Category Archives: Wyoming

Glaciers, Turnouts and Overlooks

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Glacier View Turnout

Leaving Antelope Flats and Mormon row behind I was soon approaching Glacier View Turnout. These scenic stops are wonderful. They have information boards that explain what you’re looking at. My Gaperguide usually adds it’s 2 cents as well.

Glaciers om the Tetons

 

This turnout was all about the glaciers that flowed down the peaks of The Teton Range. There are up to 11 active glaciers but only a few are visible from the road.  A few glaciers that are easily visible include Teton Glacier, Falling Ice Glacier, and Skillet Glacier. View the Teton Glacier from the Teton Glacier turnout on the Teton Park Road.

Schwabacher Landing

Schwabacher Landing

Unattributed photo of the views at Schwabacher Landing. I wish it were mine!

Leaving that turnout behind we come to Schwabacher Landing, a great place to get down by the Snake River. There’s a a boat launch there and it’s a key spot for anglers to access the river. I skipped it but in retrospect I wish I hadn’t. It’s described as one of  America’s most spectacular viewpoints. I missed my photo op. I guess I’ll have to go back!

Teton Point Turnout

At Teton Point Turnout you see the terraces of the Snake River. The flat plain there meets the base of the Teton Range. I looked for animals, elk, bison and pronghorn but the view was empty when I was there.

Sake River

Snake River Overlook

Sake River

This overlook was quite large. As you walk along the curving path lined with a stone wall  different views open up for a feast for the eyes. A tour bus pulled in spilling loads of tourists out for a brief stop and leg stretch. Camera’s clicked and selfies were snapped. It seemed like the bus had a full load. I walked the whole perimeter taking pictures as I went. There was still snow on the trees but it didn’t feel that cold. The sun was out and the sky was blue. It was beautiful and one of my favorite stops.

Snake River Overlook

Mormon Row and Antelope Flats

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PronghronMormon Row and Antelope Flats Turnoff

Back on Route 89 I passed Airport Junction and Moose Junction before coming to the Antelope Flats turn off to Mormon Row.  Just before I reached the turn there was another pulloff with views of the Tetons. As I pulled in I noticed a herd of Pronghorns getting ready to bed down for the day.

Mormon RowMormon Row

Mormon Row, so named for the members of the Church of Latter day Saints, who  homesteaded the area in the 1890’s is a photographer’s destination. Photographers from around the world stop by T. A. Moulton’s barn to capture this iconic historic structure with the Teton Range in the background. According to Flickr this is the most photographed barn in America. Of course I had to join the crowd and add my photos to the many others taken here.

 

Moulton Barn with Tetons in the background

Antelope Flats

Mormon Row in located in Antelope Flats. My Gaperguide was stressing this often overlooked area. Antelope Flats Road is a spectacular route that takes you through sagebrush flats and over rolling plains. This tract of land lies in the path of a primary migration route for pronghorn, bison, and the largest elk herd in the world. As you view the old homesteads you can feel like you’ve been transported back in time. You gain a glimpse of the Old West.

Old Homestead in the shadow of the teton Range

Wildlife of Antelope Flats

The list of wildlife to be seen here is long and varied, wolves,  badger, coyotes, and fox as well as the bigger animals. It was quiet as I drove slowly along searching. I spotted more pronghorn in the distance and at one stop two chipmunks played in the dry grasses by the side of the road. It’s amazing how completely they blend in with their surroundings. They seem a darker color than the cinnamon colored rodents of New England. I only spotted them because they moved!

Wyoming Chipmunk

Wyoming Chipmunks

New England Chipmunk

New England Chipmunk

Prong Horn Antelope

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Gros Ventre slideProng Horns gather at Antelope Flats

Turning  at Gros Ventre Junction will take you to Antelope Flats and the little town of Kelly.  And I do mean little. At the last census there were only 138 people residing there. The little town has a tragic history. On May 18, 1927 the town was destroyed when a natural dam formed by the Gros Ventre landslide two years earlier collapsed and completely flooded the town. The little town never recovered. Today you can see the scar the slide left in the landscape and visit the Lower Slide Lake. There’s also a campground and convenience store.

Between Gros Ventre Junction and Kelly

Mounrt Saint John

I spotted my first wildlife as I traveled down this little side road. I stopped at a turnout overlooking one of the many rivers in the area. Moose habitat but no moose. Moving along I spotted the shortcut to Mormon Row a historic district located in Antelope Flats. I loved the clouds wreathing around Mount St John so I stopped for a series of photos. The road was a mess of pot holes. Back in the car I reached a closed and locked gate. Looks like the short cut is closed for the season. I decided to retrace my steps to the highway. It was on my return trip that I spotted the pronghorn.Prong Horn

It’s just one but its a start

I imagined a beautiful photo of a prong horn antelope with the magnificent mountains in the background but no luck. If I focused on the  antelope the mountains didn’t show and if I zoomed out to get the whole vista the antelope faded away to a tiny spot. I sat watching the lone Prong Horn as it meandered it’s way along the berm. The Prong Horn, like the elk, migrate through Grand Teton National Park as the cold weather rolls in. With luck this would just be the first of many sightings.

 

Flat Creek and the Elk Refuge

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Flat Creek in the Elk SanctuaryFlat Creek, Jackson

Flat Creek in Jackson runs just behind the visitor center. and follows route 89 as you are leaving Jackson for the National Park. This section of Flat Creek is part of the National Elk Sanctuary. Folks come to Flat Creek for the fly fishing. I came for the birds. The river is on a migration path and always filled with birds. Ducks, coots and even swans filled the waterway. 

Fish HatcheryTeton Range

About now my Gaperguide chimed in. A fish hatchery was coming up on the right.  I chose not to stop but I gather the hatchery is trying to rescue the cutthroat trout in the area from introduced lake trout. Cutthroat trout support many of the birds and animals in this eco-system. Bear feed on them, eagles and otters join in.  Animals can’t catch the lake trout so it’s crucial to the habitat to maintain the stocks of the cut throat trout. Amazing how man’s meddling can have such far reaching consequences.

Entering Grand Teton National Park

Grand Teton National Park

As I pass the Fish Hatchery the road climbs a small hill. You’ll get your first real view of the Teton Range as you reach the top. I never tired of the way you come over that hill and the mountains are right in front of you! Beautiful and breath-taking; minimal foot hills. It’s like someone just dropped the mountains in the middle of a flat plain. My Gaperguide was on the job reminding me to slow down. It even suggested a photo op. The park entrance was coming up. The Park Sign has a terrific view of the namesake mountains. 

Gros Ventre Junction

The Elk Refuge follows along on my right. The next turnoff is Gros Ventre Junction.  The area is named for the Gros Ventre (pronounced grow vaunt) Native American tribe that migrated down from Montana to hunt bison. Taking a right here will lead to the little Town of Kelly, population 138.

 

From the Mountains to the Valleys

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Grand Teton Mountain Range

Grand Teton Moutains

The Teton mountains put the Grand In Grand Teton National Park. They are mountains you can only imagine. It is their spectacular images that led to the creation of the Grand Teton National Park. Located in the Northwest section of Wyoming it encompasses the valley of Jackson Hole. Wild and rough, there are few roads. Activities are mostly hiking , fishing and camping. I will add one more, wildlife viewing! The park is mainly the inner and outer loop roads and a few “spurs”. The same road that travels through Grand Teton, Route 89, takes you to the south entrance to Yellowstone.

A Small ParkThe Grand Teton

Grand Teton National Park is not a huge park. You can drive most of it in one day. The roads are laid out in a big loop with the highway to Yellowstone the main road. Its also called the “outer loop”. The inner loop runs along the base of the mountains for up close looks. The park is about 482 sq. miles. It includes the 40 mile long Teton range and most of Jackson Hole. This is a high elevation park and altitude sickness is not unknown. Elevations in the park range from 6320 feet in Jackson Hole, to 13,770 feet atop Grand Teton. Moreover, many hikes in the park begin above 6,800 feet, and easily climb to 10,000 feet and higher. There were signs posted in the reception area of the resort warning visitors to be aware of the symptoms. 

Sunrise on the mountain topasUp at Dawn Mountain Time

I was awake by 6 am and ready to roll. My grocery excusion had stocked breakfast foods and snacks for the drive.  6 am is not that early. It’s Mountain Time so it was really 8 am on the east coast. I felt like I was sleeping late! The Valet brought my car around while I admired the first light hitting the mountain peaks. The air was cold, about 25 degrees, but clean and crisp. It was quite invigorating. Strangely it didn’t feel as cold as the temps said. My winter coat was soon warming the back seat, just in case.