Bend Overlook. This pullout is a favorite, and lots of photographers arrive before dawn to catch the soft pastels of sunrise radiating across the mountains and reflecting in the river. Blacktail Ponds offers a different view with a small squiggly stream crossing a valley. Sometimes moose can be spotted in the marshes and far in the distance. One morning when we stopped there, swirls of clouds and mist swept across the valley cloaking the mountains in tantalizing mystery. At Schwabacher Landing, the mountains stand in a regular sawtooth formation and can be caught with a perfect mirrored reflection in the water. As we drove there in pre-dawn darkness, we were surprised by the number of cars on the roads as tourists like us dashed to various vantage points to watch the mountains slowly wake up and greet the day. However, the hustle and bustle of humanity quickly vanished as we tip-toed down to the water’s edge, far from the road. An ethereal quiet and hallowed stillness filled the air at this hour, and the vibrant pink glow of sunrise crept down the mountains from the peaks to the base. A sense of wonder and reverence rose in our hearts.
Schwabacher Landing
Historic Chapels, Barns, Lodges and Good Eats A more traditional sacredness envelops the tiny and charming Chapel of the Transfiguration, which celebrated a century of church services in the Tetons this year. Built with local lodgepole pine logs and pews made of aspen, it was the brainchild of Gertrude Woodward who wanted to attend Sunday services in the 1920s without enduring the bumpy 25- mile horse-drawn wagon ride to and from the town of Jackson. A bell under an arch welcome arriving visitors in front of the chapel. Inside, the centerpiece is a picture window strategically placed behind the altar framing a majestic view of the mountains. Many a fresh-faced bride and groom have exchanged their wedding vows here. Other historic and rustic buildings include the small Chapel of the Sacred Heart, many log cabins around the park and a row of old barns and farmhouses affectionately known as Mormon Row. Originally settled by Mormons as the town of Grovont under the Homestead Act in the late 1800s, Mormon Row was acquired by the U. S. Park Service in the mid-1900s to expand the park. Each of the buildings that remain today is lovingly immortalized in photographs every day. The juxtaposition of the crude wooden buildings and the raw, rugged mountains evokes thoughts of
Chapel of Transfiguration
GRAND TETON NATIONAL PARK
COAST TO COAST MAGAZINE FALL 2025 | 24
Made with FlippingBook - Share PDF online