We are planning a trip to the Grand Tetons/Yellowstone area this June 2008, if anyone has some must see or do places to go, we would really appreciate the time that you take to post them here
Also, if you can recommend a place to stay, we are looking for a 2 bedroom, W / kitchen house for a week.
We plan on doing mostly nature photography, I'm sure there will be some landscape shots taken
72chevelle454 wrote:
We are planning a trip to the Grand Tetons/Yellowstone area this June 2008, if anyone has some must see or do places to go, we would really appreciate the time that you take to post them here
Also, if you can recommend a place to stay, we are looking for a 2 bedroom, W / kitchen house for a week.
We plan on doing mostly nature photography, I'm sure there will be some landscape shots taken
Thanks a lot guys and gals for the info.
Chad
With more notice, I would have strongly recommened staying inside the park. There is multi-room lodging available in the Old Faithful, Mammoth and Canyons areas. However, I suspect that everything is booked for June by now. You might check this site www.travelyellowstone.com for availability. There is lodging available outside the park in West Yellowstone just outside the west entrance, but I can't name any particulars. I assume it doesn't fill up as quickly as the lodging inside the park (where you need to make reservations a year in advance to get all your first choices), but I could be wrong. There are also a number of lodges in the area if not in the immediate vicinty of the park, but I've always stayed in the park and so don't know exactly what's out there. Online research should find something.
Other than that, the whole area is fabulous for photography. All by themselves, the thermal features, the animals, the waterfalls, the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone or the Tetons would make for a great trip for photography. Having them all so close together is a photographer's heaven. June is baby season so the animals will be extra special that time of year. I was there in June 2007 and saw countless baby bison and elk and even some grizzly cubs. The popular sights are spectacular (there's a reason why they're so popular), but I highly recommend taking at least some time to go somewhere where there are fewer people. In the Old Faithful area, there's a ranger led hike to Mystic Falls that gets you away from the crowds, gives you a chance to explore a beautiful little valley and waterfall and learn about the park all at the same time. My favorite "secret" walk is in the canyon area. There is a trail that runs for several miles along the north rim of the canyon, crosses the yellowstone river at the end of the canyon and then continues for several miles along the south rim. It hits all the familiar lookouts, but also takes you to many equally spectacular views that 95% of visitors to the park will never see. I've done the whole walk, but it can easily be broken into smaller pieces. There is even a ranger led walk along part of the trail I would recommend if the timing is right for you.
Obviously I love the area and could go on for quite a while about things to see. I guess my best recommendation would be to get a book or search online and do some reading about what's out there. There's something for everyone - it's just a matter of deciding what's of most interest to you. One book I've found paricularly helpful is Yellowstone The Official Guide to Touring America's First National Park published by the Yellowstone Association. This book is readily available in the park, but apparently not on Amazon.
Both books break the parks down into segments and then provide a a narrative of all the major points of interest along that segment. As you travel through the park, you just leave the book open to the relevant pages.
Feel free to PM me with more specific questions about the parks themselves and what to see.
In Grand Teton. Goss Ventre near the campground is the place for Moose. I had a bull alseep on my camp site the last two years I was there. Buffalo Antelope flats near Moose Junction is the place. The are in the flats near the famous Mormon Row not far from Goss Ventre. There are also Antelope there. Landscapes of course the Mormon Barn with the Tetons in the background is a must. Schwabachers Landing provided the mountains with a nice reflection from the Beaver pond. There are also always moose as well as great mountain view with river reflection at Oxbow Bend. Try going to the top of Signal mountain for a different view of the mountains and you can drive with only a short hike to the top. There is not a bad place for images there. Teton NP is more compact than Yellowstone so is easy to do wildlife and landscapes at the same time. All these locations are well marked and not far from the main road.
For $29.95, it includes both books I mentioned, a large and detailed fold out map of the park, a guide to all the hiking trails within Yellowstone, and a guide to the large mammals. I don't know how big a hiker you are, but if you are, the hiking book is an excellent resource to help decide which hikes might be most appealing to you. I bought this whole package for my Yellowstone trip and found it very helpful and reasonably priced considering it includes four books. Then again, the Yellowstone Association's website literally has hundreds of books available on both parks to choose from if you're looking for advice/information on a specific subject.
