wapiti Loc: round rock, texas

If I were hiking in YNP, my first choice would be bear spray.

RRS Loc: Not sure

Good morning Dave, for that hike up to Trout Lake, you'd better be in very good shape!! Tell everyone the truth, Kathy carries all your heavy lenses for you! Say Hi to Kathy and we so look forward to seeing you both again soon. We will be there the last week of September and the first week of October. We spend at least a month each year in Yellowstone every year and my choices for lenses range from the 17-40mm to the 600mm f/4.0. If you plan to do some serious hiking, all day and maybe an over night then a 70-200mm with an extender would be great. For a first timer I'd bet that when you get home you will be wishing that you had brought a longer lens. I also carry (2) 1.4 extenders and a 2X too. I would most likely only use the 2X with a crop body on the 600mm if I got a shot at "Big Foot". There is so much that you can shoot from pull outs by the side of the road. For wildlife it sure helps to be out very early each morning whether your in Lamar Valley or down in Hayden Valley. We carry 4 bodies because most of the time there are three of us and in all my years there we have never had to rely on a backup body. Have fun and I'll bet on your next visit you will be much more informed on what you want to carry.

A lot will depend on if your driving or flying to Yellowstone. If driving then bring all that your car will carry. Another great thing to bring with you is a correctly filled bean bag, great for shooting from the car or even off the roof of the car. We even sometimes shoot with a 600mm f/4.0 with an extender off a bean bag from inside the car as we are too close to a bear to get out and set up a tripod. Have fun and maybe post a few shots when you get back home.

DaveO Loc: Northeast CT

Great to hear from you and our best to Helma! We have done Trout Lake twice and the Yellowstone Picnic Area out to Bannock Crossing three times. In the spring the new Big Horn mothers drove us back, but fall was outstanding. I had my 200-500 and 24-70 and laid on the ground for some Big Horn shots and Kathy used her Tam 18-400 and was happy with it. Lamar has been good to us and we will spend more time in Pebble and Slough Creek areas and Warm Creek has been good for Moose. We have spent about 60 days there since 2012. Fairy Falls is easy enough and good in the spring. Part of Hell-Roaring is also on the agenda. We went twice last year and will be there for a month mid June of next year. We hate going so late, but two sons and five grandkids will be visiting and school gets out late here. We'll do Mt Washburn and Bunsen Peak this time while we're still walking! Staying at the Yellowstone Archway Guesthouse.

This could be out last hiking trip. Carrying my equipment is getting tough for Kathy and she hates walking way ahead to make sure there are no bears. She made me pay for the spray last time. I'll holler later, all reservations are complete. Flying into Bozeman.

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

The Nikon 16-80 is a recent DX lens developed along with the D500 and is sold in combination with it at about 1/2 price. On a cropped sensor camera it has an angle of view of a 24-120 mm lens. Which, by the way, I have on my D810, the Nikon 24-120 f4 is a great lens, the 16-80 is a 2.8-4 lens. And I have that too on my D500 and is an excellent lens.

oldfaithful

Having been to Yellowstone five times including the winter, I would take the 150 -600mm if you can carry it. The rangers will advise that you don't approach the animals too closely. I also agree with the person who recommends not taking a bear with an 80 mm lens. I would suggest avoiding the bears altogether. For smaller animals, especially those who are nervous, the long lens is better. If you happen to be too close, take just the face of the bison/elk or perhaps just its' eye. The pools and geysers are a different story, the shorter lens is best for the pools, mud pots and fumaroles. You will have to back up if you only have the long lens. Taken from a distance, the falls in the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone is a favorite. Also someone suggested that if you can pack both lenses to get to Yellowstone then you can decide on a lens depending on your days' plan. The 150mm for Mammoth Springs might be a little awkward. Most of all you can't go wrong either way since there is something for both lenses. Sometimes the Parks' web site will help with your lensdecision. In any case, Yellowstone is a special place and what ever photos you take they will be special. If you have the time/opportunity drive to different sections of the Park. I'm jealous, enjoy your trip. If you are just backpacking, a lot of talking/sounds and a bear bell are a definite.

rfmaude41 Loc: Lancaster, Texas (DFW area)

Nikon makes one (DX equivalent to the 24-120), also Sony make one.....

Royce Moss Loc: Irvine, CA

Hey Revert we just came back from Yosimite and I took my old 75-300 and a 17-50 and wish I had more reach so I would just take the big guy and bite the bullet. We are going on a road trip up the coast from Los Angeles to Oregon and doing some hiking you bet I'm taking my 150-600.

szoots

We were there earlier this year and I took two lenses. A 18-150 Sigma and a Canon 100-400 plus a 1.4 tc. I used both lenses and found I had to use both as there is great landscapes as well as animals in a distance. I did not use my tripod as I was mostly doing wildlife and a quick landscape here and there. I have a LowePro Flipside 4 that I use for hikes. Carry in hand on a rapid strap is my 70D with the smaller lens and the larger one in the backpack mounted on my 7D mk2 with the coupler. A lot of the park can be seen just driving around. So you can have some respite from carrying all your equipment.

LoStrunzo

I suggest the Nikon 28-300, 3.5. "Light," can reach most of the wild life, and faster than the kit 28-300. And if you can outrun your wife you don't have to worry about bears.

lightyear

One of the Eastern Yellowstone entry roads runs on a ridge above the Lamar Valley. I parked on the roadside and observed a bison heard ( adults, calves) as well as coyotes and eventually several wolves, all at a distance. My longest lens ( on tripod) was 400 mm which was not long enough, and 600 would have been better. I could have easily hiked down the ridge to get closer, but don't know if they would have moved. I found most wildlife, except bison, in Yellowstone were difficult to approach so that a longer lens would help, but was not wiling to carry heavy weight . There are many scenic landscape, waterfall, etc. images there. Don't forget your polarizer.
Stan

rplain1 Loc: Dayton, Oh.

If you are doing wildlife I would not even consider 16-80 (though sometimes you will be close enough for that). But I would not go without the other. If the bear is close enough that you need the spray then the 16-80 is sufficient. Otherwise you will need the 150-600. I hike with it all the time and I'm 75.

nervous2 Loc: Provo, Utah

From your profile I see you have a Nikkor 18-200. I would take that (and indeed I have done so on nearly every one of my trips to Yellowstone/Tetons) as my walk-around lens and I would con my wife into carrying the 150-600 for bear and other wildlife shots. The 16-80 is great but again, I would take the 18-200. Good luck and good hunting.

grandpaw

My wife and I went this last May and flew to Salt Lake and in my carry on was a D500, D600, Tamron 24-70F2.8, Nikon70-200F2.8 with 2x extender in my camera bag. I also had my Tamron 150-600mm in it’s own separate case The long Tamron on the D500 needed to be even longer several times. Take the longest lens you have access to.

Revet Loc: Fairview Park, Ohio

I went ahead and rented the Tamron 18-400 mm since this is a once in a lifetime experience for me. Between that, the 16-80 and the 150-600 with a 1.4 TC I should be good to go. We have 4 days in Yellowstone and 1 day in the Tetons so I should have plenty of work ahead of me on Lightroom when I get home. I will for sure post some pictures on UHH.

DaveO Loc: Northeast CT

Frankly, I think that you are in excellent shape with those choices. Have a ball and always be prepared to shoot! BTW, got some snow on Mt Washburn last night. It doesn't take much to close the pass.