I won't photograph the Mormon Row EVER again (and neither should you)!!!

John Muir once said, “The mountains are calling, and I must go." From the first moment I laid eyes on the Tetons, I’ve felt that call. And I know I’m not alone. In 2024, over 3.5 million visitors flocked to Grand Teton National Park, underscoring just how beloved this place is. This year, I made two trips—once in June for my friend Janet’s memorial and again in July, hoping to climb the Grand. The Tetons were my first National Park, and for nearly 30 years, they've shaped how I experience the natural world. What I didn’t fully grasp until recently, though, was how long these parks have been under siege—not just by overuse, but by the very people who claim to love them. That includes me.



I’ve spent years photographing Mormon Row, one of the most iconic spots in the Tetons. The barns—owned by TA (Thomas Alma) Moulton and his brother, John Moulton, are beautiful, photogenic anchors against the backdrop of Sheep Mountain (the Sleeping Indian) for sunset, and the Tetons for the morning A side. Over the years, I've captured countless images here, bringing friends and even bridal parties to photograph in this timeless setting. But looking back through my photos, I see something I didn’t notice before: the land is in bad shape, and it’s been that way for a long time. What I thought was a recent deterioration is, in fact, the result of decades of heavy foot traffic. The soil has been trampled over and over, and it’s not just the park’s infrastructure that’s struggling—it’s the land itself. The ground cover, designed to withstand wind, snow, and grazing, has been worn down to the point where it can no longer recover. The cycle of erosion, uneven surfaces, and mud has only gotten worse.

This realization came into sharper focus on my recent trips. Honestly, the fact that I had not realized this until recently really irks me. As I put together a really fiery article about why I was never going to photograph The Mormon Row again (and that you shouldn't either), I started looking for images that showed this as I have many years of photos from this location. The photos just don't support my supposition. With the exception of one banner year, ALL of my images from the Mormon Row really kind of stink.


Taken in the early morning before sunrise, this has remained one of my favorites of the barn.

I can’t ignore the reality anymore - these barns have been loved to death. They’ve been photographed, shared on social media, and used as the backdrop for countless memories. But each step on that ground has left a permanent mark. And I’ve been a part of that. It's not just that the land is in bad shape today—it has been for as long as I’ve been visiting. I failed to recognize it until recently, but now, I see it clearly. I can’t continue to photograph these barns without acknowledging that I’m contributing to their degradation. I’ve walked on this land, I’ve stood in it, and now, I’m standing up to the fact that I’ve missed the signs for too long.

The conditions at Mormon Row reflect a bigger issue in the National Parks: we’re loving them to death. Infrastructure and park management have not kept pace with the rising number of visitors. The sheer volume of people has overwhelmed the land, and small, accessible areas like Mormon Row are bearing the brunt of the impact. While the rest of the park remains relatively untouched, these iconic sites are being trampled. We’ve allowed experience to take precedence over preservation, and as a result, we’re seeing irreversible damage to our most treasured landscapes.


This image was taken a couple of years ago, and this is where I really started to see how terrible the conditions of the ground were.

I am going to keep coming back and looking - and hopefully the Parks department will do something about these spaces. I'd hate to think that this is my last dance, but for now, I am only going to fill the memory cards between my ears. To be fair - if I see something really awesome, you KNOW I am going to break that promise. It is so beautiful, even with the ground conditions. Having said this, you as a parks lover do have some recourse though - if you see something...say something. The National Parks have a portal called the Content Management System and you can find it at the following link. The portal system seems to be down as I write this, but you can send them an e-mail: SAWS_Support@nps.gov.

I close with this image I took of the Pink House with the Outhouse. One of my favorite images of all time, taken during a snow squall one October back in 2012. The Pink House was owned by John Moulton and his wife, Bartha. John was a dairy farmer, and lived in that house until 1990, when he died and the house became part of the park.

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Please remember that the text and all images in this article are (c) 2025, James Morrissey.

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Mormon Row, TA Moulton Barn, John Moulton Barn, Grand Teton Photography