Last Updated: 4 September @0600 MST

FLEXIBILITY
Now that we’ve decided which area we will be traveling to, it is time to nail down specifics. We will plan our days the best that we can, however, we will still have to stay flexible with weather conditions as the trip progresses. This will likely involve last-minute route/destination changes. We can deal with those as they arise.

Be watching for this page to change throughout my day.

Jason

ps - DO NOT buy tickets yet until we both agree with the itinerary, and have discussed meals, expenses, and fees.

I wasn’t sure how well the scale of this trip was coming across, so I made a map and laid our route over some of France. I just want to make sure you are aware of the amount of traveling we will be doing as planned.

Dates

This is a balancing act. We’ve got to try to beat the early snows while hoping to catch autumn colors. Let’s shoot for an Arrival of 23 September and a road-trip start date of 24 September.

Arrival

For this trip, I think it is best for you to try to fly into Denver, Colorado. From there, you can grab a hotel there in the airport (Westin is $$$) or any of the local hotels surrounding the airport. With the Westin, you’d not need transportation. With a hotel local to the airport, you’d need to catch a taxi, Uber, or Lyft to get to your hotel. When you know your hotel information, you can send it to me and I will come to get you the next morning and we will start our trip.

Day 1, 24 September

• Overview

  • Photography at RMA

  • Breakfast at a sit-down restaurant

  • Drive to Grand Lake

  • Lunch, walk the main street, and scout out compositions for the evening

  • Evening photography over the Grand Lake or Trail Ridge Road

  • Evening: Spirit Lodge

We will start early and local to DIA at a place called the Rocky Mountain Arsenal (RMA). Here, I'd like to show you the contrast of city life with wildlife. One of our goals will be to capture an image of a bison or elk with Denver in the background.

• Equipment Recommended

  • Long Lens

From there, we will begin heading toward Grand Teton National Park (GTNP) and Yellowstone National Park (YNP). It’s a long drive, so we will stop at the town of Grand Lake, Colorado, the southern entrance to the Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP).

• Equipment Required

  • Long and Wide Lenses

Day 2, 25 September

• Overview

  • Sunrise Photography along Trail Ridge Road.

  • Looking for Moose or Bear

  • Drive Trail Ridge Road to Estes Park and then to GTNP

  • Lunch on the road or maybe in Estes Park

  • Dinner in Jackson, Wyoming

  • Sunset Photography in GTNP

  • Signal Mountain Campground

We will start early. This will be a very familiar start to the day. We hope to catch a nice sunrise with the rising sun at our backs and the morning sunlight reflecting off the Rocky Mountains. It’ll be a nice bonus if we see a moose or bear family along the Colorado River. We will likely eat lunch on the road from my supplies or in Estes Park. It will depend upon how long we stay around in RMNP. This will be a full day of driving. We will want to make sure we leave in enough time to see the sunset in GTNP.

Day 3, 26 September

• Overview

  • Morning Photography: Schwabacher Landing or T.A. Moulton Barn or Oxbow Bend

  • Tour Around / Wildlife Watch

  • Breakfast in Jackson, WY

  • Drive to Yellowstone

  • Lunch / Grand Prismatic Spring / Tour Around / Souvinirs

  • Evening at Old Faithful

  • Lewis Lake Campground

Much of the difficulty of GTNP is the weather and more specifically the cloud cover. If it is cloudy, we will likely scout out moose, bears, foxes, and flowers. If the mountains are visible, we will work to include them in the backgrounds of our photography.

Day 4, 27 September

• Overview

  • Bison (Lamar Valley) / Yellowstone Upper/Lower Falls / Yellowstone Lake

  • Drive back toward GTNP

  • Jackson Lake / Grand Pano / Jenny Lake / Souvinirs

  • Evening Photography: Schwabacher Landing or Oxbow Bend

  • Coulter Bay Campground

This day will cover a lot of miles. We may decide to cut a few of the items, such as Lamar Valley if we’ve “seen enough” bison.

Day 5, 28 September

• Overview

  • Schwabacher Landing or T.A. Moulton Barn or Oxbow Bend

  • Crystal Mill

  • Raspberry Ridge Cabin in Marble, CO

Another long day of driving. Seeing/photographing Crystal Mill is worth it. This is likely the most photographed location in Colorado second only to Maroon Bells.

Day 6, 29 September

• Overview

  • Tour Kebler & Ohio Passes (Autumn Colors)

  • Peanut Lake / Gothic Road (sunset)

  • Washington Gulch Campground

Both Ohio and Kebler Passes are filled with beautiful golden aspens, golden ferns, and colorful cliffsides.

Day 7, 30 September

• Overview

  • Peanut Lake (sunrise)

  • Drive to Denver International

This day will flex as necessary pending flight takeoff time.

Total Miles: 2,200
Hours Driving: 50
Current Trip Status: Awaiting Full Funding or Deposit

Suggestions

Night #1, 23 Sep Nathalie’s Pre-trip

Night #2, 24 Sep Spirit Lake Lodge

Night #3, 25 Sep Signal Mountain Campground

Night #4, 26 Sep Lewis Lake Campground

Night #5, 27 Sep Colter Bay Camping

Night #6, 28 Sep Raspberry Inn, Marble, Colorado

Night #7, 29 Sep Gothic Campground

FUNDING

• Option 1: Deposit and then residual

• Option 2: Fully fund the trip

Option #1

Both Option #1 and Option #2 include a non-refundable scheduling fee of $500.

Recommendations To Bring

• Warm Clothing

• Camera Equipment

• Rain Gear

CLOTHING
Bring layers! Outer-shell should repel wind/water. Hopefully, we will not need this, but it’s better to have it than not. Inner layers (against skin) should be warm and moisture-wicking. Wear what you want in between. My recommendation is to be able to remove/add layers. However, pack as little as possible. Maybe 3-4 days worth of clothing. We can always wash clothes at a laundromat if necessary.

GEAR
Try to keep camera gear in a single backpack. Bring a tripod and try to be able to mount the tripod along the outside of your camera gear backpack. Don’t forget your: Camera. Batteries, Tripod, Lenses. Storage/Memory Cards, and Chargers.

RMA/RMNP/GTNP/YNP: I’d recommend a long lens with adjustable focal length, especially for any wildlife we see. I will have a 150-600mm that we can share. I also have a 14-24mm, 24-70mm, and a 70-200mm that you can use.

Crystal Mill: Looking back at my Crystal Mill images, I see that they are mostly shot around the 24mm range.

Crested Butte: Wide Angle is best here as we will try to get under the tree canopy for some autumn colors.

Nathalie, Please review, sign, and return the linked Waiver/Release. Thank you!