Yellowstone Park

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tangerine_sedge

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All, I'm lucky enough to be doing a road trip and spending a few days in Yellowstone in Late October.

Does anyone have hints and tips for good shooting locations which might be a little more off the beaten track?

Also, what's my likelihood of spotting bears(*) - this will impact whether I take a big white or travel light for just landscape shots :)

Thanks in advance.

(*) Hopefully they won't try and steal my pick-a-nick Boo-Boo! :)
 
I've not been in October but from what I understand bear activity is usually decent then as they are bulking up before hibernation. Our experience was in early June (and will be again next year)and best place we saw for viewing black bears was between Mammoth and Tower junction and then up the road towards Tower - we saw bears on this stretch nearly every morning and often in the early evening too. Grizzlies were less plentiful but the most reliable place we saw them was the Mary Bay area which is East of Fishing Bridge on the North end of Yellowstone Lake.

As for the pic-a-nic basket - don't even think about feeding any animals out there - a fed bear is a dead bear :-(
 
davidy233 said:
I've not been in October but from what I understand bear activity is usually decent then as they are bulking up before hibernation. Our experience was in early June (and will be again next year)and best place we saw for viewing black bears was between Mammoth and Tower junction and then up the road towards Tower - we saw bears on this stretch nearly every morning and often in the early evening too. Grizzlies were less plentiful but the most reliable place we saw them was the Mary Bay area which is East of Fishing Bridge on the North end of Yellowstone Lake.

As for the pic-a-nic basket - don't even think about feeding any animals out there - a fed bear is a dead bear :-(
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Thanks, I'll see how those locations map onto my current route through the area.

Also, I have no intention of feeding the bears, but the 'yogi bear' documentary series that I watched as a child makes me aware that they have plenty of ruses for distracting me whilst they make off with the food :)
 
tangerine_sedge said:
Thanks, I'll see how those locations map onto my current route through the area.

Also, I have no intention of feeding the bears, but the 'yogi bear' documentary series that I watched as a child makes me aware that they have plenty of ruses for distracting me whilst they make off with the food :)
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Also the road into the park (and obviously out of it too) to Gardiner (North entrance) and Cooke City (North East entrance)which are being built after the catastrophic floods in June washed the existing road away are due to open on October 15th so you should be able to access Lamar Valley
 
davidy233 said:
Also the road into the park (and obviously out of it too) to Gardiner (North entrance) and Cooke City (North East entrance)which are being built after the catastrophic floods in June washed the existing road away are due to open on October 15th so you should be able to access Lamar Valley
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Mmm - while the North east entrance and wonderful Lamar Valley will be open on the 15th of October I've just noticed that the repairs to the road to the North Entrance have been put back until no later than 1st November.
 
Thanks all, we'll be entering the park from Cody (on the 14) and expect to leave on the 26 towards Lander. Rather worryingly the 26 isn't showing as open on the park road map...
 
tangerine_sedge said:
Thanks all, we'll be entering the park from Cody (on the 14) and expect to leave on the 26 towards Lander. Rather worryingly the 26 isn't showing as open on the park road map...
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Looks OK on Apple maps - down through Grand Teton on Highway 89 and then out to Lander on Highway 26
 
Just to complete this thread - the Park was closed due to snow on the Eastern entrance that we were attempting to enter by, so we never made it into the park!

On a positive note, we went to Thermopolis instead which is interesting in it's own way and allowed me to try some astro-photography which turned out better than I expected (my first attempt in 30 years of taking photos!) but not good enough to publish here!
 
Boy haven't been into Yellowstone since about 1963! If I were to go today I'd be wearing my point and shoot on my belt and have my DSLR sitting on the seat next to me. Generally I only carry my point and shoot and if I see something I want my DSLR for, make a second trip. Yellowstone is a long way off to take a second trip and with an mty seat next to me the weight of my DSLR and bag mean nothing! Sometimes I think I really need to take a trip back there to see what has changed. Oh, take a tripod also, plenty of room for it in the truck! Speaking of bears, one trip through, I think about 1960, my mother got out to get a picture of a bear and got stuck, it chased her around the car looking for a hand out. Older brother squished a plum out the wing window on the driver side and mom got to the passenger door fast enough to get inside. Didn't know mom could run that fast! I have read that they discourage that any more and strive for cleaner camp grounds to discourage the intermingling with bears. To many people, it seems, have been hurt by them! See whatya done now? Got me thinking about going again!
 
Don Fischer said:
Boy haven't been into Yellowstone since about 1963! If I were to go today I'd be wearing my point and shoot on my belt and have my DSLR sitting on the seat next to me. Generally I only carry my point and shoot and if I see something I want my DSLR for, make a second trip. Yellowstone is a long way off to take a second trip and with an mty seat next to me the weight of my DSLR and bag mean nothing! Sometimes I think I really need to take a trip back there to see what has changed. Oh, take a tripod also, plenty of room for it in the truck! Speaking of bears, one trip through, I think about 1960, my mother got out to get a picture of a bear and got stuck, it chased her around the car looking for a hand out. Older brother squished a plum out the wing window on the driver side and mom got to the passenger door fast enough to get inside. Didn't know mom could run that fast! I have read that they discourage that any more and strive for cleaner camp grounds to discourage the intermingling with bears. To many people, it seems, have been hurt by them! See whatya done now? Got me thinking about going again!
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I've been twice in the last six years - it's totally different to the sixties when the mass of stupid people thought it was ok to feed wild animals. My favourite place in the world and I intend going back for a month in around 3 or 4 years time.

View: https://www.flickr.com/photos/davidyoungphoto/53000532653/in/dateposted-public/
 
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