Fall Morning on the Upper Gros Ventre.

A Wilder Slice of Wyoming!

If you are a regular reader of Best of the Tetons, you already know I spend a lot of time “on the Gros Ventre”. On a normal day, that would include a relatively small section of the river from the Highway to Kelly. I also venture a couple of miles or so past Kelly where the Gros Vente River enters Grand Teton National Park. But, the Gros Ventre drainage extends well past the Park entrance. I can’t tell you how far the road will take you, but the historic Darwin Ranch’s web site states it is at least 22 (bolt rattling) miles beyond the last section of asphalt at the Atherton Creek Campground! There are no stores, no gas stations, and not much of anything else except jaw dropping scenery. Don’t expect cell phone service, either!

>>Quick Edit>>Actually, there is a campground at Crystal Creek, including a primitive restroom and a water pump. Along the road to Soda Lake, there is a ranger’s station. A Wyoming Game and Fish Warden often patrols the waterways for fishermen without licenses or poachers. The area is remote, but not totally left unattended!

On this morning, I ventured past the Park entrance—lured by the morning light and distant snow covered peaks.

Lower Slide Lake is nestled between the canyon walls near the end of the pavement. It was created by a large landslide in 1925. Atherton Creek Campground services the area. Upper Slide Lake is also along the Gros Ventre River, but on this morning I didn’t go far enough to see it.

Waterfalls: If this little cascading falls has a name, I am not familiar with it. I took this from the road using a telephoto lens. I believe it would be legally possible to access the area, but would take a bit of a hike. Maybe I will try it someday! The falls are located a couple of miles upstream from the top end of Lower Slide Lake.

Fall seems to be coming early this year. Willows, cottonwoods, and aspens are turning yellow in many areas by the middle of September. Today’s much needed snow should help fire fighers battle the pesky Berry Fire at the north end of Jackson Lake. Rain and snow should help with the dry conditions, plus add to the Fall photography.

A few miles past Atherton Creek Campground, the terrain changes considerably. I spent quite a bit of time driving around and waiting for a few breaks in the clouds to get pictures similar to this one. The aspens and cottonwoods are turning in many zones, and they can be beautiful when viewed against the region’s striking red hills.

Picturesque Red Hills Ranch is located along the Gros Ventre. It’s hard to beat the buck rail fences, cabins, and horses grazing on lush green grass.

These are just a few of the many horses in the pastures at Red Hills Ranch.

Buck rail fences were much more common inside Grand Teton National Park than they are now. People tell me the new fences are more wildlife friendly, but I still love the old style fences.

The Gros Ventre River meanders between steep canyon walls in quite a few zones. I took this image while waiting for sun to hit the trees and canyon walls.

Sunlight squeezed through the early morning clouds in a few places. This particular scene was behind me, as I waited for light to his the Red Hills and aspens.

This red rock face gradually began to glow, then dulled within a few minutes.

The sky was pure white in this shot, so I opted to convert it to a black and white image.

I knew I was in a race this morning! I was hoping for a little light on the aspens and hillsides, but I needed it before the snow melted.

I took A LOT of photos at this spot. Some have more snow, but with duller light. Some have more light than this one.

This is the same stand of aspens seen near the bottom of the previous image. I moved around quite a bit when the light was good and before the snow melted.

This was taken just downstream from the Crystal Creek Campground. Maybe you can get a feel of the wild and rugged nature of the area. Outfitters take hunters into the region on horseback during the elk and deer hunt.

I turned around at the road into Red Rock Ranch. The road continues onward to Upper Slide Lake, Soda Lake, Dollar Lake, and Cottonwood Creek. Past there, the canyon walls are slate gray, but equally steep and interesting. This photo was taken as I drove back to the Park.

This road is actually just inside the Grand Teton National Park entrance sign, after leaving the Bridger Teton National Forest.

Artists create compositions. Photographers selectively “crop Nature”. Technically, we seldom create the composition. Ahhh…another post for another day!

A Few Notes

I spent most of the morning “up the Gros Ventre” today. I didn’t leave the house planning on going there, but was drawn by the lure of photographic possibilities! I would have loved to spend all day there today, but needed to get back. I had to wait out the light at times, but it was worth it. The upper Gros Ventre is loaded with photographic possibilities at any time of the year, but it is closed to vehicle traffic during the winter. Several tour companies offer snowmobile tours into the region, along wintering ranches. Even if you are not an avid photographer, fly fishing is very good and there would be plenty of scenic picnic spots. I never see a lot of wildlife, but you could see Bighorns, Grizzlies, Elk, Deer, Foxes, Coyotes, and Mountain Lions.

Photo Notes

You could easily get great shots using a regular point and shoot camera, or a DSLR with a standard lens. A 24-70mm lens offers quite a few possibilities. Today, I used a 70-200mm lens a lot, plus a Tamron 150-600mm lens on both a Nikon D5 and Nikon D810. (I typically use the D810 for landscapes). It just depends on how you want to zoom and “crop Nature”.

Additional Info and Destinations

You might also want to check out this post from a few years ago. Outside the Park: Alternative Places to Visit, Hike, Fish, and Photograph. It has information on the Upper Gros Ventre and lots of other interesting places in the region.

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