Grand Tetons and Yellowstone Planning for September

[tropicdiver]

Found some great R/T fares from Austin to Salt Lake City ($205.00) and just booked the flights. Am going for one week from September 8th - 15th.

Am looking for any tips and advice on lodging, must see's, hikes, etc., while up there. We're thinking just staying at one place and either making the drive to GT or Yellowstone each day or should we stay in two different places?

Will 200mm telephoto and wide angle lens get us by? Suggestions how we should break up our time at both destinations? We'll be up early and out late, so we just need a place to sleep and clean up, as well as download our photos on our laptops.

Any and all suggestions and or tips would really be appreciated.

Thanks,

Bob

[CaptainTom]

I have no travel advice, but will suggest you investigate a much longer lens.
I would rent a 300mm f2.8 IS with a 2x teleconverter unless I could get something longer. When you run into wildlife you can't expect the 200mm to be able to handle the job.

[thedutt]

Wow, thats some great ticket prices. Im a bit jelous ;-) Makes me wish that I had vacation left this year to head over there.

> one place and either making the drive to GT or Yellowstone each day or should we stay in two different places?

Stay closer to the place you are seeing on given day(s). The drive between GT & YS, though pretty, would be waste to do it multiple times. If you are camping, Jenny lake at GT is a GREAT campsite, it fills up pretty easily to get there early in the AM. The lodging inside the park can be pricey if you stay in the hotel, but all the hotels we visited seemed great. A lot of them may even give you a discount if you show up late at night and they have availability. Do visit the Old faithful lodge, even if you don't stay there. Its has a lot of character and it is fun! We camped pretty much the whole time we were there and moved from one camp ground to other and that worked out very well for us. (Couldnt help but stay 2 nights in jenny lake ;) )

>must see's, hikes,

Hikes in GT are one of the best. If you can make it up to amphitheater lake , do so. It was one of the most fulfilling hikes. Also take the ferry to the hidden falls and then hike up the meadows. It was very neat hike to do. As for YS, buy the audio guide from the book store and hit all the spots. Not too many major hikes there, but the walkways are easy and fun around the various geysers.

Here are some of the photos I took:
http://picasaweb.google.com/owaustin...randTetonsTrip

> Will 200mm telephoto and wide angle lens get us by?

Wide angle yes. as for 200mm, if you are thinking of doing wildlife, that would be rather limiting. Pick up a 1.4x before you go to mitiage that some. If possible rent a 100-400 or 300 + 1.4 as that would be more fun.

>Suggestions how we should break up our time at both destinations?
Hmm, depends on what you would rather do. IMO, hiking is better in the GT, the views are fantastic in both, and wildlife is better in YS. I would suggest staying at least 2 days in GT to enjoy a few of the hikes it has to offer. IN YS, if you are not taken to waiting for wildlife, 3 days would be sufficient to enjoy the main spots.

[jeffkohn]

If you're more interested in wildlife and thermal features, stay in West Yellowstone and just plan on a day trip down to GTNP. If you're more interested in landscapes and hiking, stay in Jackson and plan on either a day trip to Yellowstone or maybe spend your last night in Yellowstone before heading back to SLC. I don't think you want to make multiple day trips between the parks, it's just too much driving.

We spent 4 days in GTNP and 3 in Yellowstone, and my wife and I both enjoyed the GTNP portion of our trip more. But for many people Yellowstone is the real attraction, so it just depends on what you're interested in.

We actually got a better deal on lodging in Jackson than West Yellowstone, but that was because it was off-season. I'm not sure when the off-season rates start, you may be a week or two early for that. But our place in Jackson was a 1-bedroom condo with full kitchen and washer and dryer, and it came to about $85/night which was a few dollars cheaper than the motel we had in West Yellowstone for the second part of our trip.

I second the suggestion of hiking to Surprise and Ampitheater Lakes. It was a strenuous but very rewarding hike. Also Cascade Canyon was a nice hike. Don't miss the Mormon Row barns at sunrise, as well as Schwabacher Landing and Oxbow Bend. For reflection shots you have a better chance of getting calm waters at String Lake than Jenny Lake. Sunset isn't very photogenic in GTNP unless you get a really nice sky, since the sun sets behind the mountains. Plan on getting up well before sunrise for the best landscape photography. At least sunrise isn't quite as early that time of year.

For Yellowstone landscapes I recommend Undine Falls, Artist Point, and sunrise somewhare along the Madison River. And of course the thermal features. Many of the colorful pools are best in mid to late morning when you can really use a polarizer for best effect.

For wildlife that time of year, I would skip Lamar valley especially if you have limited time in the park. It's a really long drive out of the way, and your chances of seeing wolves close enough to photograph are pretty slim. We found Hayden valley to be more productive as far as wildlife, and you also may get to see elk around the Madison river if the elk rut has started but it may be too early for that.

Finally, I highly recommend this book.

[jeffkohn]

Oh, as far as lenses go take everything you can. For landscapes anything from super-wide to short telephoto can be useful. For wildlife you can never have too much reach, although you have a better chance of "close" encounters with big game in Yellowstone than probably any other national park. We often encountered bison and elk that were pretty close to the road. My 200-400 and 70-200 both got used for wildlife. I'm not sure I'd want just a 500mm, because at times it might be too much reach. The flexibility of a zoom is especially useful in that park. If you can borrow or rent a 100-400 I'd say that'd be a good lens to have.

[Debbi]

I second Jeff's suggestion of the book! Very good to have for this trip. We actually stayed in between the two parks so going to either was very easy. Flagg Ranch is located 2 miles south of Yellowstone and 6 miles north of GTNP. Not sure of the details as we had an RV, but they do rent cabins.

[tropicdiver]

Originally Posted by jeffkohn

Finally, I highly recommend this book.

I just purchased this book. Thanks for the tip.

[tropicdiver]

Originally Posted by Debbi

Not sure of the details as we had an RV, but they do rent cabins.

Did you rent a RV locally and if so, how does it work cost wise compared to lodging? Also, what kind of a pain is a RV to use as a main mode of transportation? How's the fuel economy?

[tropicdiver]

Originally Posted by thedutt

Stay closer to the place you are seeing on given day(s). The drive between GT & YS, though pretty, would be waste to do it multiple times. If you are camping, Jenny lake at GT is a GREAT campsite, it fills up pretty easily to get there early in the AM. The lodging inside the park can be pricey if you stay in the hotel, but all the hotels we visited seemed great. A lot of them may even give you a discount if you show up late at night and they have availability. Do visit the Old faithful lodge, even if you don't stay there. Its has a lot of character and it is fun! We camped pretty much the whole time we were there and moved from one camp ground to other and that worked out very well for us. (Couldnt help but stay 2 nights in jenny lake ;) )

Yeah, we've pretty much decided on staying around Jackson Hole and trying to figure out if we should stay in West Yellowstone for a second base camp. Our time spent in a room is going to be a minimal amount of time, so we feel it's crazy to spend loads of money for lodging, that we could spend elsewhere, whether it be fine dining or excursions in the parks.

Originally Posted by thedutt

Hikes in GT are one of the best. If you can make it up to amphitheater lake , do so. It was one of the most fulfilling hikes. Also take the ferry to the hidden falls and then hike up the meadows. It was very neat hike to do.

There's a ferry in Grand Teton???

Originally Posted by thedutt

Here are some of the photos I took:
http://picasaweb.google.com/owaustin...randTetonsTrip

Thanks for sharing the photos. Some nice ideas.

[tropicdiver]

Originally Posted by CaptainTom

I have no travel advice, but will suggest you investigate a much longer lens.
I would rent a 300mm f2.8 IS with a 2x teleconverter unless I could get something longer. When you run into wildlife you can't expect the 200mm to be able to handle the job.

Oh to have a 300mm f2.8 L IS, Tom...

I'm thinking I'm going to buy the 100-400mm L IS, but I'm hesitant because I'm not sure I'm going to be very crazy about the push/pull zoom.

[tropicdiver]

Originally Posted by jeffkohn

I second the suggestion of hiking to Surprise and Ampitheater Lakes. It was a strenuous but very rewarding hike. Also Cascade Canyon was a nice hike. Don't miss the Mormon Row barns at sunrise, as well as Schwabacher Landing and Oxbow Bend. For reflection shots you have a better chance of getting calm waters at String Lake than Jenny Lake. Sunset isn't very photogenic in GTNP unless you get a really nice sky, since the sun sets behind the mountains. Plan on getting up well before sunrise for the best landscape photography. At least sunrise isn't quite as early that time of year

I do want to photograph the Mormon Row bars, but haven't been able to find them on any maps to date. Can you give me an idea around what area of GT I'll find them? I did find Schwabacher Landing on the map (what's there?).

[MikeyG1965]

I will be up there beginning September 12th thru September 18th. My Mom and I will be driving up from Fort Worth.

My brother will fly into Jackson, WY from Austin on the 13th and we will pick him up on our way thru up to West Yellowstone. We will base out of West Yellowstone and each day go to different part of the park. Total cost of roundtrip ticket is $25.00. Of course, it also took 25,000 AA Advantage miles.

[tropicdiver]

Originally Posted by MikeyG1965

I will be up there beginning September 12th thru September 18th. My Mom and I will be driving up from Fort Worth.

My brother will fly into Jackson, WY from Austin on the 13th and we will pick him up on our way thru up to West Yellowstone. We will base out of West Yellowstone and each day go to different part of the park. Total cost of roundtrip ticket is $25.00. Of course, it also took 25,000 AA Advantage miles.

I burnt my 25,000 AA miles very recently on a trip to Florida.

[jeffkohn]

There's a ferry in Grand Teton???

There's a ferry across Jenny Lake (for people, not cars). It takes you right to the trailhead for Hidden Falls and Inspiration Point, which is also the same trail that continues on into Cascade Canyon. Starting some time in Sept, the ferry runs at reduced hours but I'm not sure exactly when that starts. When we went in late Sept, we took the ferry across and then hiked up into Cascade Canyon. We knew we would be too late for the last ferry back across so we just planned on hiking around the shore of Jenny Lake, which adds about two miles of hiking (but is very nice hike on a level trail right along the lake shore).

Originally Posted by tropicdiver

I do want to photograph the Mormon Row bars, but haven't been able to find them on any maps to date. Can you give me an idea around what area of GT I'll find them?

The book you ordered will give you directions and may have some basic maps. I'd also recommend the Trails Illustrated map for GTNP since you're going to be hiking. In addition to trails is also covers all the roads in the park (including the dirt ones). I don't think it has the Mormon Barns marked on it, but between the Lange book and the Trails Illustrated map I don't think you'll have any problem at all finding them.

I did find Schwabacher Landing on the map (what's there?).

It's a boat put-in for the Snake River that has an excellent view of the cathedral group with a reflection in the water (which should be pretty calm that time of year). You might want to take a look at my pbase gallery, most of the shots are labeled with location and if you have any questions feel free to ask.

[billbunton]

Originally Posted by tropicdiver

Oh to have a 300mm f2.8 L IS, Tom...

I'm thinking I'm going to buy the 100-400mm L IS, but I'm hesitant because I'm not sure I'm going to be very crazy about the push/pull zoom.

Since you're in Austin let me know if you want to give mine a try. (100-400 that is :-)