Foliage Reports: September/October 2021

September 11, 2021 Mike Jackson

October 19, 2021 – Tuesday (The last entry)

Idaho Aspens: While most of the aspens and cottonwoods in GTNP are well past prime or fallen, the color is still great on the other side of the Teton Range.

Idaho Aspens: I could have easily spent another hour or two on the other side of the Tetons, I needed to get back home.

Idaho Aspens:

Idaho Aspens: A different way to see “the color”.

Idaho Aspens:

October 17, 2021 – Sunday

Mountain Ash Berries: These bright orange berries attract Robins, Ravens, and Waxwings. Most of the Mountain Ash trees I’ve seen inside the Park are bare but you can find them on the trees in town. Red and Orange: These colorful Aspen leaves were seen inside the Park near the Visitor’s Center at Moose.

October 16, 2021 – Saturday

Flat Creek: Colorful reflections at long Flat Creek here in town.

October 15, 2021 – Friday

Clinging to Fall: Look around, and you can still find pockets of color! Mt. Leidy: Frosted Grand: Country Roads: Clinging to Fall: Taken at the South end of Blacktail Butte.

October 14, 2021 – Thursday

Farewell to Fall: By now, you should get the picture! There are still foliage opportunities, but they are slipping away for the year.

October 13, 2021 – Wednesday

Great Gray Owl: While I saw quite a few colorful trees today, I spent most of my efforts trying to find an owl (of any species). I managed to spot this one along the river bottom of the Snake River.

October 12, 2021 – Tuesday

Pink House on Mormon Row: Most of the Aspens along Mormon Row were still yellow this morning, despite heavy overnight and morning winds. As you can see, we had overnight snow, but by the afternoon, most of the valley floor snow had melted. Pink House on Mormon Row: After leaving Mormon Row, I went to the Moose-Wilson Road. I was hoping to see snow on the colorful leaves. Schwabacher Road Closed Today: I don’t know if it was a temporary closure, but the gate to Schwabacher Landing was closed. For whatever reason, the Park Service seems quick to close that area each year. Snow is in the forecast for tonight.

October 11, 2021 – Monday

Hansen Barn and Cottonwoods: This is a detail shot of the old Hansen Barn on Spring Gulch Road. The cottonwoods behind the barn are in prime condition. I posted a full shot of the barn on the October Journal

October 2021 Daily Journal For GTNP & JH

Great Horned Owl: The leaves on some cottonwoods, willows, and aspens are thinning. While I enjoy seeing all of the brightly colored leaves, the autumn leaf fall makes it easier to see owls and other wildlife.

October 10, 2021 – Sunday

Blacktail Ponds: Yesterday, I made a list of some of the areas that have fall color. I mentioned the grasses and shorter willows being golden and russet brown. The shot shows some of status. Moose-Wilson Road: I also mentioned the Moose-Wilson Road was ablaze with bright yellow, gold, and orange. Moose-Wilson Road: While most of the Teton Range was covered with clouds this morning, Rendezvous Peak was visible, exposing its new layer of snow. Moose-Wilson Road: TA Moulton Barn:

Local Color: In town, there is an abundance of bright colors.

Local Color:

Local Color:

Local Color:

October 9, 2021 – Saturday

Wet Barn: With low clouds covering the Teton Range, I spent more of my day looking for wildlife. I stopped along Mormon Row for a few quick shots, documenting the peak Cottonwoods there.

Other Notes

The Black Hawthorn bushes along the Moose-Wilson Road are quite colorful, even if the Black Bears seem to have moved on. With the dry summer, the berry crop was below normal. Many trees in town have brightly colored leaves. The upper Gros Ventre area has bright leaves. I haven’t been to the northern portions of the Park lately, but I have a feeling the trees there are well past prime or have lost most of their leaves. Watch for late season Aspens near Death Canyon. My wife photographed some beautiful aspens on the Old Pass Road above Wilson. The deep grass and low shrubs and willows are golden and rusty colored. Very pretty!

October 8, 2021 – Friday

Hawthorn Leaves:  It rained in the valley floor off and on today, but I expect to find the high country getting snow overnight. More rain is in the forecast. I am interested in finding similar leaves covered with the white stuff on them. Orange: This photo was still in my camera from yesterday afternoon. It was taken at the base of Blacktail Butte.

October 7, 2021 – Thursday

TA Moulton Barn: The cottonwoods along Mormon Row are still looking good. Hurry! Pink House Pano: The aspens at the John Moulton Barn are nearing peak. Hurry! Gros Ventre Aspens: Many of the willows and cottonwoods along the Gros Ventre are either past prime or fallen, but there are several nice stands of aspens. Multicolored Aspen Leaves: You don’t have to go very far or search very hard to find brightly colored leaves “in town”.

Flat Creek Bridge: There are numerous spans of bike paths through town. This one is at the end of Powderhorn Lane.

Bounty of Berries: The Robins, Magpies, and Raven’s have yet to clean this brightly colored berry bush along the bike path. Motion Blur: These shots are achieved by setting up a tripod and using a Gimball head to limit the motion to only up and down. I think most of them were taken at 1/4 second in Manual Mode. Motion BlurMotion Blur: Each capture is a “one of a kind”. Motion Blur: Overcast days are best for this kind of shot, allowing for slow shutter speeds. It takes a little experimenting to figure out how fast to move the camera through the scene.

October 6, 2021 – Wednesday

Cottonwoods: I did a “vertical pano” on this one, stitching 7 or 8 horizontal captures.

East Boundary Cottonwoods:

October 5, 2021 – Tuesday

Bend in the Road: The upper Gros Ventre is quite colorful!

Upper Gros Ventre:

Jumping Rocks on the Upper Gros Ventre: Oxbow Upper Lot: The center section of this strip of Aspens are still in good shape. The edges are losing leaves. Oxbow Bend: The water level is dropping and some of the leaves are missing, but it still looks pretty good.

October 4, 2021 – Monday

Early Morning Gold:

Autumn Gold: Although some the valley yellow and gold leaves are falling, there are still plenty of beautiful trees and groves.

October 3, 2021 – Sunday

Fall Moose: It’s always nice to find some wildlife to put into a colorful scene! This bull I called “Casper” had bleached white fur on his muzzle and nose. Oxbow Bend Upper Lot: I would have never expected this strip of aspens to still have the bright leaves, but they are still clinging!

October 2, 2021 – Saturday

Early Morning Cottonwood: Taken at first light from the Teton Science School Road, looking south. You can see the spattering of aspens and cottonwoods in the distance. Aspen Ridge: As I mentioned in today’s entry on the Daily Journal, I would have liked to have a few clouds. This was taken at Elk Ranch Flats. Mt Leidy: The deep gold and russet cottonwoods seen here are along Spread Creek. TA Moulton Barn: Taken at a long distance from Antelope Flats Road. The cottonwoods around the barns are in all stages of color changes.

October 1, 2021 – Friday

Oxbow Bend: The lower section of Oxbow Bend was still okay this morning, but you’d better hurry! Some of the leaves are turning burnt orange and some are dropping. Oxbow Bend Reflections: In most years, the wind strips the leaves from the south end of this point of trees long before the leaves fall from the north end. This year, the south end is holding its leaves and the north is losing them. Upper Hillsides: I took this photo from the upper parking lot to show the loss of leaves on the hillside above Oxbow Bend. They start changing early, thus lose their leaves early. Spread Creek: Still a lot of color around. You’ll have to search for it now. TA Moulton Barn Pano: The cottonwoods around Mormon Row are usually some of the last to turn. They are not peak yet, but are turning. Elk Ranch: Some of the trees I photographed only a couple of days ago at Elk Ranch Flats are now dark or fallen. Others are just now nearing peak. Variegated Aspens: You can find this in many areas. Some are partially turned, while others are vivid. Science School Road: Even though the day was relatively cool, the bright yellow and gold leaves give you a warm feeling.

September 30, 2021 – Thursday

Moose at Ditch Creek: Ditch Creek Cottonwoods: Still looking good there…the cottonwoods along parts of the Snake are going “past prime”, thinning and turning darker. Aspen Leaves: You can find plenty of vividly colored leaves right now, but they are thinning.

Other Comments

• Many of the leaves in town are nearing peak.
• The lower “Bend” area of Oxbow Bend is probably past prime.
• The upper lot with the strip of orange aspens are still peak and quite vivid.
• The cottonwoods along the Snake near Wilson are past prime.
• Some aspens on Teton Pass are nearing peak.
• The west side of the Tetons (Victor, Driggs, etc) are behind the east side, but catching up fast.
• Some areas of aspens on the Moose-Wilson Road are still green.
• The cottonwoods along Mormon Row are nearing peak.
• Wind is never our friend during foliage season!

September 29, 2021 – Wednesday

Cottonwoods: Taken along Mormon Row.

TA Moulton Barn: The lead cottonwood behind the TA Moulton barn is getting bright.

Chapel of the Transfiguration: The aspens behind and around the Chapel are getting much brighter. Converging Aspens: Aspens: I stopped along the Moose-Wilson Road for a few long distance photos. There were north of the JH Ski Resort.

September 28, 2021 – Tuesday

Ditch Creek Gold:

Oxbow Bend Upper Lot:

Aspen Trunks: On the Wilderness Road off of Pacific Creek Road. Teton Pass Aspens: Fall Tetons:

September 27, 2021 – Monday

Bill Briggs at Oxbow Bend: Taken just after the rays of light hit the bank of aspens at the west end of the “The Bend”. Bill sent me a note letting me know it was him! Oxbow Bend: Cottonwood Creek: Afternoon Haze and Smoke: Taken at Lupine Meadows.

Leaf Pair: Cottonwood Creek

Berries: Cottonwood Creek Oxbow Bend Pano: This should tell you about all you need to know about conditions at Oxbow. Cottonwood Creek: I don’t know how long the haze and smoke will be with us, but you might consider looking for tight shots instead of the big vista views.

September 26, 2021 – Sunday

Gros Ventre Willows: Gros Ventre Aspens: This is a cropped area of a shot taken along the Gros Ventre. Aspen Stand: There is a LOT of color just about everywhere now.

Aspens and Grand: I used the Sky Replacement feature in Photoshop to add in a tiny bit of cloud texture to an otherwise boring sky.

Snake River Pano: I was wrong earlier about the Cottonwoods along the Snake River. Instead of turning brown, they are bright yellow from Snake River Overlook to Moose Junction. I didn’t go there, but I had reports that Oxbow Bend was very busy this morning. 

September 25, 2021 – Saturday

Backlit Aspen Stand: Chapel of the Transfiguration Aspens at the Taggart Lake Parking Area: Oxbow Bend: Upper lot.

Oxbow Bend: Riverside at Oxbow Bend

Sunken Leaves: At Cottonwood Creek. These are actually UNDER the water.

Fallen Leaves: Cottonwood Creek. These leaves are partially atop the water and some are sunken.

Cottonwood Creek Reflections:

September 24, 2021 – Friday

Oxbow Bend: Getting close! Oxbow Bend Upper Lot: Two Ocean Lake Road: Spread Creek: Elk Ranch:

September 23, 2021 – Thursday

Buffalo Fork: The cottonwoods and willows along the Buffalo Fork River are more vivid than the ones along the Snake. Upper Lot at Oxbow Bend: Not quite peak, but getting there fast. Oxbow Bend: This stand is still four or five days away from peak. Aspens: In one stand, there can be a wide variety of stages of change.

September 22, 2021 – Wednesday

Jackson Peak: Willows in prime form along the Gros Ventre River with Jackson Peak as a backdrop. If you hike around in the Gros Ventre river bottom, you’ll see a lot of cottonwood and willow leaves on the ground. There is still quite a bit of yellow but the leaves are thinning quickly.

September 21, 2021 – Tuesday

Aspens and Grand: Many areas have near peak conditions, yet there are other areas with summer green aspens. Snake River Basin: Click this image to see it larger. This pano image shows the wide range of colors in the aspens and cottonwoods along the Snake River. I don’t know how much more vidid the cottonwoods will get, or if they will drop their leaves before turning bright yellow.

September 20, 2021 – Monday

Oxbow October 4, 2019: I’m posting this for a point of reference. If you scroll down this page to September 16’s entry, you can see the hillside included in the far right/middle to this photo. I don’t think the season will last until October 4 this year. I should go by Oxbow today and will have more current information, but in general, I’d suggest getting here sooner than later! As you can see in the photos from the past few days, things are well ahead of schedule and you and find plenty of yellow leaves right now. Upper Hillside seen in the upper right of the 2019 photo. This was taken on September 16, 2021. Two Ocean Lake Road: Thee are numerous nice stands of Aspens on this road. Two Ocean Lake Road: Two Ocean Lake Road: Two Ocean Lake Road:  Oxbow Bend: Colorful Hillside: The aspens in the Lizard Creek area at the far norrth end of Jackson Lake. Colorful Aspens:

Orange Aspens:

Jackson Peak: Taken from the Gros Ventre Road.

Gabby Petito

If you are watching the news lately, you will likely see reports of Gabby Petito’s body being found in Grand Teton National Park. The Forest Service Road along Spread Creek and also Wolf Ranch Road are closed at this time.

September 19, 2021 – Sunday

After looking for Moose initially, I headed “up the Gros Ventre” to check out the foliage. This was taken at the old cabin used in the Shane movie. Slide Lake is turning fast, but not quite peak. Upper Gros Ventre: A lot of areas has a variety of color stages in the same grove. Yesterday’s heavy winds stripped a few trees and definitely thinned the willows along the Gros Ventre River bottom. Atherton Creek Color: The red rocks are across from the Atherton Creek Campground. Atherton Creek Details Upper Gros Ventre: The upper Gros Ventre goes for miles and miles. I turned around near the end of Slide Lake. Upper Gros Ventre: The great feature of Jackson Hole and Grand Teton National Park is the way it changes in stages and zones. Luckily, they do not all change at the same time!

September 18, 2021 – Saturday

Aspen Hillside – Sept 18, 2021: This was taken at the same hillside this morning…a week earlier in September that last year. It still has a couple of days to catch up, but it should confirm that foliage is early.

It’s windy today, with clouds rolling in and a forecast of possible high country snow for Monday.

September 17, 2021 – Friday

Shadow Mountain: There was some haze in the south and east, affecting this shot, but it show some of the colors happening on the east side of the park. Hunter Hereford Ranch at the base of Shadow Mountain.

Color Comments

I receive a lot of emails asking me to predict “prime” at Oxbow. Based on what I am seeing, I’d suggest it will be earlythis year. That’s assuming “normal” prime is September 30 to October 3. How early? I can only guess…let’s say September 26 to September 29. It could easily be even earlier! It’s September 17 today and we are already seeing quite a bit of color in the area. Will there be smoke at prime time…who knows! hoshone: In the willows along the Snake River.

September 16, 2021 – Thursday

Oxbow Bend Upper Lot and Hillside: Things are heating up at Oxbow, but the stand on the west end of the “bend” is still mostly green. Oxbow Hillside: Pacific Creek Aspens: Two Ocean Lake Road Aspens: There was a fair amount of smoke after lunch, but most of it it blew off again by the afternoon. Notes: If you want to find “color” in GTNP, it is obviously available to you. Give the area another four or five days and the colorful foliage should be much more dominant valley wide.

September 15, 2021 – Wednesday

Snake River: Taken near the Moose Visitor’s Center. The willows and cottonwoods are changing pretty fast. These were backlit, making them even more vibrant.

September 14, 2021 – Tuesday

Snake River Overlook: I took this photo Monday night, but didn’t have time to post it. Notice some of the bright aspens at the bottom and some cottonwood color in the middle river bottom. Sunrise on the Gros Ventre: Taken this morning while looking for Moose. Cottonwoods are starting to catch up with the willows. Splendid Color: Taken this afternoon near Palisades Reservoir.

Foliage Quick Comments

Cottonwoods along the Snake River from Wilson to Moran are advancing quickly. Much of the valley’s trees have begun to “shift” in color. Refer to #3 and #4 on my chart at the top. Around the valley, there’s plenty of “patchy” bright color, but they are the exception and not the rule. You can see distant the aspens in the Bison shot below. You will also find zones with Aspens turning brown instead of yellow. There are yellow stands of aspens near Triangle X Ranch. The aspens on the Idaho side of the Teton Range are behind our side. The Mountain Maples in the Snake River Canyon appear to be dry and duller than normal.

September 13, 2021 – Monday

Shadow Mountain: This is a shot taken last evening from the Highway towards Shadow Mountain in the east. You can see quite a few aspens starting to change on that hillside. Schwabacher Landing: Taken at last light, showing the status of some of the cottonwoods, willows and grasses there.

September 12, 2021 – Sunday

Schwabacher Evening: I took this photo fairly late in the day yesterday, shooting almost directly into the sun. It shows the status of the grasses, cottonwoods, and willows there. The bulk of the large cottonwoods are just beginning to change. On my color scale…maybe a 3. TA Moulton Barn: The cottonwoods at the Mormon Row barns are usually some of the last to change…usually in early October. Currently, they are mostly dark green. Black Hawthorn Berries: There berries are primarily what the Black Bears are eating. Some trees have been picked clean by both the Bears and the Robins. Black Hawthorn Leaves: This group of leaves were taken at a tree only a few yards from the previous photo. As the season progresses, more will turn orange and red.

Laurance S. Rockefeller Preserve Notes (Related Moose-Wilson Road)

It’s worse than I mentioned yesterday on the Moose-Wilson Road. I suggested that you could park in the parking lot at the Laurance S. Rockefeller Preserve and walk in to see and photograph leaves, berries, possibly bears, and the stream running down from Phelps Lake, but the entire area around the Visitor’s Center there is closed to all human activity. A new trail marches people well to the north of the Hawthorn groves and along the road to one of the trails to Phelps Lake.

September 11, 2021 – Saturday

Sleeping Indian Willows: Many of the willows along the Gros Ventre River are nearing peak, but there are other zones a bit behind. This photo was taken September 10, 2021. Schwabacher Landing: Taken September 10,2021. The cottonwoods along the Snake River have patchy areas of yellow. Willows and the ground cover are turning. Note the relatively clear skies on Friday. Haze and smoke can fill in on any day this year. Be patient and persistent, and you may hit a great morning. Gros Ventre Willows: This group of Mountain Maple trees were photographed September 9, 2021. The Maples in the Snake River canyon are not quite ready, but these photos taken along the Palisades Reservoir were farther along. Mountain Maples: The aspens in the same region are still green. Still…it’s time to head down the canyon! Mountain Maples: As of September 11, 2021 a few friends are telling me Oxbow Bend is “just” beginning to change, but is far from peak. When I drove south to get to the Mountain Maples, I observed that most of the Aspens and Cottonwoods along the roadway towards Hoback Junction have not been changing much.

Moose-Wilson Road Comments:

Normally, we see Black Bears along the Moose-Wilson Road, and they look even better as the leaves on the Black Hawthorn bushes turn from green to orange. Over the past few years, and worse again this year, the Park Service has all but closed the road to photography. There is only a .5 mile section of the roadway in the prime bear zone open to roadside parking, and with the berry crop thin in that area, about the only photos you will get there will be “drive by shooting”. The photo above was taken out the window as I was lucky to be “forced” to be stopped by the Wildlife Volunteer. When the line of traffic cleared, I had to stop shooting and move on.  You can still park at the Sawmill Pond overlook and have a chance to see a bear. If you go early enough, you should be able to get a parking spot at the Laurance S. Rockefeller Preserve and possibly see a bear in that area. The Preserve might also be a good place to photograph tight shots of leaves and berries.

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