Category: Best of the Tetons

Welcome to the July Daily Journal!

• The 4th of July fireworks displays have been cancelled for 2021 due to dry conditions.
• The 4th of July Parade will begin at 10:00 am on Sunday, July 4th.
• Campgrounds are fully booked.
• Hotels are at capacity.
• Businesses are struggling to keep employees.
• The area cell towers can reach 100% capacity at times. 
• Expect bumper to bumper traffic through town each afternoon.

Quick July Overview

Welcome to the July Daily Journal!

Record visitation, extreme heat and dry conditions, and the after effects of Covid-19 are reshaping what most of call a “normal summer”. 

• The 4th of July fireworks displays have been cancelled for 2021 due to dry conditions.
• The 4th of July Parade will begin at 10:00 am on Sunday, July 4th.
• Campgrounds are fully booked.
• Hotels are at capacity.
• Businesses are struggling to keep employees.
• The area cell towers can reach 100% capacity at times. 
• Expect bumper to bumper traffic through town each afternoon.

Those are just a few of the conditions that can affect travelers this summer!

Quick July Overview

July and August are our warmest two months. For best viewing and the least crowds, be up and out well before sunrise. For example, 5:30am is a good target time as the month begins. Moose, Elk, and Deer move into the shade when the sun hits them in the mornings. Bears have been scarce lately. They are probably in the cooler high country. Bison and Pronghorns are likely subjects during the middle of the day. Much of the snow on the mountains has melted for the summer. Morning temperatures can drop to the low ’40s and afternoon temperatures can get up to the mid-’90s. Visitors will need to be up very early to get a parking spot at either String Lake or Jenny Lake.

Please take a minute and register to sign up to follow this site. I’d love to have another couple hundred new subscribers from the group visiting the site this summer. MJ

Clouds can form even on days when the weather reports call for clear skies. Likewise, warm and hot days can trigger thunderstorms throughout July and August.

If you are out early, you might have a chance to see Moose and Elk. This shot was taken along the Gros Ventre yesterday. Notice the nice antler growth already on this bull!

This bull Elk was taken this morning near Signal Mountain. He has been a fixture in the area all summer and is fine with people stopping to take his photo. Most other Elk are skittish and will have moved into the safety of the dark forest.

There were a few Purple Lupines in the previous photo with the Elk. Around the valley, yellow wildflowers are common. Arrowleaf Balsom Root plants have been replaced with Mule’s Ear (seen here) and One-Flowers.

Indian Paintbrush is just getting started in many areas of the valley. This small bunch was taken along the Gros Ventre River. I usually go to Signal Mountain Summit Road to see more.

I did a quick loop through the Park this morning to get a variety of subjects. These two were seen at Elk Ranch Flats.

Pronghorns are some of the last large mammals to have their babies. These three were relatively close to the Bison at Elk Ranch Flats. The babies are quite flighty and are already very fast.

Bison cows dropped their babies over roughly a month this year. You can find some “red dogs” that are still orangish-red, while others are starting to turn dark brown.

The “dainty” little red dogs grow and change quickly! The Bison rut will begin in late July and continue into August. I didn’t notice any rut behavior this morning.

Elk and Pronghorns have been using this Lodgepole Pine as a scratching post for a long time. The no remaining bark, it has now way of delivering sap to the boughs. Some of the large mammals are still scruffy, while most of the Moose I have been seeing are already dark and sleek.

You will likely find numerous photographers at the Mormon Row homesteads each morning. Even so, you can usually wait them out for some “clean” shots. Otherwise, use your clone tools in Photoshop! The “Pink House” at Mormon Row is being repaired this summer. Currently, the Pink House has been lifted off of its foundation and sitting near the new foundation under construction.

Today’s Photos

I didn’t include the shooting data with today’s photos, but can say they were all taken with a Sony A1 camera and either a Sony 24-70mm lens or a Sigma Sport 60-600mm lens with a Sigma Adapter for the Sony E-Mount. The big bull near the top of today’s entry was taken yesterday with the A1 and a Sony 200-600mm lens. For what it’s worth, I did the firmware update on my Sony A1 last night (v1.0 to v1.1). Sony’s updates are much more involved than either Nikon or Canon.

Additional Related Links and Pages

• Bands of Light
• Less Common Slices of the Tetons:
• Lesser Seen Regional Waterfalls
• Granite Falls and Granite Creek:
• Pretty In Peach: The Historic Stucco House on Mormon Row
• Abracadabra: Now You See Them—Now You Don’t!
• Cascade Canyon: One of the Teton’s Many Gems
• Outside the Park: Alternative Places to Visit, Hike, Fish, and Photograph
• Bar BC Dude Ranch
• Summer in the Tetons and Jackson Hole
• Where to go and when to be there?
• Wildflowers: Photography Tips, Suggestions & Resources
• When Things Seem Slow in GTNP: Options and Suggestions
• Beating the Summer Crowds in Grand Teton National Park:

I offer year round photo tours in Grand Teton National Park and Winter tours in the National Elk Refuge.  Book now! Click the image for additional information.

PronghornsClient Comments: “As a published and passionate photographer, I recognized Michael Jackson’s extraordinary skills as a photographer. Today I learned more about composition and creative technical ideas 

Firecracker and HobackDipperCactus FlowersYellow-headed BlackbirdMama MimiLoading ChuteBlack-billed MagpieFlat Creek SunriseSchwabacher LandingPronghorn Doe and TetonsStars Over Schwabacher’s LandingBison CalfWindmillBladesthan I ever could 

Hobackhave imagined.” G.S.,