We recently visited the Grand Teton National Park, located near Jackson, Wyoming in the the northwest corner of the state, adjacent to Yellowstone NP. At approximately 310,000 acres (130,000 ha), the park includes the major peaks of the 40-mile-long (64 km) Teton Range as well as most of the northern sections of the valley known as Jackson Hole. Grand Teton National Park is named for Grand Teton, the tallest mountain in the Teton Range. The naming is attributed to early 19th-century French-speaking trappers—les trois tétons (the three teats) was later anglicized and shortened to Tetons. Another prominent feature of the park is the Snake River which meanders through the valley. Wildlife is abundant including elk, bison, pronghorn antelope, deer and bears.
My first set of images was taken in an area known as Mormon Row, a line of homesteads along the Jackson-Moran Road near the southeast corner of the park. The Mormon homesteaders began to arrive in the 1890s from Idaho, creating a community called “Gros Ventre”, with a total of 27 homesteads. Mormon Row was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997.
This area was very “photo rich”. I could have spent my entire day there, capturing these old structures surrounded by the natural beauty of Jackson Hole.
We did move on, visiting other areas of the park. I captured a good variety of scenes including shots featuring the Snake River, some wildlife and of course, the omnipresent Teton Range which appears in the background whenever the camera faces West. The day began very overcast with somewhat dull light and strong winds. As time progressed, the wind diminished, the sky cleared and lower, softer clouds moved in. You will note differences in the background sky and the light as you progress through the following slideshow. Click on the right side of the images to advance the slideshow; on the left to reverse direction.
A single day is hardly enough to take in this beautiful park. The best way to visit would be to stay 2-3 days and visit neighbouring Yellowstone NP at the same time. Seems like I may have to return.