Visiting Island Park and West Yellowstone

I love being an Island Park photographer. As an Idaho wedding, engagement, and family photographer, I’m always looking for beautiful locations to shoot in and Island Park is always at the top of the list. Though it is a few hours from Idaho Falls, I think Island Park is unique in what it has to offer. Island Park consists of mostly resorts, a couple of stores and a couple of restaurants. It’s a center for fly fishing. There are opportunities for kayaking, boating, and floating down the river. And of course, in the spring the colors begin to pop and we get the most beautiful Island Park wildflowers. It is a beautiful area, but not much in the way of entertainment unless you are an outdoorsy person.

If you are looking to vacation in Island Park; I’ve stayed in West Yellowstone and will stay there again while visiting the park. Many cosy shops and restaurants, the Grizzly Discovery Center and Imax theater, and it’s right by the west entrance of the park. There are a good number of motels, both locally owned and national chains. If you know your dates, make your reservations NOW — they fill up fast!

About the Engaged Couple

One of my favorite things about doing engagements with a couple before their wedding is getting to know them. These two had me laughing and I loved teasing them. Sierra and Payton will always be a wedding that I look back with fondness. They did their vows at the beautiful Red Barn in Blackfoot and you can see more about them here.

More Tips about Visiting Island Park

I love being an Island Park photographer. I love the Island Park area as a peaceful getaway. West Yellowstone has more stores, restaurants, and shops, and is that much closer to the attractions in Yellowstone. Island Park is perhaps best known not as a city, but as a geographic region. Located near the borders of Montana and Wyoming, it boasts a population below 300, and has cabin for rent everywhere. I love shooting there as it has an array of dense forests, wildflowers, lakes, rivers, streams, plentiful wildlife, and the numerous year-round visitors who come for recreation and leisure. The area is a Mecca for anglers and boaters and for those who enjoy hiking, camping, snowmobiling, cross-country skiing, or who otherwise simply come to enjoy stunning natural landscapes. The Henry’s Fork of the Snake River, world renowned for fly fishing, runs through Island Park and feeds two large lakes popular with visitors. Both Henry’s Lake State Park and Harriman State Park are located in the area.