Fall 2026 - Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, 9.8.2026 - 10.5.2026, Part 11: Cascade Canyon Turnout sunrise, Grand View Point, Jackson Lake Lodge
Since I had already shot sunrise from various locations of the whole Teton range, we headed for Cascade Canyon Turnout for a slightly different approach. This turnout is on the Teton Park Road a bit north of Jenny Lake. It is so much closer to the base of the mountains that it isn’t a good spot to capture the entire range. Instead, this turnout has a very dramatic view of Grand Teton. I just wanted to get a few sunrise shots from this angle to capture the jagged pinnacles that surround the true summit. Arriving pre-dawn at the turnout, we were the only ones there. I took my gear up onto a small rise above the parking lot which allowed me to observe a herd of elk slowly making their way along the base of the range out in the open. It was still too dark to get good photos but to see them and hear the bull bugling was really cool.
From my spot, the Grand towers between Teewinot Peak and Disappointment Peak. The entire upper reaches of these three peaks presented an extremely jagged and rugged view. As dawn broke, the sun lit up the taller Grand before any of the other peaks and I got some nice shots at this location.
Sunrise from Cascade Canyon Turnout
Sunrise lights up 13,776’ Grand Teton
Dramatic spires surround the Grand at sunrise from Cascade Canyon Turnout
Sunrise from Cascade Canyon Turnout
As we moved on, just a few feet up the road, the elk herd I had seen before was now in an open meadow lit up by the early morning sunlight.
Elk herd
Big bull elk shining in the morning sunlight
Continuing north on the Teton Park Road, we reached the junction with 191. Turning left, we continued north just past Jackson Lake Lodge and turned right on an unsigned, hard to see dirt road. This was the Grand View Point Road and we parked just a short way down at the dead end. At the parking area a sign said that Grand View Point was 1.3 miles ahead.
The general area around Grand View Point, Two Ocean Lake and Emma Matilda Lake is considered to be an area known to be grizzly territory. Of course I had somehow failed to mention this to my dear wife, not wanting to get her all up in a lather. As always when hiking in bear country, we made noise and had our bear spray in hand.
As we started up the trail, another sign showed a map with the entire area surrounding Two Ocean Lake and Emma Matilda Lake as being closed due to a mama grizzly and her cub hanging out in the vicinity. I assured Bridgit that the map clearly showed that our trail to Grand View Point was still open. And then just a few feet later, we found this in the middle of our trail.
Clear grizzly track
grizzly track
I was pretty confident it was a grizzly as opposed to a black bear by the shape of the paw print. While a black bear print has the pads in more of an arced curve, a grizzly’s pads go more straight across like the one in these photos. Well as you can imagine, this really put us on high alert but a bit to my surprise, Bridgit wanted to continue up to Grand View Point. So on we went, talking loudly and constantly scanning left, right, forward, behind and even up in the trees.
In short order we began to climb up a ridgeline. It wasn’t too tough but at that altitude we paused frequently to catch our breath (and listen for grizzly bears!). So far we had been totally alone but we came upon a group of about seven people making their way back down. They all still had all their arms and legs so we relaxed a bit more after that. We were still vigilant, but not as tense. After gaining seven hundred sixty feet we came to an overlook on the left side of the trail. It ws a large rocky mound and as we were almost to the top I spotted a chipmunk right on the very top of the mound. I positioned myself so that the chipmunk was framed against a backdrop of Mount Moran. I made sure to use a low depth of field so that the chipmunk would stand out. It’s a prize winner!
Classic chipmunk portrait
At the top of the outcrop we were looking down on Jackson Lake and the Teton Range. It truly was a grand view!
Jackson Lake and the Tetons from near Grand View Point
The happy couple
Just a very short way further we came to the actual Grand View Point. From this spot we couldn’t see the Tetons but had a great view looking down to Two Ocean Lake and Emma Matilda Lake. We even could see something swimming in Two Ocean Lake. There was a clear moving “V’ in the water but it was too far away to tell what it was.
Grand View Point
Two Ocean Lake. You can see something swimming on the right side of the lake.
We made it safely back to the Jeep without getting mauled by a grizzly. This turned out to be a 3.2 mile out and back with 760’ elevation gain. We only saw the one group coming down and one solo guy going up. I think this is a much less popular hike because there are no signs for the road.
Since we had never been, on the way back we stopped into Jackson Lake Lodge. When you walk in the front door to the lobby you have to go up a flight of wide stairs. As you reach the top you are facing gigantic floor to ceiling windows with a panoramic view of the entire Teton Range. It is an amazing view!
Mount Moran framed in the windows of Jackson Lake Lodge
We got coffees and huckleberry muffins and sat out on the deck just staring at the panorama. The colorful Willow Flats stretched from the lodge to Jackson Lake and the Tetons rose above it all like a great wall.
Willow Flats and the Tetons from the deck at Jackson Lake Lodge
Tetons with labels
Following a tip from a couple we had talked to at Jenny Lake, not too far from the lodge we turned off on Pacific Creek Road. Partially paved then dirt, we followed this road way up the valley. It was a very pretty and quiet drive. We passed a road that leads up to Two Ocean Lake but it was also closed due to the bear activity up there. We hoped we might see some wildlife but it wasn’t to be so we turned around at the end where there is a campground and drove back to our camp. Along the way we stopped at several pullouts just to soak in the views. We could feel our trip winding down and we didn’t want to leave. One spot I particularly like is between Oxbow Bend and Snake River Overlook where you have lots of cottonwoods in front of the Tetons and a classic wooden fence as a foreground.
The Tetons from un unnamed pullout
The Grand from an unnamed pullout
Snake River Overlook made famous by the legendary Ansel Adams photograph in 1942
The entire ten days we were in the Tetons I was hoping to capture a blazing sunset over the Tetons but it never seemed to happen. Usually there were no clouds at all or they weren’t over the range. So after dinner I drove up to Teton Point Turnout to try my luck one last time. I did have some cloud cover but it was slowly working its way south. By the time the clouds started turning color they had drifted south of the main range. I still got a few decent shots but never did get my blazing full sky. I guess we will have to go back for that!
Sunset on the Tetons
Sunset on the Tetons
Sunset on the Tetons
And that left us with one final day before it was time to head for home. We started out the day with one last sunrise photo session. One of the most popular places for sunrise in the Tetons is on the Antelope Flats Road along what is called Mormon Row. This is a series of old structures that are very photogenic as a foreground to the Teton Range. The most famous of these is the T.A. Moulton Barn. As previously mentioned, there is improvements being made around that barn and due to construction equipment and dirt piles covered with white plastic sheets, that barn is not very photogenic right now. The next best barn is right at the corner called the John Moulton Barn. I set up shop in a good spot. Over the next hour a steady stream of people poured in and took up every square inch of the place. Some were oblivious to the fact that others were trying to capture a moment, so you had people walking through your shot throughout the morning. I got some okay shots but nothing incredible.
Early morning at the John Moulton Barn
To be honest, I had sort of run out of things to do after ten days. We really wanted to just have a chill day to reflect on all the amazing things we had experienced on our month long trip. We ended up just taking a long, slow scenic drive up 191 and back down through the Teton Road. We stopped back into Jackson Lodge and had a drink out on the sunny deck. Bridgit had champagne and I had a Bloody Mary.
I thought about the trip. We had unbelievable weather. I think there was only three days that weather affected our plans. The rest of the time we had lots of sun and warm temps. We visited six places we had never been to before. We finally got back to Badlands which we had been wanting to do for six years since our first visit. We had the privelege of spending a great amount of time in the Tetons during the peak of the fall colors. I shot sunrise from seven different locations, each one with its own flavor. We saw bison, elk, mule deer, pronghorn, bighorn, grouse, bear and more moose than we could count. The Navibahn performed like a true champion and we just love our Jeep. We got to meet up with friends for a few of those days but mostly it was just the two of us. We can not think of anything more fun than traveling together. Thirty four and half years ago when I proposed to Bridgit, I told her I was looking for someone who wanted to see the world and she said yes. Since then we are fulfilling that dream and then some. In this life we have learned to live each day to the fullest and when it’s all said and done we will look back with zero regret.
Thanks so much for taking the time to read all about our adventures and we wish you all the very best in your own travels.