You’ve probably seen the Teton Mountains before without even realizing it; photos of the iconic range pop up all over the place. The rugged profile of the Grand Teton, Mount Owen, and Teewinot Mountain is unmistakable. I’d recognize them from anywhere.
I generally write about our travels in chronological order, but sorting through all the photos from Grand Teton has proven far less daunting than for Yellowstone. So here we are.
We actually only spent about a day and a half in Grand Teton, which isn’t nearly enough time. I feel like I’ve barely scratched the surface of what this park has to offer, and I’m already itching to go back and do some hiking.
But even in a day and a half, we were able to see quite a lot. Of course, it helps that no matter where you are in the park, the scenery is stellar. I hadn’t been to Grand Teton National Park since I was a kid. I’d definitely forgotten how impressive these mountains are.
We arrived in the park from the north, exiting Yellowstone and driving the John D Rockefeller Jr. Memorial Parkway that connects the two parks.
We had plans for a boat ride and a hike the next morning, so today was really just about the scenery. Highway 89/191 travels north-south through the park, initially running along the eastern shore of Jackson Lake and then paralleling the Snake River. This route is further from the base of the mountains and therefore where you’ll find the most expansive views.
From Jackson Lake Junction in the north to Moose Junction in the south, Teton Park Road travels a similar path, but is much closer to the base of the mountains. This is where you’ll find most of the trailheads, lake access points, and some more really great views.
(Here is the park map.)
We connected these two routes into a scenic lollipop loop, traveling clockwise from Jackson Lake to Moose Junction and then back around to Jackson Lake. With stops and a couple detours, this took us roughly 7 hours. It was a nice introduction to the Tetons, and a chance to rest our legs after all the walking we’d done in Yellowstone.
The fight to create Grand Teton National Park was fraught and lengthy. There was a lot of resistance among local homesteaders, ranchers, and other landowners toward the idea of the government taking control of this parcel of land. It took many years, a lot of cooperation, and the financial support of the Rockefeller family to create the Grand Teton National Park we know today.
(You can learn more about this at the park visitor centers and other historic sites. But if you’re interested, I highly recommend the Ken Burns The National Parks: America’s Best Idea documentary series, which is where we initially learned about the battle to preserve this region.)
The largest collection of historic structures is found at Mormon Row, located off Antelope Flats Road. Thirty-three homesteads plus a school and church once stood here, built by a group of Mormon settlers who decided to homestead together and help each other out rather than attempting to go it alone. Today, six of the homesteads remain.
Mormon Row is just a short detour off the main road, and I’m glad we decided to take it.
I’m also glad we arrived a few minutes before the influencer who showed up and proceeded to ruin everyone’s experience here. She spent at least 15-20 minutes posing for photos in and around the barn, completely oblivious to everyone else who was trying to capture a photo of the scenery without someone standing right in the middle of it.
To make matters worse, she then climbed onto the roof of the barn and continued posing without a care in the world, as though she wasn’t trespassing onto historic structures and possibly damaging them.
It was infuriating.
The other main collection of historic structures is at Menors Ferry Historic District. In addition to a replica of the ferry itself, there are some old cabins and the Chapel of Transfiguration, an Episcopal chapel built in 1952 that still holds Sunday services.
Headed north now on Teton Park Road, it was an afternoon of lovely views!
(that’s Mount Moran on the right)
Our home base for our two nights in Grand Teton was a cabin at Signal Mountain Lodge. It was cute and cozy, though for the price I would have preferred fewer spiders.
After settling in, we backtracked to Leeks Marina, home to the popular Leeks Pizzeria. It’s popularity is well-deserved; between the beautiful view from the porch and the tasty pizzas, we really enjoyed our dinner.
Not pictured: our Snake River Brewing beers with the amusing slogan “put our river through your liver”
The sun was dipping low in the sky as we headed back to Signal Mountain, making for some lovely evening views of Jackson Lake.
Back at Signal Mountain, we headed over to the main lodge to watch the sunset from the back porch.
Honestly, the only thing that could improve the views at Grand Teton would be if there was less air traffic headed into Jackson Hole airport. Especially during the middle of the day, there was a fairly constant string of planes flying across the front of the mountains.
I can only imagine how beautiful these mountains must look from the air.
And I know there’s much more beauty to uncover deep within the rocks and canyons as well. I can’t wait to come back and find it.
Grand Teton: we will see you soon!
Up next: hiking to Hidden Falls and Inspiration Point
The Important Stuff:
- Getting there: there are three access points to Grand Teton National Park: from the north via Yellowstone, from the east via US Highway 287, and from the south via Jackson, Wyoming. All three will connect up to this loop we drove.
- Fees and passes: entry to the park requires a $35/car fee (good for 7 days) or an America the Beautiful pass. No timed entry tickets are needed.
- Where to stay: within Grand Teton, there are multiple campgrounds and four lodges (Colter Bay, Jackson Lake, Signal Mountain, and Jenny Lake). Advance reservations are required. Beware that some of the campgrounds and lodges fill to capacity almost immediately after reservations are released. We found prices to be high as compared to other parks. Camping, cabins, and other lodging can also be found outside the park in Moose, Jackson, Flagg Ranch, and the surrounding areas.
- Other: one thing we did notice that was an especially stark contrast after being in Yellowstone, is that there are not nearly as many bathrooms or water spigots in Grand Teton. This is particularly true on the eastern half of the loop road. If you plan to spend the full day driving as we did, be sure you have plenty of gas, water, and food because all three are in short supply within the park. Also, be prepared for all types of weather; we had to put on our raincoats at Mormon Row.
Leave a Reply to AndyGCancel reply