Fall in Grand Teton National Park

Wondering what you will see on a visit to Grand Teton National Park in October? 

This two minute video highlights dramatic fall color, magnificent views, and wildlife including moose, bear, deer, bison, and pronghorn.

Certain views of the spectacular Grand Teton mountain range have been photographed tens of thousands of times, but each sunrise is still different. It is a surprise, having set out in the dark well before dawn, to see what the sunrise will bring, and in autumn, around the end of September and beginning of October, the fall color is spectacular.

Dawn at Schwabacher Landing

Mt. Moran just before dawn

Dawn at Oxbow Bend

There are more reported moose sightings in October than any other month, but to see a moose you must be in the right place at the right time. To photograph the animal you must also have a great deal of patience. Typically, this bull lay in the sage brush for nearly four hours - showing the moose paparazzi only a wonderful view of his antlers. During this time he stood up only once for 30 seconds. For all we know, he may have laid there another four hours before walking off, as we did not stay longer.

Moose lying in sage brush

Moose are huge animals which can weigh nearly a ton and stand almost 7 feet tall. They feed primarily on vegetation, both on land, and submerged under water. They can even dive - up to 18 feet deep - to feed. They are often found in marshy wetlands, and love to hide in dense brush and willows. It is amazing how quickly such a large animal can disappear into the brush. They are regularly seen along the Snake River, from the Moose-Wilson Road, at Oxbow Bend, at Schwabacher Landing, and also along the Gros Ventre River.

Bull moose near Moose-Wilson Road

Bull moose near Gros Ventre RIver

Bull moose near Gros Ventre River

Bull Moose near Moose-Wilson Road

As with the moose pictured in the sage brush above, many times this animal is first spotted lying in tall grass or sage.

Bull moose in grass

While it is especially thrilling to spot the big bulls with the huge racks of antlers, the cow moose and their calves are also fascinating to watch.

Cow moose feeding in pond

Calf born this spring still stays near his mama

Much of the park provides excellent habitat for bear - both grizzly bear and black bear. In fall they enter a phase called “hyperphagia” in which they eat voraciously in preparation for winter hibernation. These young black bears were photographed along the Moose-Wilson Road.

Cinnamon-colored American Black Bear

Tourists watch American Black Bear on Moose-Wilson Road

The aspens and sycamores turn bright shades of yellow and deep gold in fall. Some bushes turn to red and rust colors. The grasslands glow gold in morning and evening light.

Fall color near Jenny Lake

Aspens on Moose-Wilson Road

Near water, you may see various ducks, Canada geese, and other water fowl. The premier winged fishermen are eagles and osprey.

Osprey with fish

American Bison are an iconic animal of both Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks. Huge animals, often found in herds, they can be dangerous and as with other big game, it is important to keep an appropriate distance - federal law requires 25 yards for most of the big animals, and 100 yards for bear and wolf.

American Bison

Pronghorns are a lovely, graceful animal, often found in small groups. It is the fastest animal on land in North America, and is often seen in the open sage grasslands of the park. Antelope Flats and the area along the Gros Ventre River are especially good places to observe pronghorn.

Pronghorns

Big Springs Float and Moose

On Labor Day weekend, we paddled a canoe about five miles down the Henry’s Fork below Big Springs - designated the Big Springs National Water Trail.

This is a favorite, easy, family friendly float. It is also well known as offering great opportunities for wildlife watching, especially on early morning floats. Canoes, rafts, and flat-bottomed boats are available for rent at moderate prices at Mack’s Inn, which will also shuttle a person one-way for $7 from the put-in to the take-out at the resort, if you need the ride.

Big Springs produces 120 million gallons of water a day and forms the headwaters of the Henry’s Fork. The water from Big Springs is sparkling clear. The stream bottom is mostly small stones and gravel, with lush underwater vegetation in places. 

The first wildlife we saw were birds: Kingfishers, Gulls, Great Blue Herons, and Blue Winged Teal.

Kingfisher

California Gull

Juvenile Blue Winged Teal

There were places we had to get out and pull the canoe through shallow water only a couple of inches deep, and other places where the stream narrowed and there were pools eight feet deep. The stream flows through beautiful forest and is lined much of the way with willows that look like great moose habitat.

Great Blue Heron a split second after taking off from the river

Great Blue Heron soars above the willows

Moose are frequently seen on this float in late August and September, and we especially wanted to see a moose. Towards the end of the float, just as the houses at Mack’s Inn came into view in the distance, we saw movement in the grass along the river that turned out to be the antlers of two moose. These huge animals spend hours lying down in tall grass which camouflages them well. 

Bull moose - does he think he is hidden?

As we floated by in the canoe, one of the two big bulls stood up, looked at us, walked over to much on the nearby willows, and then disappeared into the willow thicket.

Classic bull moose in early fall

Bull moose gazes at photographer in canoe

Bull Moose - never knew they had such long eye lashes!

Bull moose heading into willow thicket

Minutes later, we spotted this osprey perched high in a dead tree-top.

What a thrill to watch it dive to catch a fish, then fly away with its meal.

Osprey with its catch - a formidable fisherman!

Osprey heads off with lunch

Bull Elk #10 in Yellowstone

This magnificent bull was resting not far from the road, in the late afternoon. We spotted him on September 2, 2012 near the road between Sheepeater Cliff and Mammoth in Yellowstone, and of course immediately noticed the yellow tag in his ear. He turned out to be the "famous" bull elk #10 that others have photographed and written about. 

Bull Elk #10 in Yellowstone ~ Jean Bjerke photo

As typically happens in Yellowstone, he had attracted an admiring small crowd, who wisely kept their distance. Park rules require humans to stay at least 25 yards from this massive animal.

Bull Elk #10 resting near Blacktail Ponds ~ Randy Bjerke

Curious whether we could find records of bull elk #10, we found mention of him in Beth Pratt's blog from September 2008, when her pictures showed him to be a beautiful 6x6-point bull. In February 2009 Kurt Repanshek wrote in his National Parks Traveler about the death of another well-known elk, bull elk #6, characterizing these two bulls as having been arch-rivals. In January 2011, artist and sculptor George Bumann photographed bull elk #10 near Blacktail Ponds, and by this time the bull had a beautiful, even seven-point rack of antlers. Bumann wrote "I sure hope that we will get to see him next autumn!"  In June 2012, the Guidebook of Yellowstone Wildlife reported that bull elk #10, "one of the most popular bulls in the park," was spotted near Blacktail Ponds. A google search turned up some beautiful images and several videos of this bull. What a privilege to see him ourselves!

Bull Elk #10 - Note perfect 7x7-point rack ~ Jean Bjerke

Bull Elk #10 ~ Jean Bjerke

Well, he is back! He looks good, well-fed, with his coat in good shape. A beautiful animal, he will no doubt again be one of the dominant males during the elk rut in Yellowstone. 

Bull Elk #10 ~ Jean Bjerke

Wondering how he came to be tagged? Al Nash, Public Affairs Officer in Yellowstone National Park, provided this explanation to Elizabeth Laden, editor of the Island Park News: "Several years ago, this particular elk managed to get a badminton net and poles wrapped around his antlers. He had to be darted and immobolized to remove the items. The FDA has concerns over potential impacts the chemical residue may have if humans consume the meat within a certain period of time. Tagging the animal serves as a flag to hunters to check on the history of the animal if harvested."

Bull Elk #10 ~ Randy Bjerke

Moose at Big Springs, Headwaters of Henry's Fork

We have long been fascinated by this massive animal with the strange, homely, primitive looking face, and the impressive rack of antlers on the males. Despite having seen a number of moose, we had found the moose elusive to photograph.

Moose at headwaters of Henry's Fork below Big Springs ~ Jean Bjerke

One afternoon in early July, at Big Springs, at the headwaters of the famous Henry's Fork, a bull moose walked across the river as we were watching the huge trout in the sparkling clear water from Big Springs. Big Springs produces 120 million gallons of water a day and forms the headwaters of the Henry’s Fork of the Snake River. This moose had chosen a lovely area to live.

Moose lying in grass near Henry's Fork of Snake River ~ Randy Bjerke

Having crossed the river and stepped out onto the bank, the moose walked only another 20 feet or so before lying down to rest and chew his cud on this warm afternoon. We watched him for close to three hours during which his only change of position was to walk another ten yards to lie down in another spot. During most of this time the tall grass obscured his face sufficiently to prevent good photographs, but he did raise his head a few times.

Moose raising head from grass ~ Jean Bjerke

Our patience finally paid off when, at about 5:30 PM, he got up and walked through the woods, across a marshy area of deep standing water, and back to the river, browsing on willow leaves and grass, feeding on submerged vegetation in the river, and climbing out to chomp on the bushes on the opposite bank. It was thrilling to watch him and he did not seem concerned by our presence at a respectful distance.  


This 47-second video captures his behavior as he waded the river, fed in the river, and walked along the opposite bank browsing on leaves of the bushes.

Moose browsing on willow leaves ~ Randy Bjerke

Moose walking towards camera ~ Randy Bjerke

The moose is a huge animal, standing up to seven feet tall, and males can weigh up to 1,000 pounds. The males’ enormous antlers can span up to six feet - the record sizes usually come from Alaska. The antlers are shed each winter, and begin to grow again in the spring, reaching complete growth in September. Each set of antlers grows larger than the prior year’s until the moose reaches its prime. 

Moose walking through woods ~ Jean Bjerke

Moose have a long face, and a flap of skin called a bell hangs from their throat. Their range extends across much of the northern part of North America.

Moose walking by Henry's Fork below Big Springs ~ Jean Bjerke

Moose are herbivores, and are equally comfortable in the water where they swim well and often feed on aquatic vegetation, or on land where they can run up to 35 mph. They are often seen in streams, lakes, wetlands, or browsing vegetation such as willows. When a moose feeds on underwater vegetation, it submerges nearly the whole head, and when the animal raises its head, water gushes from its mouth, and often strands of green vegetation can be seen trailing from the mouth.

Moose drool ~ Jean Bjerke

Moose are found throughout the Greater Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Park areas which are home to about 600-800 of the animals.  They are seen much less frequently in Yellowstone than in Grand Teton, which offers more of their preferred and wetter habitat. Sightings are more common in certain months such as October and November. They are also regularly seen in Island Park, the location of Big Springs.