What You Need To Know About Visiting Schwabacher Landing

Grand Teton is one of the most visually spectacular national parks we’ve visited in the US, and Schwabacher Landing at sunrise is up there among our favorite photo spots in the park. We arrived at the banks of the perfectly still Snake River a little after dawn and we were blown away by pristine reflections of trees and snow capped mountains. The photo spot is easy to access and the view is sensational, so don’t miss it when you visit the Tetons.

In this guide we explain everything you need to know about visiting Schwabacher Landing, based on our experiences.

Our Experience

We visited Schwabacher Landing right after leaving the other popular sunrise photo spot in Grand Teton called Mormon Row. They’re completely different landscapes, but they’re equally as fantastic. It was a freezing cold morning in October 2019 not long after a heavy snowfall, so there was a layer of thin ice lingering in the Snake River despite the clear and sunny day we had.

We saw an otter playing on a the ice and we even saw a moose walking away from us near the riverbank, probably because we were the only people silly enough to venture out for sunrise in the freezing temperatures! But it was well worth it, and when we return to Grand Teton we’ll make it a priority to arrive at Schwabacher Landing before the sun rises. Read more about us.

What You Can Expect

So what exactly are you going to find when you arrive at Schwabacher Landing?

Well, you’ll park at Lower Schwabacher Landing area and instantly be wowed by the view of a curving river lined with green vegetation and trees backed by the jagged Teton Mountains. It looks like something you’d see in a postcard, and that’s before you’ve even taken a step from your car.

Then you’ll walk along a flat dirt path hugging the Snake River for a few minutes until hitting a dead end. But we can guarantee those few minutes of walking will be some of your favorites because you’ll have non-stop pristine reflections in the river. If there’s one single location showcasing the immense natural beauty in Grand Teton, we’d say it’s here at Schwabacher Landing.

Thousands of photographers with tripods visit Schwabacher Landing at sunrise each year to capture rugged snow capped peaks and evergreen trees reflecting in motionless water as the first rays of sunlight illuminate the Tetons. We’d go as far as saying it’s one of our favorite photo spots in the US.

Why Visit At Sunrise?

You can turn up here any time of day with your camera and take home stunning images, but we think sunrise is the best time of day for Schwabacher Landing photos for the following reasons:

• You’re looking northwest away from the sunrise so you avoid glare and direct sunlight.
• The sun illuminates the faces of the Teton Mountains directly ahead of you.
• There’s a better chance of the Snake River being completely still at dawn.
• Soft light at sunrise makes for much smoother and cleaner photos.
• The colors are deeper and more vibrant at sunrise.
• You have a good chance of seeing wildlife when they’re most active around dawn.
• The only people around will be serious photographers and nature lovers.

Sunset would be another great time to visit Schwabacher Landing if there are clouds in the sky to give your photos texture, color and to reduce light. But on a clear day the sky will be blown out by intense light bursting out from behind the mountains until after the sun sets. Add all these things together and that’s why you’ll see more pro photographers visiting at sunrise instead of sunset.

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

Schwabacher Landing Trailhead Parking

One of the best aspects about visiting Schwabacher Landing at sunrise is how convenient it is to access the parking lot and trail from Jackson, Teton Village, Moran and Colter Bay Village. They’re the places most visitors to the park will be staying and the landing is easy to reach from all four.

The trailhead parking lot is located at the end of a 1-mile gravel road aptly named Schwabacher Landing Road. You’ll find a small U-shaped parking area with space for around 15 cars and a vault restroom. If there are no spaces at the very end of the road, you can park on the roadside to the south of the restroom instead.

You can see in our screenshot above that it’s only 17.3 miles from Jackson to the parking lot, which takes 24 minutes. We stayed in Jackson and we can tell you it’s a very easy and stress free drive in the dark to access the parking area.

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

• Jackson – 17.3 miles (24 minutes)
• Teton Village – 14.3 miles (33 minutes)
• Moran – 20 miles (25 minutes)
• Colter Bay Village – 25 miles (37 minutes)

Schwabacher Landing Trail

Schwabacher Landing Trail is a very easy 0.5-mile roundtrip hike with no elevation change. Your hiking ability doesn’t matter because anyone can walk to the park can walk along the trail until it ends. With that said, it isn’t accessible for wheelchairs because the gravel path is uneven and wooden logs used to pack dirt together stick out of the ground. See recent comments about the trail.

Follow the trail for as little or as long as you want to find new photography perspectives, look for wildlife and enjoy the views. Right at the very end of the trail you might see a large beaver dam, and maybe even beavers working on its construction if you visit at sunrise when they’re most active.

The Morgan Conclusion

What we like: Everything! We’re talking about a spectacularly beautiful postcard-worthy photo spot that’s easy to access by car and doesn’t require any real hiking efforts. There’s stacks of room for dozens of photographers to line the banks and the reflection is like a mirror.

What we don’t like: Honestly, we’re struggling to find any negatives. If we were being picky we’d say the road and parking could be better, but that’s about it.

Is Schwabacher Landing worth it? Yes, Schwabacher Landing is definitely worth visiting! We encourage you to visit at sunrise when the colors are vibrant, the light is soft, the mountains are glowing and you might even see wildlife. This is one of the top photo spots in Grand Teton, so don’t miss it.

More From Grand Teton

• 2 days Grand Teton itinerary
• Sunrise at Mormon Row
• 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. 

---

We hope our guide to Schwabacher Landing at sunrise 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

Enjoy this guide? Pin it for later!

Note: This article contains affiliate links. When you make a purchase using one of these affiliate links, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

All Rights Reserved © Where Are Those Morgans, LLC. Republishing this article and/or any of its contents (text, photography, maps, graphics, etc.) in whole or in part is strictly prohibited.