WYOMING: Fall in Grand Teton & Yellowstone NP

Length of Tour

15-days/14-nights

Brief Itinerary

Day 1 – Arrive in Jackson Hole.

Days 2 through 5 – Day to Day Opportunities as they arise. (The Southeast, the North, Snake River).

Day 6 – Open Day for photographing in Grand Teton NP.

Day 7 – Drive to West Yellowstone exploring the south side of the park including West Thumb, Old Faithful, and then spend afternoon exploring the Madison River area.

Day 8 through 10 – Day to Day Opportunities as they arise. (The Madison River, Lower and Upper Geyser Basin with Old Faithful, Yellowstone Lake, and Norris Geyser Basin.

Day 12 – Drive to Cooke City exploring Madison River, Norris Geyser Basin, and Lamar River Valley.

Day 13-14 – Photograph the Lamar Valley/Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone/Mammoth Hot Springs, Drive to Livingstone, MT for overnight 

Day 15 – Drive to Bozeman International Airport and fly home.

Detailed Itinerary

Day 1 – Arrive in Jackson Hole and check into hotel

We will meet this evening for dinner and a meet and greet. Here we will also discuss the coming week, photography strategies, logistics, and expectations.

Days 2 through 5  – Day to Day Opportunities as they arise. (The Southeast, the North, Snake River)

*The following opportunities will be arranged day-to-day as weather and wildlife conditions dictate.*

The Southeast

Much of our time and energy will be spent in the southern section of Jackson Hole which will include the Grand Teton National Park and Bridger-Teton National Forest. Key areas will include Mormon Row, Antelope Flats, the Gros Ventre River and Mountains, and Shadow Mountain. This is the classic Jackson Hole and Grand Teton experience.

Stunning landscapes with sweeping vistas of the Tetons, classic images of the old Mormon barns and cabins with the Tetons in the background, bison and calves, pronghorn, moose, bighorn sheep, fall colors, and several lesser known areas of the valley that are a treasure trove of images waiting to be created.

Moose Wilson and the steps of the Tetons (SOUTHWEST).
This wildlife hotspot provides us with some of our best opportunities for birds, black bears and classic images of moose wading out in the water to feed, plus elk in aspen groves. This location will be somewhat flexible and depending upon weather and other wildlife sightings that we receive from our contacts in the park, we could end up here at different times on multiple days!

The North

The northern end of the valley offers Oxbow Bend for another classic sunrise. From here we will then venture off into lesser traveled areas in search of fall colors, macro photography, bears, wolves, elk, and landscapes.

The Snake

The Snake River is an integral part of the Teton landscape, often offering a breath-taking sunrise reflections of the Tetons. There are many other vantage points along the river that will offer unique, quiet wildlife and landscape opportunities.

Day 6 (October 7th) – Open Day

Today’s activities will be decided the night before and will be contingent upon what we have seen and photographed as well as reports we have received from our local contacts.

Day 7 – Travel from Jackson Hole to West Yellowstone

West Yellowstone will be our base for the next four days as explore the west and south side of Yellowstone National Park.

Days 8 through 10 – Day to Day Opportunities as they arise. (The Madison River, Lower and Upper Geyser Basin with Old Faithful, Yellowstone Lake, and Norris Geyser Basin

*The following opportunities will be arranged day-to-day as weather and wildlife conditions dictate.* During October 9th, the full moon will set during the Blue Hour at 7:06 am and we will be in place to capture a great image of the setting full moon and the full moon will rise at 6:59 p.m. during Golden Hour and we will also work to capture a great image of the moon rising.

Madison River

We will be looking for waterfowl, dippers, and other birds along this stretch of the river as well as mammals and a few scenic spots will afford some nice landscape opportunities.

Lower & Upper Geyser Basin/Old Faithful

With a plethora of geological features and wildlife to boot, we will be spending a fair amount of time photographing the variety of geothermal features and trying out live neutral density filter mode for some really unique geyser images and we will plan a time to test our OM-D gear on Old Faithful.

Yellowstone Lake

This destination should afford more bird photography and with luck, perhaps some flying waterfowl with which we can test the pro capture mode to photograph waterfowl as they launch from the water.

Norris Geyser Basin

This basin is home to some of the most unique geyser and we will work to capture at least a few in great light with great settings.

Day 11 – Travel from West Yellowstone to Cooke City

Our route will find us traversing through the Madison River, Norris Geyser Basin, Canyon Village and Lamar Valley! This will be an epic travel day through the heart of Yellowstone National Park. We will have plenty of landscape and wildlife photographic opportunities all day long!

Days 12 through Day 14 – Day to Day Opportunities in Lamar Valley, Hayden Valley, Mammoth Hot Springs, and Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone 

With one of the most wildlife rich regions in America, we will be on the lookout for bison, bears, wolves, elk, coyotes, fox and so much more! Birds should give us some great opportunities and we will work various angles of the Upper and Lower Yellowstone Falls. We will also spend looking for insects to practice focus stacking for macro images!

Day 15 – Travel from Livingstone to Bozeman for flights home

Cost

Cost is $8,499 per person, based upon double occupancy, from Jackson Hole, Wyoming (Airport code JAC.
This trip ends in Bozeman, Montana (Airport code BZN).

The tour price does not include meals, airfare to Jackson Hole and back home from Bozeman, laundry, and other such expenses.

It does include pickup at the airport, lodging, transportation within the parks, guide fees, and park entrance fees.

Single Supplement

If a single hotel room is preferred, or we are unable to find a suitable roommate for you, a single supplement fee of $2,940 will be assessed.

NOTE: For boat-based tours, see pricing options for single cabins. Single cabin cost includes the single hotel cost above.

Minimum Number

If fewer than the minimum number of required participants are registered, we may still be able to run the trip by adding a small-group supplement fee, per person, determined by the number of participants registered.

Deposit Requirements

A $1,500 deposit per person is required to hold each space on this tour. Deposit may be made online by clicking the "Book Your Trip Now" button and using any credit card. If you prefer, you may call us at 888-875-9453 to pay by phone. You may also mail us a check, however, remember that all space is held on a first come-first served basis as deposits are received.

How to Book

In order to hold your space, click the "Book Your Trip Now" button above and complete the deposit process, including payment of the deposit through our Paypal portal using ANY CREDIT CARD. Upon completion of deposit, please visit our secure, online CLIENT INFORMATION FORM to complete your registration.

Final Payment

For all land-based tours: full payment by check is due 120 days prior to the departure date.

For all boat-based adventure cruises of 7-days or longer: full payment by check is required 180 days prior to departure.

NOTE: If you prefer to use credit card for final payment, a 3% fee may be added to cover the credit card merchant fees we incur.

This trip includes standard hotels.

Activity Level Rating: 2 (Note: 1 is easy and 5 is difficult)

Most of our photography will be done on short walks, overlooks, and wildlife in generally accessible areas. Some trails will have some elevation gain/loss or possibly rough footing.

Camera Bodies:

OM System Bodies: OM-1, OM-D E-M1x, OM-D E-M1 Mark III, & OM-D E-M1 Mark II are the recommended bodies but other OM-D bodies are just fine.

OM-D System Lenses:

Wide Angle (at least one):

M.Zuiko 7-14mm F2.8 PRO

M.Zuiko 8-25mm F4.0 PRO (works great with screw on filters)

M.Zuiko 8mm F1.8 Fisheye PRO

M.Zuiko 12-40mm F2.8 PRO I or II or M.Zuiko 12-45mm F4.0 PRO

M.Zuiko 12-100mm F4.0 PRO

M.Zuiko 12mm F2.0

M.Zuiko 17mm F1.8

Telephoto (at least one):

M.Zuiko 40-150mm F2.8* or F4.0 PRO (excellent focal length for landscapes and large mammals)

Super Telephoto (for those that want to photograph birds or long distance mammals):

M.Zuiko 300mm F4.0 IS PRO*

M.Zuiko 150-400mm F4.5 TC1.25x IS PRO

*both these lenses work great with either the MC-14 (1.4x) or MC-20 (2.0x) Telextenders

Macro (for insects):

M.Zuiko 60mm F2.8 Macro

M.Zuiko 30mm F3.5 Macro

Accessories:

Tripod with ball head for landscape or gymbal head for wildlife

Camera strap for short walks/hikes

Wireless remote for long exposures (optional)

Circular Polarizing Filters (reduces glare, great for use on waterfalls and on skies) – wide angle lenses

Neutral Density Filters (while several OM-D bodies have a built-in neutral density filter this is for when we want to use high res mode or some other feature that can’t also use the built-in nd filter)* Optional

Laptop for post-processing and image uploading

Plenty of camera batteries, memory cards as well!

A camera bag or backpack will be helpful

*Although we will eat our meals as a group, meals costs are not included in this tour.

Purchasing Flights

Do not purchase your flights until the trip has been confirmed to go.

Detailed Trip Information

Upon notification that final payment is due (120 days prior to departure for land based tours / 180 days for boat based tours), you will receive a trip package of detailed information for your tour.

Any additional information about the trip, including lodgings, contacts, participants, meeting locations, etc., will sent about 2 weeks prior to the trip departure, or after final payment is received for late registrants.

Travel Insurance

As with all tours, we recommend purchasing Travel Insurance to help cover your investment, for covered reasons. Please see our section on Travel Insurance.

Passport & Visa

US Citizens may require a visa to enter certain foreign countries. See above for any required visa information.

Participants arriving to the USA from a foreign country may need to get a travel visa to enter the United States. Be sure to check the requirements for your country of origin.

Itinerary Changes

The trip itinerary is developed many months ahead of time. Occasionally, despite our best planning, changes may occur during the trip, or we may be forced to alter our plans. Changes may occur because of weather, road conditions, safety concerns or other circumstances. In these situations, it is the leader(s) responsibility to carefully consider and implement appropriate alternatives. Any additional costs incurred because of changes will be the responsibility of each individual participant. Refunds will not be issued as a result of itinerary changes.