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Photography In The National Parks: Yellowstone’s Grand Loop Road Part 2

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By

Rebecca Latson

Published Date

March 25, 2025

The Grand Loop Road with the route from Tower-Roosevelt Junction to West Thumb Geyser Basin outlined, Yellowstone National Park / NPS graphic

If you read my February Traveler article about photography along Yellowstone National Park’s Grand Loop Road, you’ll have seen a sampling of shots you can achieve with your own camera (smartphone, point-and-shoot, or SLR) while driving that portion of the road from Mammoth Hot Springs to Tower-Roosevelt Junction. This month, we’re continuing further along this park road, heading south from Tower-Roosevelt Junction all the way to Grant Village Campground bordering the West Thumb portion of Yellowstone Lake. Along the route, you will see samples of imagery you might photograph yourself.

Note: The images in this article were captured during different seasons (summer, fall, winter) and years (2018 – 2024).

A little under two miles (3.2 kilometers) from Roosevelt Lodge is the turnoff to the parking area for the Calcite Springs Overlook. Park your vehicle and hike the very short trail up to the fenced view area to gaze down at the deep canyon through which cuts the sine wave of the Yellowstone River. Sulfurous Calcite Springs steams to your left along the riverbank. To your right is a line of columnar basalts just below the cliff top, a remnant of an ancient lava flow. I photographed this scene early one summer morning using my wide-angle 16-35mm lens, making certain to include a little bit of the yellow flowering plant on the right corner foreground to create an anchor to the composition.

Calcite Springs and the Yellowstone River below, Yellowstone National Park / Rebecca Latson

Calcite Springs and the Yellowstone River below, ISO 125, shutter speed 1/40, aperture f9, Yellowstone National Park / Rebecca Latson

Shortly after leaving the Calcite Springs Overlook, you’ll have the chance to stop at another small parking area with a vista looking down upon the Yellowstone River from a different perspective.

Watching the Yellowstone River continue its southward flow, ISO 125, shutter 1/40, aperture f11, Yellowstone National Park / Rebecca Latson

Regardless of the time of day you stop here, it will be tricky balancing your camera’s exposure between the very bright sky and the darker forest and canyon below the horizon. To mitigate this, you might try using a graduated neutral density filter (grad ND). A grad ND is a round or rectangular piece of glass or resin, half clear and half shaded. The shaded portion prevents blowing out (overexposing) the bright sky, while the clear half allows you to make exposure adjustments for the darker portions. 

 

When you are finished photographing that scene, turn around to look across the road at the layers of columnar joints right next to the road. Photography is as much about the little things as it is about the Big Picture. It’s about capturing pattern and texture.

Columnar jointing across the park road, ISO 125, shutter 1/40, aperture f11, Yellowstone National Park / Rebecca Latson

A closer look at those columnar joints, ISO 125, shutter 1/40, aperture f11, Yellowstone National Park / Rebecca Latson

Tower Fall is about half of a mile (0.8 kilometer) further up the road. This place is worth a stop to see the crumbly-looking volcanic breccia pinnacles between which the water of Tower Creek drops 132 feet (40 meters). Fun fact: Thomas Moran’s painting of Tower Fall played a role in this park’s establishment in 1872.

A wide-angle view of Tower Fall, ISO 125, shutter 1/40, aperture f9, Yellowstone National Park / Rebecca Latson

 
If you stop to capture a few images of Tower Fall using your wide-angle lens to capture the entire scene, make sure you also pull out the telephoto lens or use your telephoto setting for a closer look at details around the waterfall. 
 

A telephoto view of the pinnacles around Tower Fall, ISO 200, shutter 1/200, aperture f8, Yellowstone National Park / Rebecca Latson

 
While navigating the Grand Loop Road, you might encounter area wildlife. A telephoto lens or setting gives you nice close shots without stressing out the animals.

Some of the park's littler wildlife enjoying a snack, ISO 200, shutter 1/160, aperture f8, Yellowstone National Park / Rebecca Latson

Now climbing in earnest toward the top of Dunraven Pass, you’ll have ample opportunity at the pullouts to capture photos of Yellowstone country, with its deep green forests, steep mountains, and rolling hills. Perhaps there will be fluffy clouds decorating the sky, adding a little drama to the scene.
 
Heading south along the road up to Dunraven Pass, there’s a single sharp U-curve just before rounding the hillside to head toward the Mt. Washburn North view. Prior to the U-curve are maybe three pullouts offering easterly views, which is where the image below was captured.
Looking eastward into Yellowstone country, ISO 160, shutter 1.200, aperture f8, Yellowstone National Park / Rebecca Latson

Looking eastward into Yellowstone country, ISO 160, shutter 1/200, aperture f8, Yellowstone National Park / Rebecca Latson

Once you round that U-curve, you’ll drive past the turnoff to Chittenden Road on your left. Continuing the drive, you’ll notice a parking area with a vault toilet. There’s a short path down below the parking area for an unencumbered view of the Washburn Range.

Landscape layers, ISO 125, shutter 1/100, aperture f11,Yellowstone National Park / Rebecca Latson

 
Use a telephoto lens or setting to zoom and focus on the layering created by that bottom green line of trees and the parallel pattern of the tall lodgepoles for a unique, abstract view of the environment.

A telephoto forest abstract composition, ISO 200, shutter 1/125, aperture f9, Yellowstone National Park / Rebecca Latson

 
From here, your drive continues, heading up and over Dunraven Pass. Nearing the junction road at Canyon Village, you should stop at the small Washburn Hot Springs Overlook on your left. During the summer day I visited, the clouds were dramatic because of the rainfall in the distance. I used a circular polarizing filter (CPL) affixed to my lens. This filter acts like your sunglasses, removing glare and bright light while adding a little drama and texture to a scene, which is what I wanted for those angry-looking clouds.

The view from Washburn Hot Springs Overlook, ISO 160, shutter 1/200, aperture f5.6, Yellowstone National Park / Rebecca Latson

While I highly recommend turning left toward the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone for dramatic photos of Lower Falls, this article deals with what you can see along Grand Loop Road, itself, so continue the drive south, saving those side roads for another time.

Eventually, you’ll cross the edge of the Hayden Valley, driving northeast to southeast. All along this stretch of the highway are pullouts and parking areas from which to see the valley and perhaps a bison herd.

Hayden Valley landscape on a chilly autumn day, ISO 200, shutter speed 1/200, aperture f13, Yellowstone National Park / Rebecca Latson

 

Hayden Valley landscape, ISO 125, shutter 1/80, aperture f11, Yellowstone National Park / Rebecca Latson

 

A distant bison herd in the Hayden Valley, ISO 125, shutter 1/50, aperture f11, Yellowstone National Park / Rebecca Latson

If you do see bison, find a legal space in which to park and use your telephoto lens to isolate and zoom. This fella kept himself apart from the herd, never raising his head but keeping his eyes open, aware of the curious crowd on the cliffside above him.

Keeping one eye open, ISO 400, shutter 1/250, aperture f8, Yellowstone National Park / Rebecca Latson

As you approach the southeastern end of Hayden Valley, there’s the Mud Volcano parking area to your right, and a pullout for Sulphur Caldron on your left. Fun fact: Sulphur Caldron is one of the most acidic hot springs in Yellowstone, with a pH of 1-2, which ranges between lemon juice and hydrochloric acid. There is quite a bit of free sulfur in the water there so it will also smell strongly of rotten eggs. 

A steamy Sulphur Caldron, ISO 400, shutter 1/250, aperture f8, Yellowstone National Park / Rebecca Latson

A summer view of Mud Volcano landscape, ISO 160, shutter 1/80, aperture f10, Yellowstone National Park / Rebecca Latson

Once you leave Hayden Valley, the landscape becomes darkly forested. Visit during autumn and you might experience a little snowfall. The white snow against the dead or dark green trees creates an almost monochromatic composition. Stop to capture images of this stark view, perhaps using the rule-of-thirds technique to single out a green tree, placing it to the far side of your image. 

The living and the dead, ISO 125, shutter 1/60, aperture f9, Yellowstone National Park / Rebecca Latson

If you decide to stop and photograph the beautiful water of the Yellowstone River as it flows into Yellowstone Lake, use the trees as natural frames on either side of your subject.

A natural frame around a watery landscape, ISO 125, shutter 1/60, aperture f9, Yellowstone National Park / Rebecca Latson

There are stops and pullouts along the western edge of Yellowstone Lake. Visiting in the fall means you can use your telephoto lens to capture some close shots of the mountain landscape across the lake, with its spiky layer of toothpick-straight tree trunks blanketing the mountainsides. Think about the layers in your composition: clouds (if there are any), mountains, and water.

An autumn view of Yellowstone Lake layers, ISO 200, shutter 1/160, aperture f13, Yellowstone National Park / Rebecca Latson

An autumn view of Yellowstone Lake layers, ISO 200, shutter 1/160, aperture f13, Yellowstone National Park / Rebecca Latson

The West Thumb Geyser Basin turnoff is to your left prior to the turnoff to Grant Village. Depending upon the time of year and time of day you visit, the parking area may be full. If that happens, then stop back at this geyser basin the next morning before heading off on your next leg of the Grand Loop photo tour. The sunrise here is gorgeous.

If you have a little time in the park and plan to camp at the Grant Village Campground, have fun with a little night photography. Leave the lantern on and go outside to capture the stars above your warmly-lit tent. A wide-angle lens with a large aperture is best for night shots to capture the stars above while allowing as much low light as possible to reach your camera’s sensor. Experiment with shutter speeds and apertures. You want to achieve a starry sky shot without overexposing the light issuing from your tent. Also be aware that a wide-angle lens (14mm or 16mm) tends to create an interesting perspective where trees may point toward the center of the composition.

You’ll need a tripod for your night shots because your shutter will be very slow and your camera’s aperture (the opening between lens and camera sensor) will be wide open. You might also wish to use either a corded or wireless remote shutter release, or your camera’s 2-second delay timer to prevent camera shake vibration after your finger presses down on that shutter button.

A warmly-lit tent beneath the stars, ISO 250, shutter speed 10 seconds, aperture f4, Yellowstone National Park / Rebecca Latson

I’ll give the same advice here as I did in Part 1: Photograph whatever piques your interest. Don’t just stop because you see another photographer there. They may be photographing something totally uninteresting to you. Be curious, use your observational skills, and remember to capture the little things as well as the Big Picture items.

Flame skimmer, ISO 200, shutter 1/200, aperture f8, Yellowstone National Park / Rebecca Latson

Early morning summer light at West Thumb Geyser Basin, ISO 160, shutter 1/80, aperture f8, Yellowstone National Park / Rebecca Latson

Stay tuned for Part 3 next month.

Related Stories:

A Day In The Park: Yellowstone National Park
At Yellowstone’s Edge: The Beartooth Mountains And The Stillwater Complex
Spectacular Waterfalls Are An Often-Hidden Gem Of Yellowstone National Park

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