Grand Teton’s Schwabacher Landing: the View and the Beaver Ponds

As I was browsing in Grand Teton National Park’s state-of-the-art Main Visitor Center in Moose (formally named the Craig Thomas Discovery and Visitor Center) one day, I caught a few minutes of a ranger presentation being given that highlighted the main features of the park. When the ranger got to talking about Schwabacher Landing (one of my favorite areas in the park), he mentioned that is one of the most often photographed locations in the world. Looking at an image taken at this location, it is very easy to see why. With the perfectly positioned trees and Teton range in the background, as well as a reflection that is cast in a beaver pond, the landscape lends itself quite nicely for photography. Many photographers have taken advantage of the perfectly positioned elements and as a result have photographed the view numerous times.

In this blog post, I describe my experiences with photographing from Schwabacher Landing.

GPS Coordinates for Schwabacher Landing: N 43°42.69600′, W 110°40.23217′

Schwabacher Landing is one of the best places in Grand Teton National Park to photograph a sunrise illuminating the Teton range. (Keep in mind that the Teton range is an east-facing mountain range – which lends itself very nicely for some spectacular dawn and early morning photography). If you come here for sunrise, be sure to take a headlamp or flashlight.

From Jackson Hole, drive up about 20-25 minutes along Highway 191 until you reach a sign on the left marking the turnoff for “Schwabacher Landing.” The sign is about three miles north of Moose Junction. Turn left onto the road. The gravel road (no 4×4 is required on this one) drops down the hill, to the level of the Snake River. The road ends at a small parking lot. A trail leads down to the edge of the river, specifically a collection of beaver ponds.

In the first beaver pond you come to (not far after starting at the parking lot), you can get a great view of the beaver dam that the beavers have been busy maintaining. It is quite impressive that such a little creature as a beaver can be so skillful at constructing such a feat of engineering as a beaver dam. You can take some great pictures here, and in some of the other nearby beaver ponds.

However, there is a much better spot for your tripod if you follow the trail north about a quarter mile or so. Here, there is a wide spot in the pond with a clearing in the woods offering a perfect view of the Teton range. It is best to come here when the wind is calm or even non-existent. If it is a windy day, there will be ripples in the pond created by the wind, and there will be distortion in the perfect reflection of the Teton range casted on the beaver pond. Sunrise and early morning are usually good bets for no wind.

Move around a little bit until you get the perfect composition. From this specific location, the clearing in the area where you can setup your tripod and still get that perfect composition is small – about 6-7 photographers squeezed in can get this perfect composition. The rest have to file in around the edges or behind the first row of photographers. As a result, you really have to plan ahead and come early to secure the best tripod spot here – especially during the peak fall photography season in the park. If you miss out on the best tripod location and the perfect composition, that means you have to come back here the next morning and do it all over.

I’ve photographed from this location in Schwabacher Landing a number of times, and I have had a good mix of shooting conditions while doing so. In summer of 2009, I shot this view once, producing the image above that started this blog post. I photographed Schwabacher Landing many more times during my visit in autumn of 2009. One of my visits produced the image directly above.

One night during my autumn 2009 Grand Teton photography trip, an early season snow storm dumped a fresh layer of snow in the park. I awoke in my Jackson motel around 4:00 a.m., and looked outside to find clear night skies. I thought that sunrise was going to be fantastic. I gathered my gear and set out about an hour and a half before first light in freezing 18ºF degree weather. When I arrived at Schwabacher Landing, it was pitch black. I waited in my car, and soon after, another photographer arrived. We both descended down into the beaver ponds together. It was still pitch black, the only light available came from our headlamps. Being the first people to arrive at such a location in darkness, we didn’t know what to expect. We finally arrived at the main beaver pond – the one with the clearing in the woods and got set up. We were talking about what to expect as the first rays of sunlight would appear behind us and illuminate the Teton range, and more photographers showed up. We had a good group present, representing different areas of the United States. (I was the only one from California). We shared stories about other popular photography locations around the United States, and shared hints for photographing Grand Teton NP – in particular, where animals like moose have been spotted in the past day or two. There was still snow on the ground, and when the sun started to come out, it got a little warmer – 22ºF. Everything was in place that morning for a perfect shot: snow on the trees, reflection in the beaver pond, dramatic clouds, even a small ray of sunlight for a few minutes. The only thing that was missing was a view of the Cathedral Group of the Teton range – it was obscured by clouds.

We waited and waited, but the clouds wouldn’t let up on the Cathedral Group. But the scene was majestic nonetheless, and I snapped a few other shots. The snow-covered trees mixed right in with trees exhibiting fall colors, producing some unique shots – a fall scene exhibiting a hint at winter.

As we waited for more light and the clouds to let up a little (they never really did that morning), I noticed a little creature rummaging around in the brush behind us. It was one of Schwabacher Landing’s resident beavers. He was really busy gathering up materials for some repairs (I assume) to his beaver dam. He went back and forth many times while we were there, carrying materials, swimming in the pond right in front of us, coming up onto the land, etc… He was way to busy to stop for a proper photo session, but we got shots of him anyway – paparazzi style.

Beavers are not the only creatures that you can find at Schwabacher Landing. I’ve heard stories of people photographing moose swimming in the main beaver pond with the Tetons in the background (a very unique shot, and it is rare to have every element in perfect place in a composition). Great Blue Herons are even known to hang out in Schwabacher Landing. I saw one during my autumn 2009 trip – several times. Stay tuned for that story.

Tagged as: Fall, Grand Teton National Park