Itinerary
Day 1 Friday October 2nd Arrival Jackson
Arrive in beautiful Jackson, WY to start your Fall Yellowstone and Grand Teton Adventure! Nate and Josh will meet you for a welcome dinner, where you will get to know other guests and prepare to explore fall in the American Serengeti. It’s a spectacular time of year full of wildlife activity, fall foliage and other photographic opportunities.
Lodging - Lodging at Anvil Hotel or Similar
Meals - Welcome Dinner at Glorietta or Similar
Day 2 Saturday October 3rd Grand Teton National Park
We begin our journey through the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem with sunrise at one of the spectacular mountain vistas of Grand Teton National Park.
Both Aspen and Cottonwood trees are beginning to “senesce” or lose their leaves, which will first turn a brilliant gold before covering the ground in a bright blanket of color. This is the arena of competing bull elk, who are now in full rut, challenging each other for mating rights.
As we explore the southern end of the park we will also look for black bears, who along with their larger cousins the grizzly are entering a stage of “hyperphagia” or over eating.
At midday We return to Jackson for some free time before our program resumes with a classroom photo editing session at the hotel. We’ll conclude with evening photo safari. Dinner at your leisure
Lodging - Anvil Hotel or Similar
Meals - Breakfast
Day 3 Sunday October 4th. Grand Teton National Park:
Our second full day in Grand Teton National Park begins at a different iconic sunrise location. Moose tend to be most active right at dawn and dusk so we’ll spend part of the morning seeking photography opportunities of these charismatic ungulates.
Northern Grand Teton is prime habitat for numerous animal species including pronghorn antelope and the iconic grizzly bear, and our guides will be in radio contact to maximize our chances for photo opportunities.
We’ll photograph sunset followed by dinner at Dornan’s restaurant, complete with Teton Views as the stars begin to emerge. Weather depending we’ll stay out late tonight and enjoy an opportunity for astrophotgraphy beneath Wyoming's spectacular dark skies.
Lodging - Anvil Hotel or Similar
Meals - Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 4: Monday October 5th. Grand Teton to Yellowstone National Park:
Today we have one more sunrise photo opportunity in Grand Teton before we head north into Yellowstone, the world’s first National Park.
At Oxbow Bend of the Snake River we will scan for waterfowl, eagles, otter and beaver while enjoying autumn views of Mount Moran. Heading north past Jackson Lake we will enter the Berry Creek Burn area, a 2016 wildfire which enhanced wildlife habitat between Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks.
Entering Yellowstone, we will climb up along the stunning Lewis River Canyon crossing the continental divide at nearly 8000 feet in elevation, before descending to the shores of Yellowstone Lake.
Next we head to the famous Old Faithful Geyser Basin. We’ll have an option for a 2 mile hike through the Upper Geyser Basin before heading to Grand Prismatic Spring, the largest and most famous hot pool in the park.
After a sunset wildlife safari along the Madison River we retire to the nearby town of West Yellowstone, MT for the night. Dinner at your Leisure
Lodging - Gray Wolf Inn or Similar
Meals - Breakfast, Lunch
Day 5: Tuesday October 6th Mammoth Hot Springs, Lamar Valley and Silvergate, MT:
We start our 5th day along the Madison River searching for bugling elk, waterfowl, and other wildlife. Heading north, our next destination is a walk through the Mammoth Terraces and historic Fort Yellowstone. The US Military built this campus starting in the late 1800’s before management turned over to the National Park Service in 1919. It’s not uncommon for rutting elk to be active throughout the grounds so keep your camera ready!
Weather depending, we’ll break for lunch in the famous Lamar Valley, where wolves were successfully reintroduced in 1995. This wildlife hotspot is also famous for its massive bison herds, pronghorn antelope, coyotes, birds of prey and other wildlife species.
During our break this afternoon we’ll enjoy a presentation on wolf behavior and ecology from a Yellowstone Wolf Biologist. We’ll take an early dinner before entering the Lamar valley for a sunset safari.
Tonight we retire to the rugged mountain town of Silvergate, MT, just outside the National Park’s NE boundary, surrounded by the Beartooth Mountain Range.
Lodging - Silver Gate, MT
Meals - Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 6: Wednesday October 7th Lamar Valley and the Northern Range of Yellowstone
Enjoy French Press Coffee and breakfast on the go as we head towards wolf viewing hotspots in the park. Our route takes us beneath the massifs of Barronette Peak and the Thunderer, home to mountain goats who thrive high above the valley floor. As we follow Soda Butte Creek into the Lamar Valley we’ll also be on the lookout for otters, moose, bison, elk, and grizzly bears.
We return to Silvergate at lunch for photo editing time and an afternoon break before an early dinner and sunset Safari in the park.
Lodging - Silver Gate, MT
Meals - Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 7: Thursday October 8th. Hayden Valley and Yellowstone Lake
We’ll start our day with sunrise in the Lamar Valley before climbing over Dunraven Pass, scanning for bears and bighorn sheep. At the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River, we have opportunities for short hikes and photographs of the 308 foot Lower Falls, the largest waterfall in the park.
After lunch and some afternoon hiking opportunities we set out on an evening wildlife safari, searching the Hayden Valley and Shores of Yellowstone Lake for bears, mule deer, and even the elusive great gray owl. As darkness falls we’ll retire to Canyon Lodge, located in the heart of Yellowstone National Park.
Lodge. Lodging - Canyon Lodge or Similar
Meals - Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 8 Friday October 9th. East Yellowstone to Grand Teton National Park
Our final day in Yellowstone begins with sunrise and wildlife photography in the Hayden Valley. We’ll then head south along Yellowstone Lake, one of the seven largest high elevation lakes in the world. The lakeside hot springs of West Thumb Geyser Basin await us for one photography opportunity for thermal features. In the afternoon we return to Grand Teton National Park for one final evening of wildlife and landscape photography. Tonight we enjoy a farewell dinner at one of Jackson’s fine dining establishments.
Lodging - Anvil Hotel or Similar
Meals - Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 9: Saturday October 10th. Departure Jackson For those departing Jackson, shuttle service can be arranged by your hotel.
Want to extend your trip? We offer the following add ons:
National Museum of Wildlife Art
Fly fishing on the Snake River
Scenic Flight over the Tetons
