Best Photo Spots at Grand Teton National Park

You’ll find many amazing photo spots at Grand Teton National Park to capture the jagged peaks of the mountains complimented by the surrounding landscape and wildlife.

Use this Grand Teton National Park guide to help you plan your trip with a list of the best places to take photos, things to do, what to pack, and where to stay!

Keep reading for the best sunrise and sunset spots, where to photograph wildlife, and recommended camera gear to take photos at Grand Teton National Park!

Download and print our free Grand Teton Photo Spots checklist to take with you to the park!

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Camera Gear for Landscape Photography

• Tripod: take a look at these compact and lightweight travel tripods!
• Camera Bag: protect your camera from sand and water → We use Lowepro camera backpacks for outdoor photography.
• Neutral density filter: to compensate for variance of light you’ll need to use a neutral density filter. → Check out the Kase magnetic filters we use!
• Camera cleaning kit: remove dust or water that WILL get on your lens. NOTE: this is not for cleaning the sensor.  
• Memory cards: purchase name brand memory cards since you’re trusting your images to the card! → We use Lexar and Sandisk!
• External hard drive: copy photos to a portable external hard drive ‘just in case’. 
• Headlamp: use when taking sunrise and sunset photos!

Camera Gear at B&H Photo

A Photo Tour of Grand Teton National Park

Take a visual tour through Grand Teton National Park to see the stunning landscape and wildlife you’ll find in the park!

Seasonal Photography at Grand Teton

When planning to take pictures at Grand Teton, keep in mind the different seasons at the park provide an added element to your photos.

• Grand Teton National Park in the Spring: late spring the foliage is a vibrant green, the mountains are snow-capped and the wildlife is abundant.
• Grand Teton National Park in Summer: early summer is a great time for wildflowers!
• Grand Teton in the Fall: bright autumn colors on the trees and the wildlife is active getting ready for winter.
• Grand Teton National Park in the Winter: the landscape and mountains covered with snow are breathtaking.

Keep this in mind when determining the Best Time to Visit Grand Teton National Park for landscape photography.

Grand Teton Photo Spots Map

Here’s a Grand Teton photo spots map to help you navigate through the park.

Photo Spots at Grand Teton National Park

You should research the best Grand Teton photo spots and best times of day to photograph each spot before you arrive. It helps to ‘see’ the general layout of each location. You can search the internet, social media and Google Earth to help plan your photography time before you arrive.

The best light for landscape photography is morning and evening so it’s important to know the current sunrise and sunset times for the days you’ll be visiting Grand Teton. You should also check the weather forecast. We like this local weather site: Mountain Weather.

Oxbow Bend

The goal at Oxbow Bend is to get the reflection of the Teton mountains in the bend of the Snake River. Morning and evenings are the best times to get calm water for that perfect still water reflection.

There are many vantage points to capture different views and perspectives. If the water isn’t too high, follow the trails to the water’s edge and take photos along the bank of the river.

Don’t just focus on the view toward the Teton mountains. Always be aware of the scene in front of you AND behind you. The sky lit up with color to create this amazing reflection in the river at Oxbow Bend looking the opposite way from the mountains.

PHOTO TIP: When you’re out for sunrise photography or sunset photography, watch the views all around you so you don’t miss something spectacular!

Schwabacher Landing

Schwabacher Landing is a popular photo spot to photograph the reflection of the Tetons in the water.

There are a many spots at this location to get great photos! From the main parking lot at the end of the road, walk along the trail to look for reflections of the distant mountains in the water.

If the weather doesn’t cooperate and the water is choppy, you can still capture stunning landscape photos!

There’s another spot at Schwabacher Landing with different views to photograph. Drive back along the road and turn into the smaller parking area to the right.

Many people stay in the area near the parking lot, but we suggest you walk a bit farther down the river to the other beaver dam that has created a section of calm water.

Schwabacher Landing is one of the popular Sunrise Photography Spots in Grand Teton National Park! The mountains and the reflection stand out since the river and surrounding landscape are still in shadow.

We have photographed Schwabacher Landing during the day and at sunset, but feel sunrise is the best since it creates a ‘pop’ of color in the scene.

Snake River Overlook

The Snake River Overlook has been made popular by Ansel Adams. At this photo spot, you’ll capture the bend of the Snake River. Unfortunately, the trees have since grown from 70 years ago when Ansel took his photo. You can no longer get the unobstructed view to recreate the famous image.

At sunrise and early morning here you’ll catch the soft light on the peaks of the Teton mountains.

It’s fun to photograph the different seasons at this location since it’s accessible year round.

In the spring and summer the landscape is lush and green. In the fall the grasses and foliage in the scene showcase autumn colors. In the winter the landscape is a beautiful snow-covered scene.

Mormon Row – Moulton Barns

Mormon Row is a popular photo spot at Grand Teton National Park. The historic barns and homes have the most amazing background found anywhere in the world!

Mormon Row was established by Mormon settlers in the 1890’s who moved into the Jackson Hole area from Idaho. At the time there were 27 homesteads here, but now only 6 remain standing today.

The T.A. Moulton barn has a pointed roof, as seen above, and is located south of Antelope Flats road.

The John Moulton barn has a more rounded roof and can be found to the north of the road along with the other homestead buildings.

Wildlife Photo Spots at Grand Teton National Park

Before you head out to take photos of the wildlife, be aware of the guidelines for viewing wildlife at Grand Teton and always listen to the rangers. Bears have varied personalities and tolerance levels around their cubs and prey so be sure to give them space.

• When stopping to view wildlife, pull over in a designated turnout – do not stop on the roadway.
• Be aware of, and keep, the recommended distance from wildlife.
• Help keep bears wild and humans safe – never feed or approach bears!
• Carry bear spray! You can easily buy a can in Jackson Hole.

We’ve put together some tips and resources for Photographing Wildlife:

• Best cameras for wildlife photography
• Best tripods for wildlife photography
• Best tripod head for wildlife photography
• Best lenses for wildlife photography

Photographing Moose at Grand Teton

Many Grand Teton visitors hope to see and photograph a moose. Please remember to respect their space and keep a distance of 25 yards.

It’s also important to understand the size of moose. A bull moose can be as tall as 7 feet and weigh as much as 1800 pounds! You do not want to have a moose running at you at 30 miles per hour!

You’ll need to be extra careful around moose if there’s a baby moose in the area (in the spring) and during rutting season (in the fall).

Be aware of these warning signs that a moose is stressed and may attack:

• Stops normal behavior and makes eye contact with you 
• Ears are laid back and hair on the back of neck, back or hips is raised 
• Head is lowered
• Smacks lips or teeth
• Urination 
• Whipping of head back and forth or stomping on the ground

The best time of day to photograph moose is during the early morning hours. They can bed down for the day as early as 9 am. There are a few places we recommend to find and photograph moose at Grand Teton National Park:

• Gros Ventre Road
• Gros Ventre Campground
• Moose Wilson Road
• Willow Springs

Photographing Bears at Grand Teton

The most important thing to keep in mind when photographing wildlife: you CANNOT get a photo on your cell phone or tablet of a bear that fills the frame image at the designated 100 yard rule set by the National Park Service.

Images you see like the one above are taken with telephoto lenses, typically 400-600mm. When you encounter wildlife and don’t have a telephoto lens, simply enjoy the experience.

We really like this affordable 500mm lens for photographing wildlife! We also recommend renting a large lens for wildlife outings. We rented an 800mm lens for our Yellowstone and Grand Teton trip!

We’ve put together some good resources for Photographing Wildlife:

• Best cameras for wildlife photography
• Best tripods for wildlife photography
• Best tripod head for wildlife photography
• Best lenses for wildlife photography

Bears can usually be found at these locations in Grand Teton:

• Pilgrim Creek
• Coulter Bay
• Willow Springs
• Signal Mountain

Photographing Grand Teton Lakes

Grand Teton has many lakes that make great landscape subjects. If you can get a reflection of the Teton mountains in the water, that’s an added bonus!

Here’s a list of good locations to photograph the lakes at Grand Teton:

• Jackson Lake
• Coulter Bay
• Jenny Lake
• String and Leigh Lakes

Historical Structures

There are many Grand Teton spots with wooden fences, log cabins and old structures to photograph. Capturing old-time scenes of western cowboy life adds to the story of this National Park.

Check out these spots to capture the history of Grand Teton:

• Mormon Row
• Cunningham Cabin
• Chapel of the Transfiguration
• Jenny Lake Ranger Station and Visitor Center

Grand Teton Sunrise Photo Spots

When the sun rises at Grand Teton National Park, the light illuminates the Teton mountains. Anywhere in the park where you can see the Teton mountains, you’ll be able to capture that soft light on them.

Add an interesting foreground subject like a lake, barn, meadow, wildflowers, etc. and you’ve got all the elements you need to compose a beautiful photo in good light.

Here’s a few of our favorite Grand Teton sunrise spots:

• Schwabacher Landing
• Oxbow Bend
• Mormon Row, Moulton Barns
• Snake River Overlook

Best Sunset Photo Spots at Grand Teton

The sun will set behind the Teton mountains which can produce a unique sunburst photo at any location.

But, the magic seems to happen after sunset in the golden or blue hour when you get soft, even light on the landscape scene.

It’s an added bonus when the sky cooperates with colorful clouds at sunset, and even better when you capture that in a reflection.

We enjoy taking sunset pictures at these spots in Grand Teton, hoping for a fantastic reflection photo:

• Oxbow Bend
• Schwabacher Landing
• Jackson Lake
• Jenny Lake

AMAZON: Yellowstone and Grand Teton Guides and Maps

Plan a Grand Teton Vacation

• Visiting Grand Teton National Park 
• Best Time to Visit Grand Teton National Park
• Photograph Grand Teton National Park
• Grand Teton National Park Activities

Where to Stay in Jackson Near Grand Teton

• Where to Stay Near Grand Teton National Park
• Grand Teton National Park Lodging
• Grand Teton National Park Camping
• RV Parks near Grand Teton National Park
• Glamping Near Grand Teton National Park

Here’s a list of our favorite places to stay:

• Elk Refuge Inn – this is right across from the refuge and the closes hotel to the park entrance – our favorite place to stay!
• Elk Country Inn – awesome property if you want to be in town.
• Vacation Rentals near Grand Teton – we LOVE having a kitchen to prepare our meals!
• Hotels in Jackson Hole