Yellowstone NP questions...

I went to YNP/Grand Teton a few years ago - I needed either a transfusion of red blood cells or a week to get acclimated to the altitude before I did much. The Paint Pot Geyser Basin is at 7,000 ft - pretty high for a flatlander from Florida!

There are some neat out-of-the-way places at the SW corner of YNP accessible only from Idaho (Cave Falls). That same area has Mount Sawtelle, with a narrow gravel road up to the FAA radar station at about 9,500 ft and some spectacular views! Rubber knees from oxygen deprivation after a couple of minutes.:p

At the time, I was shooting with a Pentax K-1000 - did a bout 30 rolls! Today it is digital and I would probably write that many CD-R's full. Be sure you have plenty of media - CF cards, CD-R, spare batteries and the means to recharge them).

Maybe next year for another trip West!

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I will be there in the beginning of Sept. Hopefully the construction is minimal. I will check the park website for updates. Thanks Kevin. Enjoy your Glacier NP trip.

Thanks Maureen. I will make sure Geyser Basin is one of my stops. Great info!

Sunrise/sunset is a must-see for me. Thanks for the tips Chazs.

Unfortunately i don't have a laptop or Epson P2000. But I will make sure i bring plenty of CF's. Nice shot of the bison and the fall! Thanks dale65bama.

Its been years since I visited but as I recall the whole place is just one big photo opportunity. You can't go wrong anywhere, its really just a spectacular place that you have to see to believe.

Now i think my 4Gb CF is not enough for this trip.
I wish i had your 12-24 WA to capture as many thing in one frame as possible.

I do plan on making a return trip there or going to Yosemite, not sure which as of yet. But I would bring as much memory as I could, probably a PSD like the PD70X and a couple extra batteries. Lenses as on many vacations just never seem wide or long enough, the scenery you just have to see pictures can hardly do it justice although that doesn't stop us from trying. There is a good amount of wildlife and I'd wish I had my 400 5.6L back then but don't get stuck on bison. Its exciting when you see one for the first time, you start snapping pictures and giggling like a school girl cause you're up close to the wildlife then later in the trip you find yourself tripping over them because they are everywhere. Your 18-55 will be decent as a wide angle but if you think you can rent/buy/borrow a superwide I think you'd be happy that you did.

I'm sure that will still happen when i see one. The only wildlife of that size i have ever shot is the Golden Bull on Wall Street when i went to Manhanttan. LOL!

Yeah, bison are pretty fun to see. We got some nice shots right from the car of a herd crossing the road. One of them walked right along side so plenty of opportunity there.

I hope you see an elk with a great big rack. Now that's an impressive sight. We saw lots of them on our last two trips. However, I'll admit it got to be no big deal after a while. We'd be driving along and see a bunch of cars stopped. "What are they looking at? Oh, just more elk. No need to stop."

We saw a big horn sheep on the drive up to Mammoth. But it was too far up the hillside to even get a picture. Also saw some moose. Nothing with a big rack but they're interesting creatures. Also saw a couple of coyotes, one stalking some prey. And we got some nice shots of a bald eagle in Hayden Valley. Be sure to watch for Osprey when you're at the Grand Canyon. You can see their nests. We also saw one fishing on a little drive along the river just after you enter the park from the west. It's fun to watch them dive for a fish, though hard to capture a photo. A little farther along there's a good spot where you can usually see a swan. You just never know what you'll see so you have to keep your camera handy.

Can you tell I absolutely love Yellowstone! There's so much to see and do that you should prepare yourself for a sensory overload.

IntheRed, you story is making me so excited, almost want to jump on a plane and go there NOW.
I will make sure my camera is ready all the time. I definitely hope to see the Osprey nest (or any nest ). I need to do more cardio work and get back in shape before the trip.

cfcRebel wrote:
IntheRed, you story is making me so excited, almost want to jump on a plane and go there NOW.
I will make sure my camera is ready all the time. I definitely hope to see the Osprey nest (or any nest ). I need to do more cardio work and get back in shape before the trip.

That reminds me! While we were driving through the park an osprey swooped down on the road in front of us grabbed a little furry thing and flew off... And the camera wasn't ready!

Oh, I also checked the construction notices and you should be ok, all of the roads are supposed to be back open by mid Aug.

MazerRakhm wrote:
That reminds me! While we were driving through the park an osprey swooped down on the road in front of us grabbed a little furry thing and flew off... And the camera wasn't ready!

Oh, I also checked the construction notices and you should be ok, all of the roads are supposed to be back open by mid Aug.

Oh wow! What an amazing encounter! Maybe my gf should be the one who drives. So i can hold the camera and standby at all time.
Thanks for checking the construction notices Kevin. Can't wait to see the Glacier NP pictures from you.

Two more days i'll be heading to Yellowstone NP. I know i'm gonna lost sleeps these nites. Too exciting!
Camera, lenses, batteries, charger....... man, too amny things to pack.

Have fun, good luck!

We'll still be here waiting for pictures when you get back!

MazerRakhm wrote:
Have fun, good luck!

We'll still be here waiting for pictures when you get back!

Thanks Kevin. I'll make sure my gears are put in full use. Pressure's on!

Man if your going to Yellowstone, don't forget to go south to Jackson Hole. The views of the Teton Mt. Range is breathtaking. Get up early for these shots, as the day goes on the sun washes out the mountains. We stayed in West Yellowstone ourselves and went into the park daily. West Yellowstone has the Grizzley Interprative center and a Wolf Interprative center, Both offer good photo opps for close ups. Sept. will be a great time to go, because of the altitude the fall colors should be showing themselves. Have fun wish I was going.

Thanks RiverRatt. I'll be staying in the park for 7 days. Then I'll spend 2 days at Grand Teton/Jackson Hole. Hopefully the fall colors come in prefect timing. Any must-visit place in Jackson Hole?