Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks

In June 2007, I visited Yellowstone National Park and Grand Teton National Park, both located in Wyoming (actually small parts of Yellowstone are in Idaho and Montana.) Yellowstone was the country's first National Park, established in 1872 and is probably best known for its hydrothermal features, such as Old Faithful geyser and Mammoth Hot Springs, but there are many other opportunities for nature photographers including wildlife, landscape, and macro photography.

A double rainbow over Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone and Lower Falls as viewed from Uncle Tom's Trail (Yellowstone National Park)

Multi-color patterns in the Yellowstone River (Yellowstone National Park)

Grand Teton National Park evolved over a number of decades to its current boundaries, finalized in 1950. The park is located in Wyoming south of Yellowstone National Park. One of the attractions of Grand Teton National Park is the many different opportunities for landscape photography, particularly those with the Teton Range as a backdrop.

The first light of sunrise projects a warm glow on Mount Moran and the still surface of Jackson Lake and Colter Bay, full of sleeping boats and canoes (Grand Teton National Park)

Contrary to what I read before going, I did not find either park to be too crowded at that time of year (Yellowstone National Park draws many more visitors than Grand Teton National Park). The crowds begin to grow once all schools are out (after the beginning of July.)

An excellent resource for any photographer visiting these parks is the Photographer's Guide to Yellowstone and the Tetons by Joseph K. Lange.

Your can click on the photos above for more information, or click here to see more Yellowstone National Park images or Grand Teton National Park images.

All images © Clarence Holmes