Grand Teton Overview

Updated October 2023 to add new content at the end of the blog from our latest visit.

This might just be my most difficult blog to write. Not because there’s little to write about, on the contrary there is plenty. The challenge is describing something in words that I have yet to rationalize in my head from what I have seen. But I’ll give it my best effort.

We were originally scheduled to be in Grand Teton National Park from May 5 through May 15, when we realized we were getting there a bit early as many areas of the park do not open until the 15th or later. So we did what you would expect full-time RV’ers to do, we just extended our stay by ten days until the 25th. Twenty days in Grand Teton was amazing and we could have spent twenty more days (or months) there. The view of the Teton mountains on day 20 was just as mesmerizing as when we first saw them on day 1.

I’ve tried to figure out what makes the Tetons so different from anywhere else. I’m not sure I can totally answer that but in part is because there are no foothills leading up to the mountains. Add the fact that when viewing them you are already at around 7,000 ft above sea level, so you are seeing these high altitude mountains at a very close range, which makes them almost surreal.

There is so much to do and see in the Tetons and much of it can be seen by simply driving the two roads which make a loop around the park. There are numerous pullouts to admire the views and take some great photos. For the best driving experience, I recommend going southbound on Teton Park Road and then loop around northbound on 26/89/191. And certainly do not miss the short Jenny Lake sub-loop off of Teton Park Road. Stop at as many of the turnouts as you can but some of our favorite stops include:

• Jenny Lake Overlook might just be the spot that defines the Tetons, if that’s even possible, and one of our favorites. We ran into a gentleman named Rocky from Austin Texas there. Although he had stood in that very spot many times over the years, the look on his face was that of a man that just saw something extraordinary for the very first time. I’m thinking kind of what we looked like.
• Oxbow Bend is a well photographed spot with the snake river in the foreground and the Teton mountain range in the background creating a fabulous reflection point, especially at sunrise or in the early morning hours.
• Jackson Lake Turnout, just south of the Jackson Lake dam provides another beautiful view over one of the largest high altitude lakes in the United States, at an elevation of 6,772 ft above sea level.
• Schwabacher Landing is down a very short (and steep) road on the southern end of 26/89/191. This is another vey popular sunrise spot for professional photographers as well as novices such as yours truly. Its located in a slightly lower marshy area which provides a great variety of greenery, water reflection and of course the mountain range. Throw in a little sunrise color and wow!
• Mormon Row Historic District is just down the road from Schwabacher Landing off of Antelope Flats Road where you will see many iconic historical barns and homesteads. Visit all the structures which you will see to the left on Mormon Row, but don’t miss the famous Moulton Barn to the right. This is one of the most photographed images in the Tetons at sunrise.

The natural beauty is only part of the Teton experience, abundant wildlife is equally inspiring, and you can see a lot from the windshield of your vehicle driving around the park as we did. Another advantage of visiting in May is that many of the animals are coming out of hibernation and migrating during this time. We saw Grizzly Bears consistently during the first part of the trip, including Grizzly 399 and her four cubs – twice. The Elk were running in the mid part of the trip and we saw many of them as well. We saw Moose on a few occasions, which can be best spotted along creek beds and rivers. Bison are numerous and can often be seen right next to the road, or crossing right in front of you. Additional wildlife we saw include: Pronghorn, Mule Deer, Bighorn Sheep, Fox, Coyote, Beaver and Chipmunk. We also saw many wild birds including: Magpie, Sandhill Crane, Bald Eagle, Swan and Geese.

Although the park can be experienced by simply driving the loop roads, there are plenty of other ways to experience it such as through many of the hiking trails and secondary roads. We did a fair amount of hiking but some of it was limited because of the late winter snowfall that we experienced. Some Texas girls aren’t as experienced in these conditions as those who grew up in the snowy north (yeah that will come back to bite me). There are far too many hiking choices to list here, which include everything from multi-day back country extreme hikes to casual strolls, so there’s something for everyone. Some notable favorites of ours include:

• Taggart Lake trail was the first hike we did, so the trail was still quite snow packed. This is a 3.8 mile loop which takes you to the edge of Taggart lake, which is breathtaking. The lake was completely frozen over, as all the others were when we first arrived, which provided a unique experience. The hike should be pretty easy without the snow, but be careful not to veer off on the trail that leads to Death Canyon, which was almost the death of me, but that’s a story for another time. This hike can also be combined with a hike to Bradley Lake.
• Leigh Lake is absolutely stunning. First, take the trailhead to the portage point where there is a beautiful overlook. Then, you can continue the trail along the shore of Leigh Lake as long as you want and backtrack. We took the trail half way and ate a light lunch with some local Geese out at the end of a point. Up and back trails provide a great opportunity to see things from a different vantage point.
• String Lake trail can be combined with Leigh Lake trail or done on its own. We (Shannon) decided there was more gas in the tank so we added this on to the Leigh Lake hike. It was a bit longer, hillier and snow packed than we expected. It would have been fine if we did this first but it was a bit more than we bargained for. That said, it provided some great views of the lake and some nice overlooks on the far side of the trail. We met a great Cuban couple from Florida on the trail and really enjoyed the conversation along the way.
• Although we did not hike the Jenny Lake trail, I would recommend it to anyone visiting the Tetons. Don’t let the 7.9 distance scare you, as it can simply be done as a 2.2 mile hike to the far side of the lake where Inspiration Point and Hidden Falls are located. Then you can either take the trail back or hop on the Jenny Lake boat back to the other side for a small fee.
• Inspiration Point and Hidden Falls are a must see whether you take the boat or trail to these amazing destinations, which I have blogged about separately.
• Phelps Lake offers many trail options, most of which are quite long, but don’t let this detour you as some are very flat and easy. We did the Phelps Lake Trail but only went halfway around the lake to a short extension trail called Huckleberry Point. All of these lakes are so unique from one another and Phelps is no exception, a beautiful serene lake much closer to the mountain base. Very peaceful.
• Swan Lake and Heron Pond at Colter Bay provide a different experience in some of the wetland of the Tetons, which I highly recommend as well. This is an easy peaceful hike along streams and ponds where you will likely see many birds and who knows what else.

Don’t forget that when you’re hiking in this area you are in Bear country. You should always have bear spray on hand and know how to use it. I also recommend a bear bell if you are on a trail without other people. Also be prepared with plenty of water and a snack for that perfect lunch spot along the trail. And finally, hiking poles are a great idea, even on the easier trails. Get the collapsible ones so you can easily stow them in your backpack when not needed.

If you’re one that likes to get off the beat and path, the Tetons offers plenty of secondary roads to experience the beauty and provides an additional opportunity to see wildlife. Please scope out these options fully before you head out, as some of the roads are recommended for 4WD only. We have a Jeep so we are only limited by my driving skills or Shannon’s fear level. Some notable options include:

• Gros Ventre Road, as the the locals call it (Gro Vent), is down from Mormon Row and provides an excellent opportunity to see wildlife and some unique areas of the park. This is where we saw the Bighorn Sheep. The first part of the road is pretty tame but the further you go the hairier it gets. Take it as far as you like and find a spot to turn around.
• Moose Wilson Road connects (you guessed it) the towns of Moose on the southern end of the park to Wilson, near Jackson Wyoming. We were only able to take the road to the Lawrence Rockefeller Preserve (trail head to Phelps lake) due to some construction on the southern part of the road. Still, it was a very cool road and this is where we saw one of the Moose up close. Although the road is narrow, this northern section is accessible by most vehicles.
• Deadmans Bar Road is a very short turnoff that takes you down to the Snake River for a different vantage point. Certainly worth a side trip while you are traveling on 26/89/191.
• Signal Mountain Road was a miss for us since the road was closed. We were not sure if it was due to snow or Bear activity but I guess we had to leave something for next time. The road leads to the Signal Mountain peak and is supposed to offer some fantastic views. Check it out and let me know what we missed.

There are plenty of places to stay while visiting Grand Teton, from off the grid camping to cabins at some of the many lodges in the park. We are not able to speak to the lodges much as they were just beginning to open, however, we did especially like the Signal Mountain Lodge area and stopped at the coffee shop multiple times. We also really enjoyed Dornans for food and drinks at the southern end of the park in Moose, one of the few places that is open in the off season. If you’re looking for a little more, travel an addition 15-20 minutes south to the town of Jackson where you will find an array of restaurants, bars, gift shops, grocery stores and even a Target. We camped at Colter Bay RV Park which is on the northern part of the park right on Jackson Lake. Its a full service park that we thoroughly enjoyed. Although the restaurant and gift shop weren’t open yet, that was OK with us, we were just fortunate to get reservations in the park itself.

We have a lot of travels ahead of us, and look forward to the rest that his wonderful country has to offer. I suspect that Grand Teton National Park will always be one of our favorite and very special places. I know my words have not done justice to the unique beauty of this area. But this is not a place for words, it is a place to see and experience.

Enjoy our photos of Grand Teton.

Update: October 2023

It’s always nice to return to one of your favorite places, and I do say, the Tetons’ are still a special place for us, even after a year and a half of traveling in some pretty incredible parts of the country. We returned for a shorter visit in September of 2023 with some friends we had been traveling with. It was a real treat to see the amazing beauty again and in a different season. It was also great to experience it through the eyes of our friends, as it was their first introduction to the Grand Teton.

There’s often a “go back” list of things we didn’t get to do and see, and we had a few of those on our Teton list to cover in addition to just experiencing as much of it all over again. Since we’ve covered most of the above already, I’ll simply focus on the new items.

Due to the amount of Snow in May, we were unable to do the hike around Jenny Lake so we took the boat both ways. Well, it was all dry in September, so we were able to do this again in the preferred method, hiking over and taking the boat back. This was a great hike with wonderful views along the way. It really is a great work up for the Inspiration Point and Hidden Falls part of the hike.

We were also able to do the full Taggart Lake hike and now understand why this is such a popular hike. Yes, the first part with the amazing views of the lake are certainly a highlight, but the rest of the hike offers much variety and we really enjoyed it. While deep in the canyon in the early morning hours the echoing of a bull Elk bugling filled the canyon with a surreal sound of nature. We had a close encounter with two Moose along the trail. One thing I learned about Moose is that if you are in the path between where they are and where they want to go, get out of the way because they won’t!

The Signal Mountain Summit road was also a miss last year, but was open this time around. It’s a nice drive up a steep narrow road to some really nice views albeit somewhat obscured due to the trees and the direction the overlook faces. Still a magnificent vantage point even though it lacked the awe that we were expecting.

We ventured out east of Moran to an off-road from Hatchet Campground which made for a fun day. Those Jeep days tend to go a little longer than expected, but the view from the top of Baldy Mountain made this a highlight in itself. At the peak of this mountain road was a small clearing and a very unique view of the Teton Mountains from a distance. Just when you think we’ve seen this beauty from all vantage points, we get a pleasant surprise like this.

The Jackson Lake Lodge, and in particular the Blue Heron Lounge, which was still closed during our last visit was now open. Wow, what a beautiful spot on the back porch! You can sit back there for hours and watch wildlife go by. We saw plenty of Moose and Elk during our sunset and sunrise visits. This is probably the best low effort view in the Tetons.

Another special treat was meeting Tom Mangelsen at a book signing of his newest book Grizzly 399 The World’s Most Famous Mother Bear. His wildlife photographs and overall approach of nature is simply incredible. We’re big fans of him.

Both May and September were great times to visit the Grand Teton National Park. Missing were the peak season large crowds which always makes it more enjoyable. In September there is less snow on the mountains, however the glaciers become visible. It’s just possible that there could be another update to this blog in the near future – at least I hope so.