[robgski]

I was just out in that region, and I agree that wider lenses will be more useful. My main lens was an FA 24-90 on a K-1, barely wide enough, really, but a great walk-around lens.

A few questions:

1. What kind of trip is this? if "car-camping" then you don't have too much gear, you can pick your kit out of the trunk and go off from base camp for a hike. In this case, two cameras is a great idea, as well, a wide angle on one and a tele on the other for spotting animals, etc. However, if you have to carry a bunch of gear from a trailhead to a campsite 5 miles away, then you have too much stuff, IMO.

2. What kind of shooter are you? If you have all the time in the world, and the patience to sit an wait for the right moment, then having options in kit is a great idea. I'm not that sort, so I pick a lens or two, then head out and make the best of the scene and my gear. The DA 21mm is a great lens, since it weighs almost nothing, and takes up almost no space, but the results it produces are incredible.

3. What will my travelling companions put up with? IF they are the sort to wait while you switch lenses or wait for the light to be right, cherish them. If not, a good walk-around wide angle-zoom is the way to go.

4. Do you plan on perfect weather? You won't get it, but at least in Colorado you only need to wait about an hour for it to change drastically. Still, I recommend having at least one WR lens, and the DA 18-135mm is a proven performer, often available for resale here on PF. I kept my copy for use with the K-1 for just this reason. "Bad Weather Makes Good Pictures" and you will get some great cloudscapes and morning mountain fog, and almost surely some lightning. Hopefully the last will be off in the distance, right over the Sangre De Cristo mountains with the Great Sand Dunes in the foreground, priceless. In any case, be prepared, and please post the results in the Bad Weather thread in my signature block.

5. Do you have Filters? for my trip, the CPL was absolutely invaluable for reducing the harsh midday summer light directly overhead. Also, consider a graduated ND filter to balance the lighting between sky and mountains. I also have an ND 8 filter to reduce harsh lighting and reduce blown highlights, but also to allow some motion blur in bright lighting, such as waterfalls, I even like it for crowded scenes where a little human interest improves the scene, or provides scale, but I don't want static images of onlookers to detract from the larger natural beauty.

6. Do you stitch? If you can't get a wider lens, fear not, stitching software does make it very easy to create panoramas using lenses with a narrower FOV. The main thing to remember is to shoot frames above and below the center line of the landscape so your shot end up more than a thin band of landscape. I learned this the hard way, I will do better next time.

[ramseybuckeye]

Like many I envy you getting ready for this trip. I have been to Yellowstone and the Tetons several years ago and Yellowstone is probably my favorite place. If you are going by car and have room you can't take too much gear, but for hikes definitely be selective. I would recommend keeping the 55-300 PLM and the 300* mounted while driving, you always have time to change for a landscape. I'm with most of the mob here and don't think the 18-55 will be useful, but wider will. September will be cold in Yellowstone, and fortunately hopefully not too crowded.

Plan ahead, check the times for sunrise and sunset and get up early. That's probably the most useful thing I have to say about Yellowstone, use every bit of daylight you can, but don't miss the good light. That's also when wildlife is most active, although wildlife is so abundant there you'll aways see plenty. You have some light before sunrise that is there for the taking (I say this as I slept in way past sunrise this morning).

Have fun!

[DWS1]

As always here, excellent information and suggestions!!! I am car camping so, determining what to take or not take isn’t a decision. I’ll take everything I have. It also includes a camera/lens cleaning kit, repair tools, and a Cokin P GND filter set, which I don’t use much anymore with the improved camera dynamic range and graduation filters in Lightroom & Photoshop. I plan to use the campsites as a base camp mainly for eating and sleeping. All the photo equipment will be locked in the trunk of the car and used as a mobile operations base just pulling out what I think I might need for a particular day or area.

It seems the huge majority opinion here is to ditch the 18-55 and get something wider and better. This is the direction I was leaning, but needed some conformation before acting. Most seem to suggest the 12-24mm, 16-50mm, or the 16-85mm. The 12-24mm seems to fit my current and future needs well, and I am sure I would enjoy it. Unfortunately, my current budget won’t allow it or any of the others right now. The alternative everyone seems to suggest is the 16-45mm. I did find one and purchased it from KEH, used, EX condition. We’ll see if it’s an improvement or not when I get it. The reviews sight its’ shortcomings at the 16mm and 45mm end. I am confident though it will suit me better than the 18-55mm. I do like to shoot vertical, multi-frame and multi-row panoramas. I just have to remember to carry a note pad and write down the frame numbers that I shot with that in mind. It can be a headache trying to remember 2 weeks later. I like to shoot these at 30 to 60mm, it compresses the image and shows much more detail. As Skierd said, and SpecialK demonstrated with his shot of Grand Prismatic Spring, sometimes no lens is capable of capturing the entire view. I suspect SprecialK’s shot @15mm is just capturing about 1/3 of spring.

This discussion raised a few more questions.

Have any of you tried to stitch a panorama together of an area like Grand Prismatic Spring where there is moving steam, fog, clouds, etc?

Concerning paper maps. What would you recommend? I am considering the National Geographic Trails Illustrated maps of these parks.

Everyone says to avoid driving in the parks at night but, how to you get to some of these great locations for the great light at sunrise and sunset without driving in the dark?

Special thanks to Skierd for your concern and posting the info about bear safety, a very real danger to be aware of. I will be making this trip solo, so will not be doing much if any backcountry hiking unless I tag along with some others willing to put up with me. I might do some hiking near the road or parking areas if it looks safe to me.

I said this is a photo excursion, and it is somewhat. But the real purpose is to get out and see and experience these wonderful places with all my senses. I find if I plan these trips as a photo adventure it makes me focus much more and have a much better experience than showing up at the gate and saying now what. I’ve been thinking about and imagining this kind of trip for the last 40+ years, and now I can do it. I consider it a retirement gift to myself.

Thank you all so much

[jddwoods]

I did a very similar trip to yours two years ago, visiting Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, Zion and Yellowstone national parks. Having done the trip my feeling was that zoom lenses are your best option to minimize lens changes. I would think the 18-55 zoom and the 55-300 PLM will get the most usage of your lenses. Your one limitation is on the wide end. If your budget permits you can consider getting a DA 15 Limited or the DA 12-24 for the times you will really want wide angle. Unless you intent to photograph really distant wildlife you may not need the DA* 300 with the TC. That is a lot of extra weight to be carrying around on a sightseeing trip, but that is your decision.
When I went two years ago 95% of my photos were using DA 17-70 and HD 55-300 zooms. the remaining, but very valuable 5% was with my DA 15 Limited. I have since replaced the 17-70 with the DA 16-85 and replaced the older 55-300 with the PLM version. The 15 Limited, 16-85 and the 55-300 PLM are the 3 lenses I would take if I were doing the same trip again.
EDIT: I see you will be driving in the park so you can bring along more gear. In that case, I agree with bringing the DA* 300 with the 1.4 TC. This gives more reach than the PLM for distant wildlife.

[robgski]

a Cokin P GND filter set, which I don’t use much anymore with the improved camera dynamic range and graduation filters

To each his own, my habit is to use the GND as part of the image creation process, not the post process, in part because I am not adept at post processing. Also, I've used a GND during night shooting on the bottom of the frame to limit ground illumination from blowing out the foregrounds in long exposures. One could also vertically orient a GND to get more detail of a valley or canyon wall in the shadow without overexposing the sunlit side Just a thought.

I just have to remember to carry a note pad and write down the frame numbers

I tip I learned from another PF member is to take a picture of one's finger, or the ground, or something obvious and identifiable before and after shooting a panorama series, this makes it easier to tell which frames to include.

Concerning paper maps. What would you recommend?

The maps provided at the entrance to the national parks are very good, IMO, and the renger stations or gift shops often have more detailed ones available as well.

[rangercarp]

Concerning bears it is important to know what kind of bear you are dealing with. Grizzlies are much more concerning than back bears. If you are lucky you may spot a grizzly in Yellowstone or the Tetons. You will only see black bears in Colorado. Western back bears by the way, are often brown or cinnamon in color, and can be anything from blond to black.

When you are in Yellowstone if you come across any bear scat on the trail it will be easy to distinguish if it came from a black bear or a grizz. Black bear scat is typically black in color, usually found in a single pile and had obvious seeds in it. Grizzly bear scat smells like pepper and has bells in it.

[wtlwdwgn]

When you are in Yellowstone if you come across any bear scat on the trail it will be easy to distinguish if it came from a black bear or a grizz. Black bear scat is typically black in color, usually found in a single pile and had obvious seeds in it. Grizzly bear scat smells like pepper and has bells in it.

Yep, the old griz scat warning!

[stevebrot]

Grizzlies are much more concerning than back bears.

Yes, a grizzly may well have you on the menu as regular fare, though a black bear is not particularly safe either. If a black bear has my pack, it's his to keep and no, I don't want one checking out my tent to see if the smell of cookies and jerky means both are hidden in my sleeping bag. The parks give handouts at their entrance regarding bear safegy and are not lax in enforcing rules (intended mostly towards black bear) regarding food storage and camp hygiene. Both types of bears can run faster than you and the black bear is an excellent tree climber. Some say grizzly will not climb a tree, but prefer instead to simply shake their prey out of the branches.


Steve

[stevebrot]

Keep in mind that you might see snow in either Yellowstone or RMNP in September. Keep you batteries warm if it gets cold.

Give the time of year...one word...ASPEN! If the color is on, it will attract people from all over and may be worth a change of plans on your part. Do your homework before you leave just to be aware of where the best places are and when the color is developing.


Steve

[stevebrot]

Concerning paper maps. What would you recommend?

The park maps distributed at the entrance stations are very good, but inadequate for use other than on the park roads and adjacent nature trails. The National Geographic Trail Maps are better, but the scale is borderline useful for wilderness trails. Traditionally, the USGS 15 minute and 7.5 minute series were the standard, but are no longer available in printed form. Instead, USGS topographical maps as well as tools/instructions for printing are offered free of charge in PDF format by National Geographic.

PDF Quads - Trail Maps

Also useful might be the USGS map page with tools similar to the National Geographic, also free but different in some ways.

topoView | USGS

National Geographic Trail Map for each national park you will be visiting is a good starting point for deciding which topo map to download and print.

BTW...be sure to have a quality compass too. Skill with orienteering (even basic skill) is also a plus since map and compass are more useful you can read the former and apply the latter to the task of staying found.


Steve

[DWS1]

Give the time of year...one word...ASPEN! If the color is on, it will attract people from all over and may be worth a change of plans on your part. Do your homework before you leave just to be aware of where the best places are and when the color is developing.

Yes, this a concern I had when setting this trip up. I've been researching and planning this since January. I am preparing for snow and low temps around the freezing point or below. I will be in Yellowstone/Teton the 2nd week of September which as I understand is before the fall color peak and a relative slower time. RMNP on the other hand is a different story. It is so close to Denver/Boulder it draws a lot of day visitors and has a lot of aspen groves, and is also the beginning of the elk rut. I have been there before (daughter lived in Denver for a while) during the end of September and it was crazy during mid week. I will only be there for 1 day and 2 nights since I have been there before and it 's basically on the way home from Yellowstone.

This raises another question. How long does it take to drive from Grand Teton National Park to Rocky Mountain National Park (east side)? I'm estimating 9-10 hours.

The park maps distributed at the entrance stations are very good, but inadequate for use other than on the park roads and adjacent nature trails. The National Geographic Trail Maps are better, but the scale is borderline useful for wilderness trails. Traditionally, the USGS 15 minute and 7.5 minute series were the standard, but are no longer available in printed form. Instead, USGS topographical maps as well as tools/instructions for printing are offered free of charge in PDF format by National Geographic.

PDF Quads - Trail Maps

Also useful might be the USGS map page with tools similar to the National Geographic, also free but different in some ways.

topoView | USGS

National Geographic Trail Map for each national park you will be visiting is a good starting point for deciding which topo map to download and print.

BTW...be sure to have a quality compass too. Skill with orienteering (even basic skill) is also a plus since map and compass are more useful you can read the former and apply the latter to the task of staying found.

Thank you for the links. These are the maps I've been looking for, but just couldn't seem to find.

[robgski]

The good thing is if you are in a campsite, and willing to get up early, you can get to a lot of great sites before the day-trippers show up, especially in the middle of the week. I live near Shenandoah National Park, which is tremendously crowded during summer, but go there on a weekday after tourist season is over, and you can sometimes be the only person at any given site.

[DWS1]

The good thing is if you are in a campsite, and willing to get up early, you can get to a lot of great sites before the day-trippers show up, especially in the middle of the week. I live near Shenandoah National Park, which is tremendously crowded during summer, but go there on a weekday after tourist season is over, and you can sometimes be the only person at any given site.

That is my thinking also along with being out in the park after they leave. Also, it gives you a better wilderness experience IMO. Not to mention the cost savings.
$9-$15 per night with the lifetime senior pass compared to $200+ per night in a lodge, motel, cabin, etc.

[gaweidert]

I try to get out there every May. Below is what I took out there last year. Three cameras, 10 or 12 lenses, two tripods, a monopod, spotting scopes and binoculars. With all that, what I used mostly was the D FA 28-105 and D FA 150-450 on my K1 and K1-II. On my K3, mainly a Sigma 17-70 and a Pentax DA 55-300 WR. I always drive out there, so I take everything I can. All the other lens mostly sat in the bag, but I had Rokinon Macro and 20mm lenses for the K1's and the wonderful Pentax 12-24mm lens for my K3 if needed. I even took my MX-1 and this year added a Panasonic FZ1000. The suitcase is holding a Pentax D FA150-450mm, a Tamron 70-200mm f2.8 and a Sigma 300mm f2.8.

[DWS1]

We think alike on this Gaweidert. Take everything you own or can. I don't know how many times I've left something home because I thought I didn't need it, only to discover when I got to my destination I wished I had it. I would rather take too much gear than not enough.