Posts Tagged ‘HP’

Inside the Tetons

All in all, Grand Teton National Park is arguably the most accessible of the big nature parks.  It is a manageable drive from Bozeman or Salt Lake City, or of course just about any place in Idaho.  Alternatively, you can fly literally right into the park, since landing in Jackson Hole Airport places you within park boundaries.  With Grand Teton NP you get the big views right from US Highway 89 (aka US 26), and indeed, it is enough for most folks just to stop at the overlooks and scope the mighty Teton massif.

Jenny Lake Boat Dock

If you are the adventurous sort however, you may be compelled to explore the Tetons at closer range.  There are a variety of options to satisfy your curiosity about what lies within the range.  From the highway, the range may seem to be perfectly impenetrable, but in truth there are a number of routes that lead you deep into the heart of the granite wilderness.

Three major park trails lead up and into canyons that penetrate the Teton range.  From north to south they are the Paintbrush Canyon Trail, which begins at the Leigh and String Lakes Trailheads; Cascade Canyon Trail, which begins at the western side of Jenny Lake, near the shuttle boat dock; and the Lupine Meadows Trail, which leads into Garnet Canyon.

The HP on the Ride to Cascade Canyon

Clearly the most popular, and in my view, the best choice, is the path through Cascade Canyon.  This choice has the advantage of allowing the intrepid visitor the opportunity to incorporate the unique experience of the ride on the Jenny Lake shuttle boat to the start of the trail.

Cascade Cayon

A short walk (0.6 miles) from the mouth of the canyon at the shore of Jenny Lake brings you to the Hidden Falls of Cascade Creek (above).  Cascade Creek will  be your faithful companion as you travel into Cascade Canyon and into the midst of the Teton peaks.

Bridge Over Cascade Creek

A number of bridges transverse back and forth over Cascade Creek.  All of these structures are built in that old-world WPA/CCC/NP style that conveys timelessness – built one time, the right way, for all time.

Cascade Canyon

The trail past Hidden Falls ascends through several steep switchbacks built into the granite slope.  About 0.4 miles past Hidden Falls (1 mile total) and 400 ft of elevation gain (from the boat dock) along the Cascade Creek trail, brings you to Inspiration point.  Views from the point are shown above and below.

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From Inspiration Point, looking east, you can watch the shuttle boats crossing Jenny Lake every quarter-hour.  For some, the walk up to the point is as far as they are compelled to venture.  There is more to see however, much more.

Cascade Canyon

The route veers west, away from the point and into Cascade Canyon proper.  The walk begins in forest, but emerges into the open after about a quart of a mile and another 200 ft of elevation.  Below, the HP takes in the scenery, including Mount Owen shown in the background.

HP in Cascade Canyon

The path into the Tetons leads westward along Cascade Creek through meadows and across granite scree fields.  The path is virtually flat from this point onward all the way to the forks (see below).

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Cascade Canyon

Even though you are quite literally right below the major summits of the Teton Range, including Grand Teton and Teewinot, the depth and shape of the canyon prevent a view of most of the peaks.  The exception is Mount Owen, shown above, which lies north and west of the other peaks.

Bear Paw Print in Cascade Canyon

The lush flora present in Cascade Canyon invites all sorts of wild life, including pika, chipmunks, marmots, moose, squirrels, and the rarely sighted pine marten.  And yes, this is bear country, the evidence of which is shown above.   Travel into Cascade Canyon only with bear spray rigged in a ready-to-deploy condition.

Cascade Canyon

At several points along the trail, Cascade Creek meanders a bit, forming small lakes.  Here grasses, bushes, and trees grow thick and tall (see above and several below).

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Cascade Canyon

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Cascade Canyon

The forest closes in on Cascade Creek near the western end of the canyon.  By the time you reach the junction with the South Fork Trail, you are walking through dense forest.

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Capitol Domes from the Notom Road

A clearing marked with the signpost* shown above confirms that you have reached the forks of Cascade Canyon.  From here, you can travel northwest another 2.7 miles along Cascade Creek to Lake Solitude.  Alternatively, you can travel along the South Fork to Hurricane Pass, with views of the Teton summits and Schoolroom Glacier.

We decided to turn around at the junction, having overheard that the trail up to Lake Solitude was rough and steep – happy to leave this for a day with an earlier start.

Full-frame images in this entry were recorded on August 25, 2013 between 10:30 and 16:45, using the Nikon D800 with the AF-S NIKKOR 24-120mm f/4G ED VR (mostly at 24mm).  Exposures were either f/11 or f/16, with shutter speed from 1/160s to 1/640s, ISO 1600.  Panoramic images were recorded using the iPhone 5 with the Autostitch application.

*The sign reads:

Cascade Canyon Trail

Jenny Lake – West Shore Boat Dock 4.5 <=

String Lake Outlet Parking Area 6.2 <=

Jenny Lake Outlet Parking Area 6.5 <=

Copyright 2013 Peter F. Flynn.  No usage permitted without prior written consent. All rights reserved.

Fall Color in Grand Teton NP

On the return from a late September visit to The Stone we passed through Grand Teton National Park.  Here we found the fall color fully developed.  Overall, color around the mountain west has been somewhat muted relative to last year, but one can still find pockets of pleasing intensity.

Trees and shrubs around the Willow Flats and Oxbow Bend area generally exhibit excellent color in season, and the contrast of fall color with the northern Tetons makes for respectable images.  The image above of Mount Moran from Oxbow Bend was recorded at 13:00 MST on September 30, 2012, using the Nikon D800E and the AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED at 70mm.  Exposure was f/11 and 1/500s, ISO 500 (+0.33 EV, corrected using ACR).

The image above was recorded just across the road (north side of the J.D. Rockefeller Jr. Pkwy) at the Oxbow Bend Turnout.  Exposure parameters as above.

There are a number of little enclaves of fall color along the Teton Park Road (US 191/89), which is the mainline through the park.  One of my favorites is located near the turnoff to Moose Head Ranch.  There are several small clones/groves of aspen here that reliably produce good fall color.  The image above and the two images below were recorded at around 14:00 MST on September 30, 2012 using the Nikon D800E and the AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED at a variety of focal lengths.  Exposures were at f/11 and 1/640s, ISO 800 (+0.33 EV, compensated using ACR).

Finally below, a lovely shot of the HP and Dity (MOTHP) at the Blacktail Ponds Overlook.  The image was recorded at 14:44 MST on September 30, 2012 using the Nikon D800E and the AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED at 32mm.  Exposure was at f/11 and 1/640s, ISO 800 (+0.33 EV, compensated using ACR).

Copyright 2012 Peter F. Flynn.  No usage permitted without prior written consent. All rights reserved.

Grand Teton Diary: June 1-2, 2012

Early summer may be our favorite time to visit Grand Teton National Park.  There will be snow high on the Tetons through the end of June, which makes for an excellent contrast element to the complex rock formations.  The weather is fairly reliable, although as a few of these images will confirm, there is a enough instability to generate some interesting cloud formations.  Finally, we tend to spend most of the spring in the YNP, and have to delay a visit to GRTE (pronounced Gertie…) until early June.

Our favorite place to stay is at Jackson Lake Lodge.  It is a bit quieter here than at Colter Bay, certainly much quieter than at the Moose Junction area.  The lodge proper houses the registration office, gift shops, and restaurants, but few rooms.  A spectacular view may be had from the east side of the lodge, where windows rising from floor to the top of the peaked ceiling provide a lovely frame for the view of the Tetons across Willow Flats.  The guest rooms are laid out in blocks southwest of the lodge.  Many of these rooms have views of the Tetons, some of them spectacularly so.

A big advantage of staying at the Jackson Lake Lodge is that it is only a few minutes from Oxbow Bend, making it relatively easy to photograph Mount Moran from across the Oxbow Bend of Snake River at dawn.  The image above was recorded at 08:35 MDT (yeah, we arrived late the previous evening so the dawn thing was not happening) on June 1 , 2012, using the Nikon D800E and the AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED lens at 70mm.  Exposure was f/11.0 and 1/160s, ISO 100 (base).

From Oxbow Bend, the most compelling route to explore the park runs N/S along Highway 89 (and concurrently, Highways 191 & 287).  Traveling south from the Oxbow Bend, you will first run east to the Moran Entrance, and then track dead south.  The first major stop along Highway 89 will be the Cunningham Cabin area.  The site consists of two buildings located on several acres.   A buck-and-rail fence runs east-west along the southern edge of the site.  As you can see in the image below, the fence provides a nice foreground element to the image of the Tetons.

The name buck-and-rail derives from the characteristic X-shaped ‘crossbuck’ or ‘buck’ and long horizontal sections or ‘rails’.  Buck-and-rail fences are common throughout this part of the country.  The popularity of the style derives primarily from the fact that no post holes need to be dug.  The abundance of Lodgepole Pine trees in the region, which grow to produce specimens with trunks that are narrow and straight, insures a ready source of fence stock.

The image above was recorded just east of the cabin at 12:47 MDT on June 1, 2012, using the D800E and the 24-70mm lens at 70mm.  Exposure was f/11.0 and 1/160s, ISO 100 (+0.33EV, corrected in post-processing).

An observation I have made on a number of previous occasions is that infrared imaging provides a very entertaining option for the motivated photographer.  Early summer in Gertie presents many such opportunities.  The image above was recorded at 11:46 on June 1, 2012, using the Nikon D200IR (converted to 830nm cutoff by LifePixel Inc) and the AF-S DX Zoom-NIKKOR 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5G IF-ED  lens at 60mm (90mm effective in FX).  Exposure was f/16.0 and 1/10, ISO 100.

Retracing our steps brings us back to the Cunningham Cabin area at around noon:30.  The image above was recorded using the D200IR and the 18-70mm lens at 40mm (60mm effective in FX).  Exposure was f/14.0 and 1/10, ISO 100.

The image above was recorded using the D200IR and the  18-70mm lens at 75mm (90mm effective in FX).  Exposure was f/16.0 and 1/10, ISO 100.

Traveling further south brings us to the famous Snake River Overlook (below).  Many have noted, some with lament, that the trees have grown tall since Ansel Adams made his famous image here in 1942.  I disagree with those that find the changes problematical, and suggest that a well-made image from here (today) can be just as compelling as those made by the master 70 years ago.

The image above was recorded at 13:09 on June 1, 2012, using the D200IR and the 18-70mm lens at 57mm (90mm effective in FX).  Exposure was f/16.0 and 1/10, ISO 100.

The region south and east of the Snake River Overlook is known as Antelope Flats.  We have not seen many antelope (pronghorn) around, but the area is very popular with bison, and we have seen moose near Ditch Creek.  A short drive east along Antelope Flats Road brings you to Mormon Row and the famous Moulton Barn shown below.  The gambrel-style barn structure has a timelessness to it that many find interesting – many are surprised to learn that the barn was used by the Moulton family until 1945.

Image above recorded at 14:07 MDT on June 1, 2012, using the D800E and the 24-70mm lens at 55mm.  Exposure was f/11.0 and 1/125s, ISO 100.

In early summer Antelope Flats is decorated by brilliant yellow Mule’s Ears (Wyethia).  The image above was recorded at 14:24 MDT on June 1, 2012, using the D800E and the 24-70mm lens at 42mm.  Exposure was f/5.6 and 1/2000s, ISO 400. Handheld.

After passing through Moose Junction we headed back north along the Teton Park Road, which tracks much closer to the Teton Range.  Just north of the Taggart Lake Trailhead, we found that the River Road was open.  On previous visits, the road has been closed.  There are a number of interesting things to see along the River Road, but it is the unique views of the Snake River that I find most compelling.  Below we find the HP; with her ever-present field glasses, along the western bank of the Snake.

Image above recorded at 16:27 MDT on June 1, 2012, using the D800E and the 24-70mm lens at 32mm.  Exposure was f/8.0 and 1/320s, ISO 100.  Handheld.

Having recovered from a previous late arrival on the evening of May 31, we were ready for an early start on June 2.  The images above and below of the Tetons looking across Willow Flats we made at 05:44 MDT (above) and 05:52 MDT (below) using  theD800E and the 24-70mm lens at 70mm.  Exposures were f/11.0 and 1/10s (above) and 1/15 (below), ISO 100 (-2.33 EV).

The image above was recorded at 05:52 MDT on June 2, 2012, using the D800E and the 24-70mm f/2.8G ED lens at 70mm.  Exposure was f/11.0 and 1/15s, ISO 100 (-2.33 EV).

Quite often, during a visit to Gertie, we will make a dash up to The Stone.  A visit to Artist’s Point overlooking Lower Falls and the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River, shown below, is a favorite spot.  I have a few other things to share about our visit to YNP on June 2, but that will have to wait for a future entry.

Image above recorded at 09:24 MDT on June 2, 2012, using the Nikon D800E, and the AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED lens at 70mm.  Exposure was f/11.0 and 1/125s, ISO 100.

Finally, we returned to Willow Flats in time to catch the sun setting over the Teton Range.  When the atmospherics are right, as shown here, the back-lighting of the Tetons can be properly dramatic.  Image above recorded at 20:48 MDT on June 2, 2012, using the D800E and the 24-70mm f/2.8G ED lens at 40mm.  Exposure was f/8.0 and 1/13s, ISO 100 (-2.0 EV).

Copyright 2012 Peter F. Flynn.  No usage permitted without prior written consent. All rights reserved.