Schwabacher Landing and Snake River Overlook in Grand Teton

Schwabacher Landing is a scenic area of Grand Teton National Park that is popular with wildlife enthusiasts, photographers, couples seeking romantic sunsets, and fisherman.

Snake River Overlook is located a few miles north of Schwabacher Landing and also makes for a great location for photography enthusiasts.

Locations

Schwabacher Landing is located about four miles north of Moose. The turnoff to go down to the parking lot area is on the west side of the road off U.S. Route 191. Our travel guide warned that the gravel road to the lower parking areas might be inaccessible following heavy rains. We managed to make it down and back in our rental car just fine despite periods of rain during our visit. Be sure to use your judgment though so you don’t get stuck!

The Snake River Overlook is on US Highway 191 north of Schwabacher Landing, about 8.5 miles north (total) of Moose Junction.

An Iconic Photo Area

The Snake River Overlook is a famous stopping point in Grand Teton National Park. In 1942, Ansel Adams took an iconic black and white photograph of the Snake River with Grand Teton in the background in the afternoon light here. The view of the area and river has changed over the decades, but many photographers and other park visitors still stop in the area to take their own photograph and admire the view.

Sunset Photography Spots

Schwabacher Landing is one of the best spots in the park to witness the sunset. On the eastern shore of the Snake River, it has a nearly unobstructed view west to Grand Teton. The beaver dams also provide plenty of calm water for reflecting the scenic views.

Even when the sun isn’t setting, it can be beautiful.

While the Snake River Overlook doesn’t have the reflecting waters of Oxbow Bend or Schwabacher Landing, many photographers have used the changing light of dawn or dusk to try to improve on the classic Ansel Adams photo. It just doesn’t have the reflecting pools of the Landing.

Wildlife Watching

Schwabacher Landing is a popular area to see wildife in the park. Moose, beaver and other wildlife can be seen here, attracted by the slow moving water.

Fishing and Floating

There is a boat launch site at Schwabacher Landing for rafting and fishing the Snake River.

There is also river access north of Snake River Overlook via Deadmans Bar Rd. According to a NPS report, construction occurred here in summer 2016 to improve the road and provide better river access. The report indicates they were putting in a hardened boat ramp as well.

Our Visit Here

We definitely snapped a few photos at the iconic Ansel Adams spot. We didn’t spend much time at Schwabacher Landing during our visit in May 2016 because we were caught by one of the early afternoon rain storms that moved through the area while we were in the national park. Just when we started to walk around one of the beaver dam ponds, it started drizzling so we packed away the camera and quickly made our way back to the car to move on to our next location. We can’t wait to come back and spend more time here on a better day!