If you are lucky enough to hit Oxbow Bend “perfectly” in the fall, I suggest that you head back into town and buy a few lottery tickets!
Ideally, you want yellow leaves, calm water, snow on Mt. Moran, a few low clouds (but not too many), a sky without widlfire smoke, a little moring sunlight, and a place to set up a tripod. Hopefully a kayaker isn’t in the sceen causing ripples in the otherwise mirrorlike reflections. Any way you look at it, a morning at Oxbow bend is a huge gamble. From town, it takes at least 45 minutes to drive to the spot. An hour is more correct if you obey the 45mph night time speed limit. It often takes a pass or two to find a parking spot, or you have to walk a ways after finding a distant space. And these parameters are for the locals!
Out of town photographers have another huge challenge to go with the rest. Peak foliage can vary by weeks from year to year. On average, peak at Oxbow is around October 1st, but I’ve seen peak at least a week earlier. Out of town photo workshops and many regular visitors must guess and hope to be in the valley on the best two or three days. Hotels are usually booked solid in the fall, so there is not a lot of room for error!
Wind is another nemesis for fall photographers. Besides ruffling the water, overnight winds can strip leaves off the aspens. If all this isn’t enough, summer wildfires can pump smoke into the valley, dulling everything. Occasionally, the Forest Service does “contolled burns” in the region a week or so prior to peak foliage season. The Jackson Hole Chamber of Commerce asks them to hold off until after the season. Their beauracratic reply is “It’s a quarterly budget and resource issue⏤out of our hands.”
If you are lucky enough to hit the Oxbow Bend jackpot, go buy some lottery tickets!
Panoramas
With a 30 mile mountain range as a backdrop, Grand Teton National Park is ideal for panoramic images! The Grand is in the southern portion, and Mt. Moran serves as an anchor around Oxbow Bend.
