Our Sunrise + Sunset Photography Guide For Mormon Row In Grand Teton

Grand Teton’s Mormon Row is home to two of the most photographed barns in the US, and most of those photos are taken at either sunrise or sunset. Surrounded by lush meadows and backed by rugged snow capped mountains, T.A. Moulton Barn and John Moulton Homestead are incredibly picturesque wooden structures that you’ll find on countless postcards and magazine covers. We turned up at dawn and dusk to see what all the fuss was about, and we were utterly blown away by the stunning scene.

In this guide we explain everything you need to know about visiting Mormon Row at sunrise and sunset, based on our experiences.

Our Experience

We’re travel photographers so after leaving Yellowstone early in the morning and spending the whole day exploring Grand Teton, we were excited to finish with sunset at Mormon Row. It was a cool but not freezing cold evening in October and colors in the park had turned from emerald green to golden yellow so it was pretty busy. The sunset was spectacular and we quickly realized that T.A. Moulton Barn was our favorite of the two.

We’d read that sunrise was the better time to see Mormon Row for photography, so we set an early alarm, grabbed a hot coffee and drove from Jackson to T.A. Moulton Barn before first light. And the sunrise did turn out to be a more beautiful time of day to take photos. But it was a freezing cold morning which meant very few others turned up and we were the only fools walking around with our cameras finding new perspectives! Read more about us.

What You Can Expect

So what exactly are you going to find when you arrive at Mormon Row?

Well, you’ll find two wooden barns that are located about 0.4 miles apart, connected by a straight dirt road which takes 1 minute to drive or 8 minutes to walk. There are small parking areas at each barn, but only the T.A. Moulton Barn parking lot has a vault toilet.

The barns are among very few structures visible as far as the eye can see and they’re enveloped by flat grassland. T.A. Moulton Barn is a single wooden structure, whereas John Moulton Homestead has a barn along with 4 or 5 other smaller buildings. But you can easily frame both barns with the Teton Range behind, so they’re both worth visiting.

Now, two wooden barns in the middle of a field might not sound like much on the face of it. But when you see the staggeringly beautiful backdrops to the barns in person, you’ll instantly understand why thousands travel each year from all across the world to take sunrise and sunset photos at Mormon Row. It’s easily one of our favorite US photo spots and we can’t wait to go back again.

Is Sunrise Or Sunset Better?

Okay, let’s just dive straight into the most important question: Should you visit Mormon Row for sunrise or sunset for the best photos?

After visiting at dawn and dusk ourselves, we can honestly say they were both fantastic for different reasons. But if you pushed us to give an answer we’d say sunrise was better. Here’s why:

• At sunset we were looking directly into the sun as it set behind the mountains.
• In the morning the sun rose from behind us so we have no glare or direct sunlight.
• The front of the barns and the Teton mountains facing us lit up at sunrise.
• Whereas at sunset the fronts of the barns were in shadow.
• The sky in the background was blown out at sunset but it was deep blue at sunrise.
• There were fewer people around at sunrise.

We don’t want to put you off visiting at sunset or any other time of day for that matter. You’ll still take home excellent photos of the barns. But sunrise is the quintessential time of day to see them illuminate under first light and it’s got a little bit more x-factor.

The major downside to sunrise is cold mornings, especially if you visit in early spring, late fall or winter. We had to wrap up in coats, gloves and hats to combat the icy temperatures in October. Having a hot coffee helped but we could have done with a few more as we waited for the sun to rise!

Important: Make sure you check times for sunrise the night before so you can arrive in good time.

Which Barn Is Better?

Both Mormon Row barns are insanely photogenic and the mountains in the background will look almost the same from either site. But T.A. Moulton Barn edges it for us because the wooden building itself is more attractive, plus we found it easier to create unique photos using trees, fences and grass in the foreground.

With that said, we highly recommend you arrive early so you can scout out both locations and see which you think will be a better photo spot for your style. You’ll likely see other photographers wading through grass, peeking out from behind trees and crouching by fences to add more substance to images at both barns.

Photography Tips

Here are our top tips for taking photos at both barns along Mormon Row:

• Be careful of your own long and narrow shadows at sunrise.
• Use trees, ditches, fences, meadows and mountains in your frame.
• The iconic frame of T.A. Moulton Barn is from slightly left of center.
• Use a wide angle lens to capture more of the landscape.
• But also use a telephoto lens to compress the mountains (bring them closer).
• Arrive in time for civil twilight so you have time to set up for sunrise.
• Do not forget your tripod for both sunrise and sunset.
• Use trees or the barns themselves to block the sun at sunset.

Our most important tip to remember is that you’re not the only person who has made the effort to be at Mormon Row for sunrise or sunset, so be courteous to everyone and be respectful of photographers who might be working.

Getting To Mormon Row

One of the nicest parts about visiting Mormon Row at sunrise or sunset is how convenient it is to access by car from Jackson, Teton Village, Moran and Colter Bay Village. They’re the places most visitors to the park will be staying and the barns are easy to reach from all four.

Between the end of May and the start of November you’ll take a 1.5-mile gravel track called Antelope Flats Road from highway 89 to the barns. Then during the winter season when Antelope Flats Road closes you’ll take Gros Venture Road for 7.5 miles which begins further south on highway 89.

You can see in our screenshot above that it’s only 15.2 miles from Jackson to Mormon Row, which takes 22 minutes. We stayed in Jackson and we found the drive along Antelope Flats Road to be very easy despite the total darkness at both dawn and dusk.

Here are the distances and drive times from all four popular places to stay for Grand Teton:

• Jackson – 15.2 miles (22 minutes)
• Teton Village – 12.1 miles (33 minutes)
• Moran – 23.5 miles (29 minutes)
• Colter Bay Village – 28.5 miles (40 minutes)

The Morgan Conclusion

What we like: Pretty much every single thing about this photo spot is perfect. As keen landscape photographers we adore scenes like the barns in Grand Teton. It’s just such an attractive environment and there’s plenty of natural elements to create unique spins on the classic photo.

What we don’t like: We can’t have many complaints here. But if we were nitpicking, we’d say the roads leading to the barns could be better and the parking at both sites could be improved.

Is Mormon Row worth it? Yes, Mormon Row is definitely worth visiting! It’s one of the most famous landscape photo spots in America so you shouldn’t miss it when you visit Grand Teton. Try to arrive for sunrise when it’s most striking or visit for sunset instead for soft light and bright colors.

More From Grand Teton

• 2 days Grand Teton itinerary
• Sunrise at Schwabacher Landing
• Where to stay in Jackson WY

Want more Wyoming content? Head over to our Wyoming Travel Guides to explore Yellowstone National Park, Grand Teton National Park and beyond. 

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We hope our guide to Mormon Row at sunrise and sunset helps with planning your visit to Grand Teton!

Please let us know if you have any questions in the comments below.

Happy Travels,

Mark and Kristen

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