About Grand Teton National Park

Out of all of the places we have had the privilege to travel to, few if any compare to the majesty of Grand Teton National Park. The Tetons are a magnificent mountain range south of Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. It is a short 31-mile drive between the parks on the Rockefeller Memorial Parkway (which happens to be a National Park unit itself). This is a beautiful drive between he parks, so try and come in this way if possible.

The Tetons are one of the many mountain ranges that make up the Rocky Mountains. Grand Teton National Park is named after the tallest peak in the range, Grand Teton. This beautiful mountain is 13,775 feet tall. Mt. Owen is next at just under 13,000 feet. It is a crazy sight to see those peaks shoot up 7,000 feet over Jackson Valley.

There are numerous lakes in the park, Jackson Lake being by far the largest. However, the beauty in the lakes may well lie in the smaller ones. Jenny Lake, Taggart Lake, String Lake, Lake Solitude, and Leigh Lake are all wonderful. The Snake River also flows through parts of the park.

There is a charge to get into the park. It is $35 per vehicle. This will cover the vehicle for one full week. If you are in this area of the United States, it is easiest to go ahead and get the National Park Annual Pass. Well worth the price. You will save money in the long run with all of the other parks around.

There is no bad time to visit the Tetons. However, be aware that some of the roads are closed in the winter and early spring. But the snow-filled valley and trails are spectacular.

Where To Stay

There are so many great places to stay in and around the Tetons. If you are able to get a spot in the park, go for it. These places go fast, so grab them if you can. There are cabins near Jenny Lake, Jackson Lake, and Colter Bay.

If you can’t score a reservation in the park, Jackson Hole is your next best bet. This is an amazing town at the southern end of the park. There is so much to see and do here. Plenty of great food, shopping, nightlife, and just a great vibe. This place gets super crowded, so be prepared for the crowds. This is one of the most expensive places to stay outside of a National Park in the United States, so be prepared for that. You pay a lot for location and easy access to the park.

Jenny Lake

Jenny Lake is the one thing that is on everyone’s list when they are visiting Grand Teton National Park. It is totally understandable because it is one of the most beautiful places on the planet. Because so many people put this on their list of things to do when visiting the park, you need to get here early. We were here first thing in the morning and beat the majority of the crowds on the way up. As we were hiking down we were blown away at how many people were on their way up. We were so happy we chose to get up and out of the bed early. It would have been pretty miserable hiking up the mountain with so many other people. So, #1 piece of advice, get there early!

There are plenty of amenities at this location. There is a great visitors center and gift shop as well as bathrooms and maps. This is an easy place to find a Park Ranger as well.

Jenny Lake Trail

The Jenny Lake Trail is a loop that encircles Jenny Lake. In total the trail is a little over 7 miles, but most people will only hike the two mile section that leads up to Hidden Falls and Inspiration Point. If you have the time and energy, do the whole loop, but if you are pressed for either, stick to the part we are going to talk about now.

To get to the trail from the visitors center, head down the path towards the boat dock. Once you get to the boat dock, there is a bridge on the left that takes you over a creek leading into Jenny Lake. That is the Jenny Lake Trail. At about the two-mile mark you will see a junction in the trail that will take you up to Hidden Falls (half-mile more), Inspiration Point (one-mile more), and further into the Tetons. We definitely recommend heading that way.

The trail gives you some sweet views of the lake and there are plenty of places where you can get down by the water (and even in it). Jenny Lake is over 400 feet deep at its deepest, so don’t get out too far! This is a pretty good place to see wildlife as well if you get there early. If you go too late, all of the people will have scared everything off usually. This trail isn’t too wide either, so there will be plenty of places where you will have to stop and let others pass.

Boat Ride

If you don’t want to hike to get to Hidden Falls or Inspiration Point you can take the Jenny Lake Boat. You can purchase one-way tickets or roundtrip. We really wanted to ride on a boat so we bought a one-way ticket. We rode over in the morning, hiked up to where we were going, then took the Jenny Lake Trail back. This is what we would recommend. We beat the crowds to Hidden Falls and Inspiration Point and eased into the day with a fun boat ride.

Tickets for the boat can be purchased on the boat dock. To get there, take the short walkway from the visitors center towards the lake. There is plenty of signage, but if you have trouble just ask a Ranger. Tickets are $10 one-way and $18 roundtrip for adults and $8 one-way and $10 roundtrip for kids aged 2-11. Boats leave every 10-15 minutes. No reservations are taken because the boats just run continuously through the day.

The boat ride is a fun 10-15 minute trip across the lake. We found that to be worth it on its own, just to get out on the water for a bit surrounded by such beautiful scenery.

Once you get off the boat, it is a half-mile hike to Hidden Falls and a one-mile hike to Inspiration Point. If you do this and hike back to the boat ramp, you are looking at about 4.5 miles total.

Hidden Falls

Hidden Falls is a picturesque waterfall that flows through Cascade Creek down into Jenny Lake. This waterfall is 100 feet tall and gets really full when the snow is melting farther up the Tetons. At the base of the waterfall is a nice little sitting area where you can relax and enjoy the view.

From the Jenny Lake visitors center it is just under a 5-mile hike roundtrip. If you don’t want to hike that far or don’t have the time, you can always just take the boat across Jenny Lake. From the boat dock it is a mile round trip.

Inspiration Point

If you go another half-mile up the trail you will get to inspiration point. This is an inspiring overlook with views of Jenny Lake and the the valley around the Tetons. The view is really great, but what makes this place so spectacular is the hike from Hidden Falls.

This hike is super fun. There are some really great cliff walkways that are plenty wide and safe, but they make you feel like you are walking on dangerous ground. The best is when you are on the little switchbacks and you get through the woods. You can turn around and have some of the best views of the mountain range in the whole park.

Once you get to Inspiration Point, take your time and take it all in. This was a perfect spot for us to take a break. We spent about a half hour up there filling up on snacks and taking a water break. Once it got crowded we got out of the way and let other people have some space, but it is something we will always remember.

Cascade Canyon

Not nearly as many people do this, but you can continue on to Cascade Canyon. You can hike the out and back trail which is a little under half a mile and get a good view of Grand Teton, Mount Owen, and Teewinot. If you want to see animals like moose and bears this is the place to go. You can go even deeper, over 4 miles, but the elevation gets steeper after the out and back trail.

Taggart Lake

Taggart Lake was our favorite hike in the whole park. There are a couple of reasons for this. The first is this place was absolutely stunning. The whole trail. You pass through forests, streams, meadows, boulder fields, and the lake. The whole time you have views of the Tetons that you can’t see anywhere else. It is a magical place. The other reason why we loved this is because we were super tired and didn’t know if we had any more miles in our legs. But, we realized it was now or a couple of years until we were back, so we did it. So glad we went the adventure way.

Taggart Lake is a relatively easy 3-mile hike. The trailhead is right off of Teton Park Road south of Jenny Lake. We went right at the fork at the trailhead and circled that way. Right when you get in the forest area there is an incredible cascade with an awesome bridge over it. That would have been enough to end it for us, but it was just the beginning. When you get to Taggart Lake you can get in for a cold swim or just wade out to to the rocks and find a place to sit. The water is crystal clear, simply stunning. Make sure you hit up Taggart Lake when you go to the Tetons.

Lupine Meadows

Lupine Meadows is a beautiful area at the base of the Tetons just south of Jenny Lake. If you come at the right time you will find a meadow full of colorful flowers. The road through the meadows dead ends at the Lupine Meadows Trailhead. There are two trails that you can take from here and both of them are strenuous hikes that will take up most of your day. Garnet Canyon takes you to the middle of the Tetons. To get there though you better be at peak physical condition. You will need to do some boulder scrambling, and 2,500 feet of elevation change over 8.4 miles. The other trail takes you to Surprise and Amphitheater Lakes. This is over 10 miles and it strenuous as well. Definitely not for the faint of heart. Even if you don’t hike these trails, take the turn and drive through the meadows.

Colter Bay

Colter Bay is on the north end of the park on Jackson Lake. This is such a beautiful part of the park that a lot of people stay away from. However, we highly recommend coming up here. If you like to be on the water, this is where you go. There are plenty of boating options in Grand Teton National Park, but Lake Jackson is where most of the action is.

Another really great option at Colter Bay is the trails that are available. The Lakeshore Trail is a relatively easy 2-mile trail that takes you right along the shore. It starts at the visitors center and takes you through a small forest and to some spectacular views of the Tetons. The mountain range reflecting off of the water is simply stunning. Another big bonus, there are a ton of bears in this area.

Chapel of the Sacred Heart

We had no intention of stopping at the Chapel of the Sacred Heart, but we were looking for a place to stop and eat lunch. Pretty much everywhere in the park was completely full so we just started trying different pullouts on the side of Teton Park Road.

When we got to Chapel of the Sacred Heart nobody was there. We parked and took a 50-yard trail down to the water and there were a couple of picnic tables down there. We had that whole section of Jackson Lake to ourselves, it was awesome. This is a great, quiet stop for you to get away from the crowds and have a moment to yourself. It was a perfect recharging spot for us as we headed into a pretty busy afternoon. We all need those moments of calm and quiet, we found it at the Chapel of the Sacred Heart.

Mormon Row

Maybe the most photographed location in all of the National Park System is Mormon Row. Mormon Row is a historic homestead on the east side of the Tetons. It has been well preserved and makes for some really great pictures of the Moulton Barns with the Tetons in the background. The time to go is early in the morning as the sun is coming up and hitting the Tetons. People line up an hour before the sun is up to get the pics they are after. We went late in the afternoon and the sun was on its way down so we got some pretty bad pictures. It was still worth it to go and walk around.

To get to Mormon Row, you have to take 191 to Antelope Flats Road and go about two miles. It is right in the middle of a valley so you can see it from pretty far away.

Scenic Drives In Grand Teton National Park

Grand Teton is one of the most magnificently beautiful places we have ever been. There are amazing views wherever you go. Because of that, it makes this park ideal for whatever you are able to do. If you are not able to go deep into the mountains or woods, we would still highly recommend coming to this park because there is beauty all around you.

The main road, Teton Park Road, drives by the base of the Tetons. There are plenty of up close views and turnouts that make the drive itself worth it. Highway 191 goes from Jackson to Yellowstone and the views and turnouts there are spectacular as well. You are a little farther away from the range so you have a wider view. The Moose Wilson Road also gives you great views and is a really fun drive. It takes you up to Phelps Lake and you can see some great views from there. Make sure you check to see if it is open if you go in the colder months. Signal Mountain Road is another great one. Fantastic views from most points.

Maybe our favorite drive was the Jenny Lake Drive. This is an awesome little road that skirts the shore of the lake. It is one way and tight in some places, but you can see so much of the lake and the Tetons. There is plenty of wildlife in this area, so take your time and be on the lookout. There was not a ton of places to turn off on this section of road, so if you find one, take advantage of it.

What To Pack For Grand Teton National Park

You should always be prepared when heading to a National Park! Click here to sign up for our newsletter and receive our packing list for any trip we go on. For the Tetons, we wanted to highlight a couple of items that will help you have the best experience as possible.

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• Hiking boots – with all of the hiking in this park, you will need to have a good pair of boots, these are the ones that we use and we love them!
• Backpack – this pack is a little more on the expensive side for a day use pack, but it is lightweight with plenty of storage.
• Water bottle – always pack a water bottle that can be reused. This is a good one.
• Scope – we always carry a pair of binoculars but recently got a scope and have been able to see animals up close and personal. When we went to this part of the country the people who had a scope had much better views of wildlife. If you can invest in one and go to parks a lot, go for it. These can go into the high hundreds, might want to start cheaper and see if you use it.
• Fanny pack – you read that right, fanny packs are back! This one is great for going into the woods for a couple of hours. You can hold a water bottle, some snacks, your phone, and you are good to go!

We hope you have a blast going the adventure way in Grand Teton National Park. We know that you will. Here are some other National Park units you can visit as you are out traveling this beautiful country.

Congaree National Park, Great Smoky Mountains, Effigy Mounds, Cape Lookout, and Pipestone

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