to due to the lower water levels.
Lastly, the workshops are really out of hand. It was extremely frustrating shooting at Oxbow for sunrise this morning, when there was an idiotic workshop leader that decided to have his group of around 8 or 9 camp out along the middle of the river bank -t completely ruining the classic shot from the parking lot area.
Anyways, sorry for sounding so negative, but even though I did get some good shots, between the frustration with the controlled burns and running into 3 workshops over the last couple of days that really pissed off a lot of other people who had gotten to locations before the workshop groups to setup and have their shots ruined by lack of courtesy by these groups has really left me in a foul mood on this trip....Show more →
Hey Khurram,
Forget Teton, and come on down to Colorado!
As to the workshops. Usually, the group leaders are very considerate like Gary Hart for example. But I can imagine, knowing the personalities of some of the other workshop leaders, that they would then also be inconsiderate when leading a workshop. I do think they need to keep that in mind, as workshops seem to keep growing, that if they all their groups to be a nusance, and people start complaining, that the National Parks service might start making things tougher for them.
Ohio Pass, lot's of good color! Still some green, but the color is really busting out now.
Kebler Pass, pretty good too.
Independance Pass, a mixture of color too, not quite as good as Ohio pass, but still worth shooting.
The area around Crested Buttes has a good mixture of color.
So it would look like peak will be this coming weekend in most area's. The possible issue is the weather with scattered thunderstorms. Depending on how heavy the clouds are, they can be a blessing or a curse. Tonight I had an incredible sunset display, first golden light on the clouds turning to a deep purple! I was shooting about halfway between Crested Buttes and Gunnison on a river... I better go get the name of that river!
khurram1 wrote:
Lastly, the workshops are really out of hand. It was extremely frustrating shooting at Oxbow for sunrise this morning, when there was an idiotic workshop leader that decided to have his group of around 8 or 9 camp out along the middle of the river bank -t completely ruining the classic shot from the parking lot area.
A true workshop leader would never allow this, sounds like a profiteer to me. Sorry this happened to you. I totally understand your frustration and anger.
Good light to you in the future.
Im off to Acadia today will report back middle of next week on current conditions on the Maine coast.
As to the workshops. Usually, the group leaders are very considerate like Gary Hart for example. But I can imagine, knowing the personalities of some of the other workshop leaders, that they would then also be inconsiderate when leading a workshop. I do think they need to keep that in mind, as workshops seem to keep growing, that if they all their groups to be a nusance, and people start complaining, that the National Parks service might start making things tougher for them.
Jim
Hi Jim,
Going to Colorado was the original plan, but as this is both a photography trip and a family vacation, the wife vetoed having to drive an extra 9-10 hours each way with two toddlers. I ran into someone at sunset who had just driven in from Colorado the night before and was saying that he wished he stayed there given all the smoke in the Tetons. He also said that with the exception of getting some cool Moose shots, this was the worst he has seen the tetons.
The dry weather certainly isn't helping things - late afternoon yesterday it was 30 degrees (celsius) and we are at the end of September!! It certainly has been a weird year, with the late snow in July in places like Glacier and Ranier and incredibly warm weather now at the end of September.
khurram1 wrote:
Hi Jim,
Going to Colorado was the original plan, but as this is both a photography trip and a family vacation, the wife vetoed having to drive an extra 9-10 hours each way with two toddlers. I ran into someone at sunset who had just driven in from Colorado the night before and was saying that he wished he stayed there given all the smoke in the Tetons. He also said that with the exception of getting some cool Moose shots, this was the worst he has seen the tetons.
The dry weather certainly isn't helping things - late afternoon yesterday it was 30 degrees (celsius) and we are at the end of September!! It certainly has been a weird year, with the late snow in July in places like Glacier and Ranier and incredibly warm weather now at the end of September....Show more →
Hey Khurram,
Yeah, it sure sounds like it stinks at the Tetons, I was going to go up there for a few days this trip, but decided to just stay down here instead. Why not drive up to Yellowstone and escape the Tetons then? Yeah, you won't get much in the way of fall colors, but it sounds like you aren't getting the best fall color shots anyway...
The word I have is that the West Virginia highlands, e.g. Dolly Sods, Canaan Valley, Blackwater Falls and down into Pocahontas County, should be peaking over the next few days. I'm planning on a quick trip this weekend and will update based on what I see. Weather is predicted to be cloudy and cold with rain and snow showers -- perfect!
Yeah, it sure sounds like it stinks at the Tetons, I was going to go up there for a few days this trip, but decided to just stay down here instead. Why not drive up to Yellowstone and escape the Tetons then? Yeah, you won't get much in the way of fall colors, but it sounds like you aren't getting the best fall color shots anyway...
Jim
We already spent 5 days in yellowstone and already prepaid at the hotel. The room charges are not refundable and we start driving back home tomorrow anyways.
Just another update, for those thinking about coming in , this afternoon, the fire that is at the base of the range looks like it got more out of control - thick smoke was covering quite a bit of the range. However, as long as there is visibility, it should be a good sunset tonight - we finally got a LOT of clouds rolling in later in the afternoon. During my 6 days here, we really only had clouds one day before this afternoon.
We already spent 5 days in yellowstone and already prepaid at the hotel. The room charges are not refundable and we start driving back home tomorrow anyways.
Just another update, for those thinking about coming in , this afternoon, the fire that is at the base of the range looks like it got more out of control - thick smoke was covering quite a bit of the range. However, as long as there is visibility, it should be a good sunset tonight - we finally got a LOT of clouds rolling in later in the afternoon. During my 6 days here, we really only had clouds one day before this afternoon.
Schawbacher was great Thursday morning even without clouds. I did Jenny Lake this sunrise where the smoke did not cause any problem and then Oxbow later and again no smoke problems. I am hoping the smoke is gone in the morning at Schawbacher to take advantage of those great looking clouds coming in.
One other thing, for folks planning to be in the eastern Sierra for aspen photography... The seven-day weather forecasts are looking a bit "interesting." The Yosemite to Kings Canyon seven day forecast shows snow during the mid-week to later period. At this point, there could be significant snow during the Wednesday-Thursday period.
This has all kinds of ramifications if it plays out. First, access to the eastern Sierra over trans-Sierra passes could be difficult late in the week. (I watching this since I plan to cross the range late in the day next Friday.) Second, should the storm be especially cold and/or windy, the aspens could be affected by this. Third, and on the bright side, cloudy conditions can create some very lovely aspen color opportunities, and the snow can also provide some special conditions for photography.
Thanks for the Maroon Bells update. It has more gold then when I was last there 2 days ago, so it should be looking good for Sunday when I get back up there.
Dan, the area above Bishop seems to be making fast progress sure hope it dose not peak and get blown away by the storms before next weekend. Have you heard any updates on the conditions further north, Bridgeport area? Hope you can get through Tioga Pass, I'll be coming up 395 from the south so I have no worries
