Grand Teton National Park

Have you ever heard of the Grand Teton National Park? I never had heard of the park. Growing up watching old western movies and TV shows, I would hear mention of The Tetons or Grand Teton, but not the park itself. What about Jackson Hole, Wyoming? Ever heard of it? My only impression of it was a more “well to do” ski town. One thing I never put together was that Jackson Hole and the Grand Teton National Park were in the same vicinity. I never associated posh skiing and wildlife. It was a surprise to me. And a welcome one at that.

Mama Nomad’s parents came to visit us, as they do from time to time. They had not been to Grand Teton National Park or Jackson Hole. So, last Wednesday, the 5th of October, we packed up and all headed out to check them both out. Let me tell you, it was a rather exciting adventure with a range of emotions. You’ll see what I am talking about. Keep on reading.

From home base we chose a route that went through the Targhee National Forest, twice. The first part of the route took us through a valley. Actually, it was the same valley we journeyed through on our way to the Palisades Reservoir. But, at Swan Valley, Idaho we turned off and headed north into Targhee National Forest. Now, right before we hit Swan Valley is where our first bit of excitement happened. Down the hill from the road, in a field, we saw two moose grazing and playing. On our trips we had never seen a live moose. We had heard how big and how dangerous they could be. So, we always hoped to see one from the safety of Ebony. Check. Exactly how we had hoped.

After the excitement of the moose encounter, we were charged and ready to see what else the day had in store for us. As stated, we turned off and entered Targhee National Forest. This was a climb in elevation from the valley into the mountains. As we began to drive, it began to snow on us. It looked like we were in a snow globe. Actually, Mama Nomad said it seemed like we were in Narnia; for those of you who have seen the movie, you will get the reference. The view was breathtaking. Something else that was interesting is that we had some trees that were yellow and orange along with pine trees that were green and snow covering them all. It was a mix of autumn and winter all in one setting.

The road conditions were fine, mostly. There were places where snowy mixes covered the road which can cause a vehicle to slide, especially when you are going up or down steep grades (6% to 10%). If you do not have four wheel drive, you may want to plan a trip on this route when there is no snow. At a point you will come to a peak where you can pull over and look upon the Tetons as well as a town called Victor. It is a beautiful view and one worth pulling over for.

Once you get down the hill, you will exit Targhee National Forest, hit Victor and then enter Targhee National Forest again. Remember, I said we went through it twice. Now, on the other side of Targhee, you will arrive in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. This is a cute little town that looks like it is well kept. We traveled into downtown Jackson Hole where the town square is. There is a site to see on the town square. There are 4 archways on each corner of the square. They are made entirely of elk antlers. For those of you who may be appalled by that, take comfort in the fact that no elk were hurt to make these archways. There are about 7500 elk in the area. Each summer their antlers fall off. The local Boy Scouts picked up the antlers and the Rotary Club made the archways from them.

From the square, you will see local shops in every direction. And, if you look up the hill, you can see the ski runs and lifts. Here is a tip for you. It seems that no matter when you go, Jackson Hole has crowds and parking spaces are a premium. If you will head to the north eastern side of the square and turn down East Deloney Ave, away from the square, you will find a public parking area about a block or so down on the left. The parking is free and there are clean, public restrooms as well. This will make your life a lot easier.

From Jackson Hole, we headed north out of the town. This brought us by the National Elk Refuge, the Jackson Hole Airport and then finally to the gate of the Grand Teton National Park. You will know you are at the correct turn off by the sign that says Moose Junction. The clouds were low and covering the mountains. We decided to head to Jenny Lake and hope that with a little time, maybe the clouds would either move on or dissipate. We turned off onto South Jenny Lake Junction, parked and began a hike to Jenny Lake. Side note – I had bear spray with me. Although the bears are beginning to hibernate, I did not want to take a chance and neither should you. We got to the lake and the clouds were still covering the mountains. But, the lake was clear and beautiful. As we headed back, we crossed a horse bridge and the clouds began to show promise in lifting. So we stopped and took the scene in, just in case the clouds did not cooperate.

We got back to Ebony and headed down the main road until we arrived at the Jenny Lake Scenic Loop. This route takes you by both String Lake and Jenny Lake. We stopped in the parking lot by String Lake. I know I use the words beautiful and breathtaking frequently. But, they are accurate descriptors. The clouds were parting, the sun was coming through, the mountains were showing and the clear lake, green pines and snowy mountains had me just standing there and staring in awe. I just could not soak up enough of it.

We left String Lake and continued on down the Scenic Loop. We pulled off at the first parking lot we saw that was adjacent to Jenny Lake. This put us right in front of the Cascade Canyon. This canyon was cut right through the Teton Range by glaciers, the last of which bulldozed through about 20,000 years ago. The snowy canyon, sunshine and crystal water of Jenny Lake caused me to take another long pause to try and soak it all in. I must have snapped a few dozen pictures.

We left the parking lot and decided to head on back to home base. We did not want to push our luck. The clouds had separated for us while we were on the scenic loop. And now, they were beginning to congregate again. As we exited the scenic loop, I spotted an elk to my left. So, I pulled over. And one by one more and more continued to flow out of the trees. Then I heard a click, clacking sound. I looked in the direction the sound was coming from and there he was; a large 12 point bull elk. He stood tall and looked proud as he watched over his herd grazing. Eventually I was not the only person standing there snapping pix. I was surrounded by a dozen cars. So, I jumped in and headed out.

Thinking we were finished snapping pix, I was surprised about a mile down the main road. I saw a herd of mule deer. I pulled over to check them out. When I picked up my camera to take their picture, it really seemed like they were purposely ignoring me. Every time I lifted my camera, they turned their head the other way. Eventually, they meandered over to a wooden fence. Some of them went through or under the fence. There were two bucks and their only choice was to jump over, which they did effortlessly.

This time, that was the last eventful thing for us to pull over and take pix of. The whole journey from home base through Jackson Hole and into the Grand Teton National Park was just wonderful. The snow, mountains, trees, moose, elk, deer and lakes just filled me with so much visual joy, that I felt like I was going to bust. This is one place that you need to plan to visit, wherever you live. You won’t regret it. Safe Travels.