Grand Teton Fall Colors
Grand Teton National Park and the Jackson Hole area are well known for their fall colors and photographers flock to the Tetons, in Western Wyoming, to capture the golden aspens and rainbow colored leaves in late September through early October. The leaves turn quickly and for a couple of weeks the Tetons glow with beautiful colors.
Although there is colorful fall foliage all around the Grand Teton area, we have pieced together some of our favorite spots to see and photograph fall colors in Grand Teton National Park. We tried to find some of the best compositions that highlight the rainbow colors of fall foliage in the area. Also check out some of our favorite photography spots in Grand Teton National Park and let us know if we missed any of your favorite spots!
Photography Gear for Grand Teton National Park:
We always aim to be transparent and never recommend gear we do not use ourselves and fully believe in. We participate in the Amazon Services and REI Affiliate Programs which are designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to products.
Camera: We highly recommend our Olympus OMD EM1 Mark II mirrorless camera as it packs down small for hiking and produces professional photos.
Lenses
Landscape: Our favorite all-around lens is the Olympus M.Zuiko ED 12-40mm f2.8 PRO. This can capture wide landscape photos, portraits, and even zoom for some mountain closeups. This lens is fantastic for fall foliage landscape photos.
Wildlife: We use our Panasonic Leica DG Vario-Elmar 100-400mm f/4-6.3 which is the equivalent of a 200-800mm full-frame. We’ve been able to capture some great grizzly photos with this lens in between photographing the fall colors!
Camera Bag: Peak Design makes great photography bags! We have the Everyday Backpack 20L and the Everyday Sling 3L which gives us versatility when hiking and changing lenses.
Tripod: Honestly, we use our tripod to stake claim to our spots while shooting popular sunrise and sunset locations and prefer to shoot handheld unless we’re shooting the stars. Manfrotto Befree Carbon Fiber Travel Tripod is an awesome lightweight, yet sturdy, tripod to take everywhere.
Photography Gloves: We love our Vallerret Ipsoot Photography Gloves and they have come in very handy for cold fall mornings in Grand Teton National Park. The thumb and index fingers fold back to allow camera adjustments while keeping your hands warm. These gloves are great for late September and early October while photographing the fall colors.
Pro Photographer Tips for Grand Teton National Park:
The Teton mountain range faces East, so sunrise provides the best light to illuminate the face of the mountains.
Check sunrise and sunset times. Depending on the time of year, the sunrise and sunset times can change a lot. We also noticed color in the sky a solid 20-30 minutes before sunrise.
Seasons bring different elements to photography in Grand Teton National Park:
Spring: Wildflowers!
Fall: Some of the most colorful foliage in the US
Winter: Incredible snow covered landscapes
Dress warmly as the weather can be extremely variable. The mornings can be incredibly cold, even on a hot summer day. We even experienced a freak snowstorm on September 8th!
Be aware of your surroundings. Grand Teton National Park has an abundance of wildlife including bears (black and grizzlies), bison, moose, and other animals that can be dangerous if you end up too close. Make sure to carry bear spray with you whenever you are away from your car.
Meet other photographers! We made some great friends while photographing in Grand Teton National Park. We even started a text string with several wildlife photographers we met for photographing Grizzly 399.
The Best Spots for Fall Colors in Grand Teton National Park
1. Oxbow Bend
Oxbow Bend is one of the most photographed and iconic spots in Grand Teton National Park. With Mount Moran in the distance and reflections in the water, it’s one of the best places to photograph sunrise in the Tetons. To top things off, there are groves upon groves of aspens along the banks of the river and throughout the hills nearby. As the leaves turn in late September, the golden colors perfectly frame Oxbow Bend for absolutely stunning photos.
2. Willow Flats
Willow Flats is filled with aspens and sagebrush and during the fall the tall grasses, along with the reds, oranges and yellows creates a breathtaking views with Jackson Lake under the towering Tetons. There are great photo opportunities in Willow Flats, as well as above the fields at the Willow Flats Overlook.
3. Two Oceans Lake Road
Pacific Creek Road is near the South entrance of Grand Teton National Park and the initial few miles of the road is paved with beautiful aspens along the drive, however, we highly recommend continuing onto the dirt road which goes towards Two Oceans Lake! Hidden behind these hills is a small dirt pull-off with some of the most majestic rainbow colors we’ve ever seen.
4. Schwabacher Landing
Schwabacher Landing gives access to the Snake River down in the valley underneath the Tetons. This popular photography spot offers breathtaking reflection shots of the mountains, and it especially shines during the first light of sunrise. For the best fall colors, the area closest to the parking lot gives views of colorful aspens across the river and beneath the mountains.
5. North End of Jackson Lake
Towards the North end of Jackson Lake, just off the main road through Grand Teton National Park, John D. Rockefeller Jr. Parkway, there is a grove of aspens which glow orange like no other aspens we’ve seen. The grove is located just as the road curves on the lake-side of the roadway.
6. Gros Ventre Road
Just East of the Jackson Airport is a paved, narrow, winding road called Gros Ventre (pronounced “Grow-vont”) with an abundance of aspens. As the road winds through the hills, there is a long straight section lined with aspens which points directly at the Grand Tetons. This beautiful section perfectly frames The Grand for an amazing fall foliage photo. We also recommend continuing on to Lower Slide Lake.
7. Lower Slide Lake
Lower Slide Lake is a hidden gem in the Jackson Hole area. Not only is this lake a great spot to paddleboard and camp, the entire Northwest shore of the lake is lined with aspens! We loved paddleboarding and relaxing at Lower Slide Lake away from the main crowds at the more popular lakes in Grand Teton National Park.
8. Pilgrim Creek Road
Although Pilgrim Creek Road is most well known for wildlife, specifically Grizzly 399 and her four cubs, the roadway also has spectacular views of Mount Moran with colorful trees framing the mountain.
9. Palisades Reservoir
While not technically in Grand Teton National Park, the Palisades Reservoir just 60 minutes South of Jackson, Wyoming near Alpine, has some of the most spectacular tree colors in the area. These trees also seem to turn about a week earlier than the trees in Grand Teton National Park. Drive along Highway 26 and soak in the beautiful views and colors.
