field notes from —

Grand Teton National Park

Jackson Hole · Wyoming

The Tetons rise up from the valley floor all at once, no foothills, no long curvy road finally revealing a peak, just twelve thousand feet of blue granite thrown straight into the sky. Initially, the Tetons were just going to be a drive-by on our way to Yellowstone. I would get to check it off my bucket list of national parks. A simple stopover turned into a full-blown love affair that keeps us coming back. Boondocking on Shadow Mountain is free camping at its best. The whole Teton range stands in perfection across the valley like a stage set painted for a romantic pioneer adventure. Jenny Lake glistens in the distance, begging to be explored, and people have heeded the call, so we love String Lake just to the north. We have seen our share of wildlife: herds of bison, mama and baby moose, and recently a blue grouse strutting his stuff. We have been to the Tetons three times in the past four years, and it is about 2,000 miles from our home near Atlanta. Believe me, the Tetons are not a stopover. They are a come-and-stay-awhile destination.

The whole Teton range stands in perfection across the valley like a stage set painted for a romantic pioneer adventure.

Grand Teton sits just south of Yellowstone in the northwest corner of Wyoming, and the two are easy to pair on one trip. But give the Tetons their due. The range runs about forty miles along the western edge of the valley they call Jackson Hole. Summer, roughly June through September, is the sweet spot: the passes are open, and the wildflowers come on strong in July. They were freakin' fabulous! Even though I heard the crowds would be challenging, watch our video to learn how to avoid them. August and September are also lovely, when the aspens turn gold, the elk begin to bugle, and the crowds thin out. Winters are deep and serious here, which is why we haven't been (wimps!). There is a park entry fee, good for seven days, and if you are hitting Yellowstone too, the annual America the Beautiful pass pays for itself fast.

You can fly straight into Jackson Hole Airport, the only commercial airport inside a U.S. national park, and land already staring at the Grand Tetons. Or fly into Salt Lake City and drive up in about five hours through pretty country for a fraction of the rental cost. Jackson, the town, is your hub for food, gas, and galleries, with its famous elk-antler arches on the Town Square. Inside the park, the classics line up along one road: Mormon Row and the most-photographed barn in America, Jenny Lake and the boat shuttle into Cascade Canyon, Oxbow Bend and Snake River Overlook where Ansel Adams set his tripod, Signal Mountain for the whole valley at once. This is grizzly and black bear country for real, so carry spray, know how to use it, and give the wildlife a wide, respectful berth.

We usually camp for free up on Shadow Mountain in the national forest just east of the park, where the whole range stands across the valley and the mornings begin with the Grand catching first light. But there is a way to do this trip at every budget, and I mapped out three of them for you: budget camping, a comfortable lodge stay, and an all-out splurge, each laid out day by day. Even at three days, you could easily fill five.

⛺ Budget $150–$260 camp & boondock 🏨 Moderate $1,400–$1,950 lodge & float 🌟 Luxury $4,500–$6,500 suites & private guides Accessible itinerary The same trip, planned for wheelchairs, strollers, and slower legs →

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Here's a map of the area to get your bearings.

Grand Teton National Park · Jackson Hole · Wyoming

This range asks you to slow down and look. That is the whole job of a painting, too — so it is no wonder I came home from Wyoming with an armful of them.

painting one —

Brunch With the Boys

Oil on wrapped canvas · 24 × 36 × 1.5 inches

Driving down the bumpy gravel road from our campsite on Shadow Mountain, we came upon these guys hanging out, munching on fireweed and tender leaves. They showed little interest when I jumped out to snap several pics. The scene was so lovely, with them standing in the dappled sunlight among the white trunks of the aspen trees, surrounded by flowers. I already knew this scene would become a painting. Maybe you can see them for yourself. We spotted them at GPS 43.699363, -110.618445.

You can watch me create it with a knife — click the video below, or find it over on the Art Lessons tab.

Brunch With the Boys — a vibrant, jewel-toned oil painting of three antlered deer among silvery-white aspen trunks, grazing in emerald grass thick with magenta and purple fireweed and lupine; lush, joyful, and alive with color

Detail of Brunch With the Boys — knife-work on the deer and dappled aspen light — up close — laid in with the knife

Brunch With the Boys hanging in a home interior — in a room, an easy morning on the wall

Reference photo — three mule deer bucks in velvet antlers grazing among white aspen trunks and purple fireweed in the Tetons — the boys themselves, in velvet

watch me paint this one —

painting two —

Tetons Gone Wild

Oil on hardboard · 30 × 48 × 1.5 inches · self-framed

The first time I visited the Tetons was in 2022. My bucket list includes all the national parks and, frankly, I was more focused on getting through the Tetons and on to Yellowstone. Since it was late August and we thought high season was over, we didn't have reservations. Well, the campgrounds were full anyway, but this led to our greatest gift: boondocking on Shadow Mountain, free dispersed camping spread all over a mountain with panoramic views of the entire Grand Teton range. I fell in love. We have returned many times.

Since then, we have had many campsites on Shadow Mountain, and I have witnessed the Tetons go from pink in the morning to blue-gray at noon to orange in the evening. They put on quite a show. Even though we take day trips to Yellowstone, we usually escape to the solitude and lovely landscapes of the Tetons as seen from our perch on Shadow Mountain. This painting was inspired by our view from the lower campground, GPS 43.704397, -110.622051.

Head over to the Travel Videos tab to explore the area, or click the video below to see how I painted this wild landscape.

Tetons Gone Wild — a large, loose oil painting of the Teton range at sunset, coral-pink alpenglow on the peaks beneath a radiant sky of gold and lavender clouds, a green valley below; dramatic, romantic, and uplifting

Detail of Tetons Gone Wild — loose, expressive brushwork on the range and valley — up close — where the range turns to pure paint

Tetons Gone Wild hanging in a home interior — in a room — the whole range on the wall

Reference photo — the Teton range at sunset seen from Shadow Mountain, pink alpenglow on the peaks above the campground road — the view from our campground

watch me paint this one —

painting three —

Teton Thistles

Oil on canvas · 12 × 12 inches · unframed

One day, while exploring Grand Teton National Park in Jimi the Jeep, we came across an old, abandoned ranch. Log cabins and outbuildings were strewn about the land. We peered in windows and guesstimated the year of old rusty cans. What caught my eye were the bright purple thistles covered with bees and small wood nymph butterflies. They were such bright spots of life against the dark brown logs, rusty cans, and dead grass. Beauty is everywhere when you look for it.

Teton Thistles — a bright, cheerful oil painting of vivid magenta and purple thistles against a clear turquoise-blue sky over a golden-amber prairie, with butterflies and bees; sunlit jewel tones, lively and joyful

Teton Thistles framed on a wall above a shelf of colorful bowls and a purple teapot — in a room, a spark of color

Reference photo — purple thistles growing against the weathered dark logs of an abandoned ranch cabin, a rusty can nearby and the Tetons beyond — the abandoned ranch where they grew

Reference photo — a stand of purple thistles with a butterfly, the jagged Teton range on the horizon under a blue sky — thistles, a butterfly, and the range beyond

painting four —

Biggie Boy

Oil on hardboard · 7 × 7 inches unframed · 8 × 8 inches framed

My sister used to call her son Biggie Boy when he was a toddler. He was so cute. Now, these male bison — these are the real biggie boys! No other American animal has the massive, boulder-like presence of a bull bison. Taller ones, faster ones, and meaner ones exist, but none rival the immovable force that is a bison. When he wants to saunter down a busy road, you just have to wait. Bison don't care! They have been named a national mammal, and that's exactly what they look like. Weighing around 2,000 pounds, standing over 6 feet at the shoulder, 9 to 12 feet long, all you can do is watch in awe.

Keep your distance. They are faster than they look. If you want to see a bull bison up close, invest in a telephoto lens! We have several videos that highlight bison from the Tetons, Yellowstone, and the Badlands. This bison was photographed near the farms of Mormon Row, and more specifically by the famous Moulton Barn, located at GPS 43.660126, -110.664985.

Biggie Boy — a soft, minimal oil painting of a dark chocolate-brown bull bison crossing a pale field of silvery sage and soft yellow-green; muted earth tones, quiet and calming

Biggie Boy shown in its frame — framed, small enough to keep close

Reference photo — the historic T. A. Moulton Barn, a weathered log barn on Mormon Row with the jagged Teton range rising behind it — the famous Moulton Barn, where we found him

Reference photo — the tiny Mormon Row homesteads scattered across the vast sage flats beneath the towering, snow-dusted Teton range — Mormon Row, dwarfed by the Tetons

painting five —

Teton Twilight

Oil on hardboard · 7 × 7 inches unframed · 8 × 8 inches framed

On our first day in the Tetons, after we set up camp on Shadow Mountain, Randy and I took the Jeep to see the famous Jenny Lake. We didn't have much time — the sun was going down behind the mountains. As we approached (GPS 43.682845, -110.730305), the sun's rays streamed through a gap, illuminating the mountains and the valley. We stopped and took several photos. Of course, this had to be painted. Pure joy.

Teton Twilight — a serene, misty oil painting of the blue-grey Teton peaks at dusk under a soft lavender-pink sky, gold light on the ridges and dark evergreen silhouettes below; cool, soothing pastel tones, tranquil

Teton Twilight shown in its frame — framed, small enough to keep close

Reference photo — the Teton peaks at dusk with sunlight streaming through a gap in the range above the hazy sage valley — the light that had to be painted

painting six —

Bison Beneath Shadow Mountain

Oil on hardboard · 7 × 7 inches unframed · 8 × 8 inches framed

The expansive valley between the Tetons and Shadow Mountain had turned to gold. It was late August, and we had just stopped on Mormon Row and taken all the typical photos that visitors take. On our way out, a good-sized herd of bison were moving through the fields and right across the road (GPS 43.666601, -110.660220). Little red baby bison (I know they are calves, but "baby bison" is more fun to say), mama bison, and bull bison rustled through the tall, golden grass. A truly lovely sight to behold.

Bison Beneath Shadow Mountain — a warm, pastoral oil painting of a dark-brown bison herd grazing in a sunlit golden-yellow meadow, tall green trees and a soft blue-violet sky behind; earthy and peaceful

Bison Beneath Shadow Mountain shown in its black wood frame — framed and ready to hang

Bison Beneath Shadow Mountain displayed on a coffee table in a warm, neutral living room — in a room, an easy afternoon

Reference photo — a bison herd with a red calf grazing in a golden meadow beneath tall cottonwoods and the blue Teton foothills — the herd we watched cross the road

painting seven —

Rainy Sunset in the Tetons

Oil on hardboard · 7 × 7 inches unframed · 8 × 8 inches framed

At the base of Shadow Mountain, there is a small loop of free campsites — first come, no reservations. Luckily, we found a spot, got our chairs out of the van, unhitched Jimi (our Jeep), and took off exploring. We returned as the sun was setting behind the Tetons. Looking north toward Yellowstone (GPS 43.704518, -110.622574), a rain shower cut through the vibrant sky above Eagle Rest Peak. What you don't see in this image is how the same light inspired another painting above, Tetons Gone Wild. That one moment inspired two paintings! Maybe someday I'll paint a wide landscape connecting the two. Gorgeous scenes like these deserve to be elevated to art and shared.

Rainy Sunset in the Tetons — a dramatic oil painting of a blazing orange, gold, and coral sunset with purple rain streaks over the blue Teton silhouette, the sage foreground glowing with warm reflections; fiery jewel tones, radiant and energetic

Rainy Sunset in the Tetons shown in its frame — framed, small enough to keep close

Rainy Sunset in the Tetons shown framed on a mantel against a warm orange wall — in a room, that fiery sky on the wall

Reference photo — an orange sunset with a rain shower over the Teton range, Mount Moran to the left above the sage flats — the evening that became the painting

the valley at dusk —

Evening is when the Tetons give you everything at once. Moose out in the willow bottoms, the little sentinels of the sage flats standing watch, a grouse drumming somewhere in the aspens, and the range going purple before the stars come out over some of the darkest skies in the lower forty-eight. We shall return.

A dark brown mama moose and her calf in the silvery-green sage at dusk — a mama moose and her baby in the willows

A brown prairie dog standing in green summer growth, gently holding and smelling a bright pink wild geranium blossom — stopping to smell the flowers

A dusky blue grouse displaying with tail fanned and a red-orange eye comb in green grass — a blue grouse, drumming in the aspens