Our 2020 Wind River Range Fall Foliage Tour: Day Four/Part One

by vols4everus · 02/08/2021

10/7/2020:

When we left the Jackson Hole KOA Campground, on the morning of Wednesday, October 7, 2020, Doug and I knew it would be a long day that would bring us home to our own beds back in Billings, Montana. The day would see us traverse Grand Teton National Park, the southern and eastern portions of Yellowstone National Park, and then take a drive along the Buffalo Bill Cody Scenic Byway (in Laurent Parent’s Scenic Driving WYOMING, this is Scenic Drive #5; Buffalo Bill Scenic Byway: Cody to Yellowstone), before returning home via WY-120/MT-72 and then US Highways 310 and 212 back to I-90 a short hop, skip and jump from Billings.

On the drive in from Hoback Junction to Jackson, many cottonwoods were still transitioning from light green or light yellow to peak color. We stopped at a Maverik convenience store on the outskirts of Jackson to fill up the gas tank and get a cup of coffee. We reset the car’s trip meter at this time.

Once again, I drove while Doug took notes. It was a system that worked well for us on our two trips last year, this one to the Wind River Range and another one later in October to the west side of Glacier National Park. We will continue the aforementioned strategy on future trips. Although one person can cover much territory and see a lot, having a second person to record everything without the distractions of driving really makes sense. As Doug points out in his notes, vantage points along US Highway 26/89/191, the main arterial avenue through Grand Teton National Park, affords the great panoramic views of the Tetons and were emphasized from the park’s southern entrance, just north of Jackson, to Moran Junction. In addition, we covered the westbound section of road to Jackson Lake Junction, which features the Oxbow Bend Turnout, the Mecca of fall-foliage destinations in the Tetons, and Signal Mountain reached by a 4.8 mile spur road off the Teton Park Road. From there, it was north to Yellowstone National Park and east to Cody, Wyoming before finally heading north by northeast to our home in Billings, Montana.

Highways, in Grand Teton National Park can be very confusing. Basically, there are three major roads in the park. The Moose-Wilson Road starts at Wyoming State Route 22, a few miles to the west of Jackson, Wyoming. and runs north by northeast and enters the park at the Granite Canyon Entrance Station. Along the way, this roadway passes Teton Village which is the headquarters of the Jackson Hole Ski Area. There is an aerial Tramway to the top of a mountain, but the last I heard, it was out of service. It is about five or six miles, along this path, to Moose Junction. I’m not positive, as I have never been over this road.

The two roads we are concerned with are the Teton Park Road and US Highway 191, the main arterial passage through Grand Teton National Park. Whereas the Teton Park Road is just that, the confusion comes with the main route through the park. The problem starts at the waypoint named Hoback Junction, thirteen miles south of Jackson, where two United States Highways converge to form one road. US-26 E/US-89 N comes in from Alpine Junction, a small crossroads to the southwest, just inside the Wyoming border with Idaho. US-189 N/US-191 N arrives from Pinedale some sixty-four miles to the southeast.

There is a juncture of this combined highway US-189 N/ US-191 N/ US-26 E/ US-89 N with Wyoming-22 coming into Jackson from the west, just past the Albertsons supermarket. US-191 swings east, at this point, and eventually becomes East Broadway Avenue which takes you into the heart of downtown Jackson. After a few blocks, you will arrive at the intersection with Cache Street: South Cache Street to the right or south of the intersection, and North Cache Street to the left. Directly ahead, stands the Jackson Town Square, with its four archways, made of elk antlers, one at each corner. In order to reach Grand Teton National Park, you must take a left onto N. Cache Street, which is US-191 N/US-26 E/US-89 N.

From the Town Square, the Jackson Hole and Greater Yellowstone Visitor Center is just half a mile north, on the way to Grand Teton National Park. This should be your first stop on the way to God’s small slice of Heaven on Earth in this haven from humanity in northwest Wyoming. They have everything from maps to park service advice and a large stock of souvenirs to choose from. It is right at thirty miles, from the visitor center to Moran Junction. That is quite possibly the finest thirty miles of scenery on God’s green earth. I know it is my favorite spot on this planet.

Confusion number two comes after the Moran Junction. US-26 W/ US-287 N comes in from Dubois, to the east of the park. This road merges with US-191 at the junction. From here, the thoroughfare, now called US-191 N/ US-287 N/ US-89 N heads northwest to the Oxbow Bend area of the park. It eventually flows north into Yellowstone National Park and somewhere along the way becomes known as the John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Memorial Parkway.

It was fourteen and a half miles, from the gas station on the south side of Jackson, to Moose Junction. A little over a mile beyond this waypoint, brought us to the Antelope Flats Road Junction. We turned right, and a few minutes later came to Mormon Road. There are many iconic images of Grand Teton National Park, and one of them is the view of an old barn with the Tetons in the background. This is the Moulton Barn, and until this trip, I had never seen it. This was our first stop on the fourth, and final, day of our fall journey. It was well worth it.

Mormon Row and the T. A. Moulton Barn

Mormon Row, where the Moulton Barn has become a famous icon of Grand Teton National Park. A little over three miles to the north and east of Moose Junction one finds a little bit of yesteryear. Some say the Moulton Barn “is most photographed barn in America.”

Our first stop of the day was at the T.A. Moulton barn on Mormon Row. From the entrance to Grand Teton National Park to Moose Junction, the distance is just over eight miles, and then another mile brought us to the Antelope Flats Road Junction. After turning right, it only took a couple of minutes until we reached the area known as Mormon row. One of the more well-known images of the Tetons is the old Moulton Barn barn with the mountains in the background.

I took this photo just after turning onto Antelope Flats Road. That’s Grand Teton Peak in the center. At 13,776 feet, this mountain is the tallest in the Tetons, and second to only Gannett Peak, of the Wind River Range, in the state of Wyoming.

As Doug said, in his notes, “The Moulton Barn has a rich patina, but many published photographs, which undoubtedly were taken earlier in the morning (i.e. much closer to sunrise), give it a much warmer glow. Bob’s photographs of the barn were taken just before 9:00 AM. Note: The following data provide a synopsis of the barn’s history:

“Thomas Alma Moulton first homesteaded this property in 1908 as a bachelor. He came over Teton Pass with his brother and a neighbor from Teton Basin, Idaho. The Moultons had moved to Idaho from Utah several decades before. For the first few winters Alma continued to return to the family holdings in Idaho. By 1912, though, he had married and he brought his new wife, Lucille, over the pass to permanently settle in the Jackson Hole valley. What remains from his homestead is only a barn, but the barn has created a legacy beyond anything Alma Moulton or his children could have imagined. Billed as the ‘most photographed barn in America,’ this structure had humble beginnings.

Alma Moulton began construction on the central portion in 1913 in order to give his hard-working horses some shelter. The original barn had a flat roof, but it provided a necessary service for the Moulton family. In 1928 the hayloft and steeply pitched gable roof was added. By 1938 and 1939 two shed roofed lean-tos were added to the structure. First the north section for the horses, then the south section for the pigs. The continued addition of separate parts to make the whole gives the barn a unique, but unintentional character that is recognized nationally. Preservation efforts have been undertaken by both the Moulton family and the Grand Teton National Park to ensure that this barn continues to illustrate the trials and successes of homesteading in Jackson Hole” (https://jackson holehistory.org/moulton-barn-landscapes-of-loss/).

The T.A. Moulton Barn. With the sun coming in from the east, behind us, it was hard to snap a picture of the barn without getting some shadows.

the Moulton Barn. I took many shots from this location. Next time, I think I will try to get some at sunrise to see what effect that will have.

Here is a picture of the Moulton Barn with my brother in it.

This photograph was taken at the junction of Antelope Flats Road and US-191, the main thoroughfare in Grand Teton National Park.

I can’t say for sure, but considering these trees were along the Snake River, my guess would be there are Cottonwoods rather than Aspen.

We returned to Moose Junction and stopped at the Visitor Center after leaving Mormon Road. This is the only visitor center that remains open throughout the winter in Grand Teton National Park. In fact, I went on a snowshoeing expedition from this place on my 2008 trip to the Tetons. Doug and I talked to a park ranger in regards to the fall-color of the aspen in the Tetons. I’ll let my brother’s notes cover it:

“I asked a Ranger at the Moose Visitor Center about the observation made by several local landscape photographers that fall color peaks in the Tetons before it does so in Glacier. According to her, conditions then present (10/7/2020) were pretty typical of the time period during which peak color usually occurs there. She too was surprised to learn that several local landscape photographers state categorically that peak color occurs earlier in the Tetons than in Glacier.

So, the first week of October, based on this year’s experience, would be an excellent target date for future fall-foliage trips to the Tetons. She did say that, perhaps, altitude factors into the relative timing of peak color in the Tetons vis-à-vis Glacier. Obviously, aspen in the Tetons occur at significantly higher elevations than comparable stands in Glacier National Park.”

After leaving the visitor center, we pulled into the Blacktail Butte trailhead parking area. For photographic purposes, this pull-off, which is on the right as you head north, is slightly shaded, thus minimizing some of the intense morning glare. Another two and a half miles brought us to the excellent observation point known as Glacier View Turnout.

From the parking area of the Blacktail Butte Trailhead.

Conditions are a bit hazier/smokier than the brilliant blue skies that blessed us yesterday. But nothing like they were in September during my first trip to the Tetons.

Glacier View Turnout

Another image from Glacier View Turnout. Mt. Teton rising majestically into the Wyoming sky.

From the Glacier View Turnout, it is a little over seventeen miles to Moran Junction, the northeastern entrance to the park. There are several nice vantage points to view the Teton Mountains, chief of which are Schwabacher Landing, Teton Point Turnout, the Snake River Overlook, my personal favorite and Elk Ranch Flats Turnout. On this day, however, we were more interested in fall foliage color, and that meant the Oxbow Bend Turnout a shade over three miles to the west of Moran. I have taken plenty of photos from the Snake River Overlook, and I’m sure I’ll take a lot more, just not on this day.

We did observe a good-sized herd of buffalo (bison) grazing in the distance, on the right, about halfway between the Snake River Overlook and Moran. That is one thing that most visitors to the park should see. In fact, I have seen the highway shut down because when a group of buffalo decide to cross the road, they are in no hurry. You should, also, see plenty of elk, and if you are fortunate, a grizzly bear or two. From a safe distance, of course!

It’s just a shade over three miles from Moran to the Oxbow Bend Turnout. About half a mile before the actual Oxbow Bend, there was another turnout that provided some fine fall color. We met some fellow Tennesseans at this one. They were from Brentwood, which is about ten miles south of our hometown, Nashville. I pulled out my tripod for this viewing area and got some nice shots.

We found a great stand of aspen at a turnout about half a mile before the Oxbow Bend Turnout.

This is the turnout where we met the guys from Tennessee.

Although I know it’s not the place, this scene looks almost like it came out of the John Wayne film, *True Grit*. I know it’s not so, though, because that place was near Ridgeway, Colorado, and I have been there.

Oxbow Bend

Our trip meter was standing on 43.3 miles when we reached the actual Oxbow Bend turnout, which Doug formally designated as the “Mecca of fall-foliage destinations in the Tetons.” Needless to say, I extensively photographed the aspen stands in this area from a variety of vantage points and with different compositional emphases. The problem, as usual, is not how many pictures I can take, rather which ones to use. Rather than try to provide a description of this area, I decided to let Doug do the telling:

“Personal thoughts on the Oxbow Bend area: Multiple, extensive stands of aspen in several different areas make this the Mecca of fall-foliage destinations in the Tetons. If you approach the area from Moran Junction, the formal overlook will be on your left. Vantage points here will best allow you to fully include the Oxbow Bend in the Snake River that gives this area its name. Beyond the formal turnout, the shoulder is widened to allow safe parking for several additional cars. If you want to crop an image tightly on Mount Moran and three separate aspen stands as foreground composition elements, shoot from the extreme end of this parallel parking area, i.e. the end closest to Jackson Lake Junction. This approach will minimize the Oxbow Bend of the Snake River as a compositional element but saturate your image with fall color. From this perspective, Mount Moran will appear to be bracketed by three separate stands of aspen in the foreground: large stands to the left and right, respectively, of Mount Moran, and a smaller, thinner stand of aspen at the visual base of Moran.”

Oxbow Bend, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming. We stopped here briefly late in the afternoon on the 6th of October, but the setting sun made good picture taking difficult. This time, it was mid-morning. The best time, of course, would be as the sun is rising. That is what I did back in September on my National Museum of Military Vehicles trip to Dubois, Wyoming. When I came out through the Tetons and Yellowstone, I was waiting at the Oxbow Bend turnout from about 5 AM on. That is your best chance for getting that absolute mirror look on the stagnant water. As the day goes on, the water starts rippling and this is what you get. Unfortunately, the California wildfires were at full height, and the smoke really put a damper on good photo ops during that trip. This trip, three weeks later, definitely saw better conditions, but as my brother pointed out, the skies were more hazy on this day than they had on the previous one.

That’s Mt. Moran in the background. There were a lot of ducks swimming around this fine morning. There was a lot of nice color around the Oxbow Bend.

Another photo from the Oxbow Bend turnout.

Now that’s just jaw-dropping. That’s the way aspen are supposed to look when they are in the autumnal glory.

It is a little over a mile from Oxbow Bend to the Jackson Lake Junction where the Teton Park Road dead-ends into US 191, the main route through the park. It was during this stretch that I spotted a grizzly bear with her cub in June 2019.

Some more nice fall color along the path to Jackson Lake Dam.

It was a little over one mile from the Oxbow Bend Turnout to the Jackson Lake Junction where the Teton Park Road meets the main highway of the park, US-191. Somewhere along this short stretch of highway, is where I spotted a mother grizzly bear with her two cubs in June 2019. Unfortunately, they were able to retreat into the bushes before I could get a good photo. Our trip meter was reading 44.5 miles when we turned left at the Jackson Lake Junction, onto Teton Park Road. There was one last part of Grand Teton National Park that we wanted to visit before heading north for Yellowstone National Park, and that was Signal Mountain.

The Jackson Lake Junction. This is the Teton Park Road. I’m looking back at the main road, or ***US-191 N/ US-287 N/ US-89 N***. To the left takes you to Yellowstone National Park. To the right leads you to Moran Junction.

That’s a different view of Mt. Moran. The Teton Park Road is the inner road, which takes you much closer to the Teton Mountains.

After traveling a little over four miles southwest, we came to the turnoff to Signal Mountain. About halfway through this drive, we crossed over the Jackson Lake Dam. In addition to those views from Oxbow Bend, the vantage point from atop this dam make excellent photo opportunities of Mt. Moran.

The Signal Mountain Summit parking area, which is accessible via a 4.8-mile spur road, is at an elevation of 7,727 feet. The view from there isn’t spectacular, nor does it feature much in terms of fall foliage, but it gives you sufficient altitude to gain a more panoramic perspective of Jackson Hole from above. Although I did film a very short video from this spot, I did not take any pictures. There just wasn’t anything worth the time. Either they had shut down the road to the better viewing area, or we just missed it, but I remember, and even took photographs, at a much better viewing platform which included nice views of the Tetons. We ate our lunch while sitting at the summit of Signal Mountain before returning to the Teton Park Road, from which we headed back to Jackson Lake Junction, and then north to Colter Bay and beyond to Yellowstone National Park.

Colter Bay is another part of this magnificent national park that I really like, but knowing the visitor center and, in fact, much of the area would be shut down (late in the season as well as the Covid virus) we did not linger any longer than necessary. We entered Yellowstone National Park at approximately 1:50 PM with the trip meter sitting on 86.0 miles. That put the distance from the Jackson Lake Junction right at twenty-three and a half miles. This late in the year, finding places that were still open in both Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks could prove difficult, so when I found a convenience store at Colter Bay Village that was still providing services, I topped off the gas tank and picked up some coffee and something to munch on before heading north into Yellowstone.

Following US Highway 191/89/287, otherwise known as the John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Parkway, north brought us to the southern entrance of Yellowstone National Park in a little under half an hour, or eighteen and a half miles from Colter Bay. We entered the south entrance of America’s first national park at approximately 1:50 PM. From Colter Bay, the drive took around half an hour. Another thirty minutes saw us reaching West Thumb, the southeast point on the Grand Loop Road of Yellowstone. As Doug recalled, the timber became increasingly coniferous past the Jackson Lake Lodge Junction, as one drives north toward Yellowstone. Aspen progressively occurred in smaller groves and, often, only as individual trees separated by significant distances.

From the park entrance it is 19.6 miles to the Grant Village turnoff, and another two miles to the junction called West Thumb. This portion of Yellowstone Lake received the highly unusual name of West Thumb because some think that this high-altitude lake resembles a human hand, and the area that juts off to the left, or west, looks like the thumb. It is the southeastern junction on the Grand Loop of Yellowstone, as the major artery through the park is known.

Entering Yellowstone National Park from the south.

The drive from West Thumb, north along Grand Loop Road, to Lake, or Lake Junction, Wyoming, was a little less than twenty miles, roughly another half an hour. In Laurence Parent’s Scenic Driving WYOMING, this is part of Scenic Drive #2; East Yellowstone: West Thumb to Tower-Roosevelt. The roadway skirts the western end of Yellowstone Lake, which at an altitude of 7,730 feet, is the largest body of water, at such a high altitude, in North America. From this junction, we headed east by southeast along US-16/14/20, otherwise known as the East Entrance Road.