Wyoming

When the aliens from Close Encounters of the Third Kind chose to visit earth they landed in Wyoming. Unfortunately for them they landed on the Devil's Tower, a one off oddity in the far eastern part of the state that can't be hiked or explored in depth like the wonders found in the western part of the state.

Yellowstone National Park

There are an estimated 10,000 thermal features in the Yellowstone but as it often is with a park's signature feature its a case of too much of a good thing. Witnessing the eruption of Old Faithful is something everyone should experience at least once but its not at all photogenic and almost anti-climactic in its familiarity.

The Mammoth Terraces in the Northwest corner of the park are much more diverse and interesting both from a photography perspective and as a place to walk around and explore. right

In general though the thermals don't make good photographic subjects, most lack the colour and the dramatic scale that makes a good landscape composition. The one exception to this is the Grand Prismatic Spring which is located in the Midway Geyser Basin. left

The spring is 300ft in diameter so it is too large to capture from the boardwalk. The solution to this problem is to park at the Fairy Falls trailhead and walk the to first part of the trail until you come to the hill directly across from the spring. A boot beaten track leads to a much better vantage.

Among the official trails there isn't a must see destination that requires a hike. The more appealing destinations like Shoshone Basin or some of the big waterfalls in the southwest corner of the park require an overnight commitment.

Yellowstone's other claim to fame is an abundance of wildlife. The three best known hot spots are Pelican Valley, Hayden Valley and Lamar Valley.

All three are accessible by vehicle so hiking is not required to get the experience plus when dealing with mega fauna like bears and bison its much safer to do it from a vehicle. Rangers are out in force shooing people back into their cars and quite often trails and even roads will be closed to protect both the tourons and the wildlife.

Right: The Absaroka Mountains, the Lamar River and a herd of Bison in Lamar Valley

Grand Teton National Park

There are 7000ft of relief from the valley floor to the summit of the Tetons. The result is a landscape that begs to be photographed and despite being a relatively small park you can easily find enough striking compositions to fill a calendar.

Left: Oxbow Bend is the king of all the all roadside vistas.

Below: The Snake River Overlook is also famous. Nearby Schwabacher Landing is another classic composition.

There is a lot of quality hiking in this park however the quality of the photography decreases as your proximity to the mountains increases.

Lake Solitude is a worthy destination although solitude is unlikely on either the Cascade Canyon or Paintbrush Canyon trails as together they they form a popular 19 mile loop. Also nearly 4000ft of elevation gain

Cascade Canyon is also the first leg of the Teton Crest trail, the most popular trail in the park. This 32.5 mile trail loops around the back of this range.

Table Mountain is just inside the park's western boundary and accessed from the Jedediah Smith Wilderness in Idaho. It runs perpendicular to the Crest trail and climaxes with a similar views. 11 miles 4000ft

In the south end of the park near the Jackson Hole ski resort is series of old homesteads called Mormon's Row.

Left: Moulton's Barn is the most famous of these structures.

Wind Rivers

While this range is not part of any national park it is easily the most scenic sub section of the American Rocky Mountains and it can be argued that it is in fact the most scenic mountain range in the lower 48 states.

The likely reason this remains just a wilderness area is that to see the wonders of this range you must hike fairly long distances, all at an elevation in excess of 9000ft. While that may not be for everyone there is also Green River Lakes, a classic vista with a signature flat top mesa that has graced many a calendar.

The Pole Creek Trail is the most popular entrance to the Winds. It embarks from the 9350ft Elkhart Park Trailhead and gains 1000ft in 10.4 miles one way until reaching a junction with the Highline trail at Little Seneca Lake. Its another mile and a half to magnificent Island Lake right

While Island Lake is a spectacular destination all by itself it also serves as the hub for a wide range of explorations, foremost among them the hike to Upper Titcomb Basin. The basin is located at the far end of a pair of large lakes 10.5 miles return, after first climbing Indian Pass, a gain of 550ft. Total return distance from Elkhart Park is 34 miles.

From a fall 2009 trip:

"I can’t rave enough about this backpack. There were multitudes of places to wander and the landscape was just begging to be explored"

In the southern Winds is a legendary climbing mecca by the name of Cirque of the Towers. From the Big Sandy trailhead It is more or less 10 miles to Lonesome Lake right in the heart of the Cirque. This includes the 1500ft of elevation gain over 10,800 ft Jackass Pass. This trail is a bit more rugged than the one to Island Lake.

From a fall 2009 trip:

"The climb up to Jackass Pass was far from pleasant, the hump to reward ratio was not as good as Titcomb Basin IMHO. I also found Cirque of the Towers more of a one trick pony, not as much easy wandering to be had"
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Our interest in the Rockies wanes considerable south of the Winds. Colorado is far more interesting as a ski destination than a hiking one. New Mexico meanwhile has both Carlsbad Caverns & White Sands National Monument but neither is technically in the Rockies.