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Yellowstone - Mid October > Yellowstone - Mid-October

I have been to Yellowstone many times over the years and I never cease to love the place. Winter is probably my favorite time although early fall when the colors are changing is also very nice. This year, I wanted to go back at a time that was new to me, Mid-October. My expectation was that the weather would be likely to have early snow on the mountains and there would be good wildlife opportunities. (I didn't expect to see bears though as I expected them to be at higher elevations) Wrong on both counts, although leaves were down, the weather was more summery than late fall, temps in the 60's every day there. Saw several black bears and two grizzlies, including the best photo op ever for me with a young grizzly sow; up close and personal. There are 20 images in this gallery, primarily wildlife, tough trees and waterfalls. Hope you enjoy looking!! To see a slideshow of this gallery, click on the thumbnail image on this page. When watching the slideshow, follow the arrows or click on a slideshow image to return to the thumbnail view.

Downstream and the Upper Falls

The two sections of the falls that are part of the Grand Canyon of The Yellowstone River are photographed from several well established locations. Probably the best known is the view from Artist Point on the south Rim. There were several shots from that location in a gallery that I had up recently. This shot is taken from the North Rim and shows the Upper Falls near the top of the image. The Lower falls are not shown but the Yellowstone River downstream from the Lower Falls is the predominant aspect of the image. I also love the golden hues of the canyon sidewall in this early morning shot.
Well-Lit Lodgepole

Anyone who has seen any of my other photographic efforts may recall that I am intrigued by trees that grow in harsh conditions and there are many such examples throughout the mountains. This young Lodgepole Pine was seen in bright morning light on the North Rim of the GCY while the morning sun hadn't yet reached the background canyon walls. Another tree living in a tough location.
Morning Mist

In the overview comments at the start of this gallery, I mentioned the summer-like weather. That was decidedly NOT the case when I came upon this scene. On this morning, just as the sun was coming up, I drove into the park from West Yellowstone. The outside temperature was 15 degrees Fahrenheit. The very cold air passing over the still warm water of the Madison River made this a very intriguing shot. Later in the day, the temps again got up to the mid 60's and all of the steam disappeared from the river.
Sunset Silhouette

There aren't a lot of great sunset locations in Yellowstone. (Hope someone chimes in and tells me that I am wrong about that and offers some suggestions) On this trip for the most part, the conditions were also not optimal for sunsets as there were very few clouds. The one exception was the mid-week evening that I shot this image near Madison Junction. The cloud pattern is nice; I like the silhouetted tree on the right side as well.
Resting at Slough Creek

In the Lamar Valley on the North end of the park, there is a gravel road that runs for several miles into the Slough Creek Campground. The creek cuts a meandering path as it flows down toward the junction with the Lamar River. As I came around a bend in the road, I decided to stop and walk to see what the creekside vantage point looked like. What a great decision as this herd of Bison had chosen to stop to rest along side the creek and near these two tall pines. While I wished for some clouds, I'll settle for the image as is. By the way, this general area is a famous location for wolf watching, the Slough Creek Pack made its home here for several years.
Thermal Morning Light

This shot was taken right alongside the road near Roaring Mountain on the road between Mammoth and Norris Junction. What intrigued me was the bright orange morning light in the eastern sky and its reflection in the water running alongside the road. The steam rising from the heated water was an added plus.
Young Griz

I imagine that everyone that likes to take pictures of wildlife wants a good grizzly bear picture in their portfolio. With this shot, I now have one that meets my standard. I wish I could say that it took great effort on my part but alas, it was serendipity; being in the right place. I'm guessing that this one is a young sow, based mainly on her size. She? was digging for roots or ground squirrels near the road between Canyon Village and Fishing Bridge, in the Hayden Valley. From the car, I took about a hundred images before she looked up and faced into the late afternoon light. Got the shot I wanted.
Cow and Calf

While this image is not exactly a portrait, it surely has the eye in sharp focus. This cow elk and, what is likely her calf were shot along the Madison River in the early morning light. Note the frost on the top of both sets of ears.
Swimmers

You rarely think of Bison as swimmers but, in fact, they can swim enough to get across the myriad rivers and creeks in Yellowstone. This group was part of a herd of about 35 that crossed this little backwater area adjacent to the Yellowstone River. Note the bonus pair of Mallards in the bottom left corner.
Pronghorn

There is an old gravel stagecoach road that used to carry traffic from the Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel to the town of Gardner, just north of the park. Before this trip, I hadn't been aware of this road. As I drove it north, I saw a small herd of Pronghorn in a valley about 400 yards off of the road. As I watched, they decided to climb the steep sidewall of a ravine to a ridgeline. This one graciously looked back at me from the top of the ridge. My 500 mm lens was just right to capture the moment before he headed down the other side.
Foraging Black Bear

Black Bears are more common than grizzlies. The public, for the most part, however, doesn't make a distinction between the two species so, whenever any bear can be seen from the road a 'Bear Jam' gathers a crowd. When I got caught up in the traffic jam caused by people watching this one, I decided to get the gear out and follow him/her for awhile. He was eating berries along a ravine near Tower-Roosevelt. Eventually he got close enough for me to get this shot with my 500. The catchlight in his eyes is a natural one from sunlight; no fill flash.
Another Tough Tree

I loved the exposed root structure of this pair of tall Lodgepoles near Inspiration Point on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. This shot is a three shot vertical panorama.
Virginia Cascades

Virginia Cascades is a fast moving section of the Gibbon River that is accessed from a one-way road between Norris and Canyon Village. In order to get this nicely framed shot, I had to do some climbing to get off of the road to a vantage point above the falls. Fortunately, it was cloudy so the contrast in the shot was quite manageable.
Firehole Falls

I have been fortunate to shoot the Firehole Falls in a variety of seasons. This shot was taken in very cold temperatures in the early morning. Thus the steam rising from the warm waters into the 15 degree air.
Firehole Falls - Close-up

This, of course, is a small section of the larger image of the Firehole Falls. It was taken with a high shutter speed, 1/320 sec. to stop the motion of the water over the falls. Note also the turquoise color of the water and the steam coming off of the warm water.
Moose Falls

Moose Falls is at the far south end of the park, just inside the South entrance. Although there are no walkways after you walk the short distance in from the road, if you are willing to do a little bushwacking, there are lots of different perspectives to shoot from. I spent several hours at the falls trying different viewpoints. I liked this one best, probably partly because of the brightly lit shrub at the top right of the image and the evergreen framing the left side.
Sheepeater Cliff

The area got it's name from the Sheepeater Indian tribe that lived in the area. This view looking at one of the distinctive cliffs was taken in the warm light of late afternoon. The view is downstream of the Gardner River with low water levels revealing lots of rocks in the water.
Undine Falls

Undine Falls is on the north end of the park, right off of the road between Mammoth and Tower-Roosevelt. The shot is looking east so afternoon light works best. When I was there, it was overcast so I was able to avoid the high contrast between white water and the underlying black rock. This is a shot that likely everyone with a camera takes as it is right on the road and the terrain in front of the falls is very steep so it would be very hard to get to other vantage points. The waterflow is Lava Creek which drains into the Gardner River.
Yet Another Tough Tree

Another tree making it in a tough place. This one is at the top of a steep cliff looking downstream into the GCy from near Inspiration Point on the North Rim.
Lone Engelmann

One of my favorite tree species in Yellowstone, the Engelmann Spruce sometimes gets quite large. This one stood out because it was alone in an open meadow just off of the Blacktail Deer Plateau road. (A one-way gravel road south of the main road between Mammoth and Tower)