National Museum of Wildlife Art, considered to be the the world’s preeminent institute for wildlife art, is located on a Butte just 2.5 miles north of the town square in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. With over 76,000 visitors every year, the museum is a must see for any visitor to Jackson Hole.
The museum is situated on a dramatic cliff overlooking the 25,000 acre National Elk Refuge, affording views of the very wildlife it features in its collections. The 51,000 square-foot building houses 4 exhibition galleries, an interactive gallery for children, a conference room, two full-sized classrooms, a 200-seat auditorium, the Rising Sage Café, Members’ Lounge, Library & Archives, and administrative space.
National Museum of Wildlife Art strives to enrich and inspire public appreciation of fine art and humanity’s relationship with nature by focusing its exhibitions and programs on wildlife. The National Museum of Wildlife Art welcomes visitors daily year round. Learn more on their Web site.
Grand Teton National Park in the fall time offers an amazing display of golden yellow Aspen and Cottonwood trees contrasted again the snow capped peaks of the Teton Range. Photographer and blogger, Latham Jenkins shares a few of the main photo and video locations in Grand Teton National Park.
Starting at the Moulton Barn and moving north, featuring Schwabacher’s Landing on the Snake River, the Snake River Overlook (made famous by Ansel Adams), the fence line out in front of Triangle X Ranch, and the Oxbow Bend of the Snake River.
Photography Tips
Shooting photos and video in Grand Teton National Park is generally best at sunrise and you will want to use a graduated split neutral density filter to balance out the light. First light offers a warm red glow on the Tetons as the valley is left still lightless, so you need to average the two areas out. Ask your local camera shop to help you get a filter set-up. Check the sunrise times and be ready, the warm light fades fast and the shooting areas can be busy. Getting there approx 15-20 minutes before sunrise will help to ensure a good tripod location for yourself and preparation for the first light. Watch the clouds in the sky to the East on the horizon to see if you have good light.
Fall Colors in the Tetons
Grand Teton National Park is a wonderful place to visit any time of year, but fall is especially magical for a number of reasons. Beautiful fall colors, wildlife, and few crowds make for a wonderful and relaxing time of year. Visitors often want to know when the fall occurs and when the peak for fall colors happens. In general, fall in the Tetons lasts from the beginning of September until about mid-October. But like all natural events, fall too depends on local climatic conditions. The amount of rainfall and the nighttime temperatures both play important roles in determining fall colors. While no one can accurately predict exact “peaks” of fall colors, in the Tetons, the third week has historically been about the peak week for fall colors. And of course, some years are better than others are! No matter when you come in the fall, the park holds many wonders to explore.
The Teton Range has large stands of deciduous trees whose leaves blaze mostly yellow and orange (and occasionally red) shades in the fall. Cottonwoods line the banks of the Snake River and other creeks in the area. Aspens are found on hillsides and scattered throughout the park’s moist areas. Numerous species of willows, as well as other shrubs, transform lake and canyon trails into yellow and red carpets in the fall.
Fall is also an important time for the deer species, whose annual rut (breeding season) takes place during this time. Male elk actively bugle to signal their dominance and attract females, an eerie sound that pierces early evenings. You may even witness a sparring match between two dominant male elk — truly an incredible sight to behold. The bull moose in the park are also actively searching for females as well and may at times spar for dominance too. Bears are actively searching for the berries and any other food source they can find, as they only have a few short weeks left to gain the additional fat they will need to survive hibernation. Since so much wildlife is active (and often aggressive) in the fall, please enjoy viewing them from your car, or a safe distance away (25 yards at least for most wildlife, and 100 yards for bears).
Jackson Hole Traveler Blogger Latham Jenkins, take an early morning flight over Jackson Hole and Grand Teton National Park with local flight instructor and aviator, Mike Collins in his Cessna. Fly north out of the Jackson Hole airport and paralleling the Teton Range to get up close views of the most prominent peaks in the range.
You can see most of the glacial lakes at the base of the Teton Range like Jenny, Leigh and Jackson Lakes. Taking a turn over Jackson Lake to take bird’s eye view of the majority of the Grand Tetons’ and then heading south to Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. Continuing on south to the Fall Creek area and the more southwest corner of the valley and then heading back over Highway 22 and to the town of Jackson, Wyoming. Swooping back to the airport via East Gros Ventre butte and Amangani and Spring Creek resorts.
It is a great overview of the valley we love and the place known as Jackson’s Hole. View Larger Map
One of the camping classics in the Tetons is Leigh Lake. Located at the base of the Teton Range, it is an ideal retreat for canoe camping and enjoying water-based activities with the family. Leigh Lake is one of many glacial lakes at the base of the Teton Range and one of two you can camp at in Grand Teton National Park.
