The Tetons and Yellowstone in June, From Mountains to Wildlife

In Front of the Teton Range

On the afternoon of June 12, 2021, the first two photographs recorded the Teton Range from the same stop in vertical and horizontal frames. A low meadow and road lead toward snow remaining on the peaks, with small clouds above the ridge.

A vertical frame of the Teton Range beyond meadow and a narrow path.

A wider view of the mountains, meadow, and road.

Mountains Across the Lake

An hour later, the view shifted across a lake. Dark water and shade replace the brighter meadow in the foreground, changing the outline and weight of the mountains beyond.

A mountain ridge and forest across the dark surface of a lake.

Canyon and Geothermal Color

At midday the following day, the camera looked down at a river moving between high rock walls. Dense conifers cover both sides of the canyon while the water disappears into the distance.

A river flowing through a Yellowstone canyon of reddish rock and conifer forest.

Later that afternoon, a geothermal pool replaced rock and forest with color. Turquoise water changes through yellow and orange at the rim, while clouds and sunlight meet on its surface.

Clouds reflected in a geothermal pool with a turquoise center and orange rim.

A Buck in the Morning

The final photograph, made on the morning of June 16, holds a buck feeding among young conifers. Low sunlight reaches its face and antlers still covered in velvet, closing several days of broad landscapes at close range.

A buck with velvet-covered antlers feeding among young conifers.

Mountains, water, canyon, and geothermal terrain unfold at different scales, but the sequence ends with the movement of one animal. These six photographs do not try to explain both parks in full; they record the eye moving outward and then close again over several days.

Record

Photographed: June 12–16, 2021
Locations: Grand Teton National Park and Yellowstone National Park
Scenes: mountain landscape, lake, canyon, geothermal basin, and wildlife