Grand Tetons National Park: Late Season May be the Best Time to Visit

Want to know what to do at Grand Teton National Park? What is there not to do? Camping, hiking, rock climbing, cycling, fishing, backpacking, sightseeing and photography. Pretty much all your outdoor bases are covered at Grand Teton National Park, and those are only the Summer activities. Like many National Park Grand Tetons can see its share of visitors in the Summer. Many of the campgrounds fill daily, with some of them filling by 10:00 am or earlier. However, unlike Yosemite and Grand Teton’s sister park to the north, Yellowstone, Grand Teton seems to handle the crowds a little better, all of this and yet a short 20 minute drive from Jackson Hole, Wyoming with its world renown ski resorts and an airport.

A couple of Branchwhipped.com’s contributors had the chance to visit the park and spend some time getting to know the trails and multiple activities the park has to offer. Here is a brief run down of recommendations and options for your Grand Teton visit.

Pictured above: Grand Teton range morning reflection.
Pictured Below: View of Grand Teton and Mount Owen, from Inspiration Point.

First things first, go to the Wyoming Tourism site and download the PDF ‘Park Map’ – the first link in the article. The extensive map shows nearly everything you’ll need to know about the park and where to find it.

Gros Ventre Campground: We got into town a little late and didn’t want to attempt to find a campsite in the park at night so we headed straight to Gros Ventre campground and set up our tent. There are over 300 campsites there and we were able to find numerous spots that offered privacy and we did not feel like we were sharing our campsite with our neighbors due to the spacing of the sites. I think its pretty much an overflow for the park, which is by no means a problem. It’s large, offers the basics and is just a few miles to Jackson and the Tetons. Gros Ventre is just a few miles East of the airport, yet does not feel like it.

Jenny Lake Campground: We spent the remainder of our time camping at Jenny Lake, a tent only campground that offers only 50 or so cam sites, its all first come first serve and Jenny Lake fills up the quickest of any campsite in the park. it is close to the Lake, and the trailhead to Hidden Falls and inspiration Point. The mixed use trail also runs through Jenny Lake that allows Bikes and a scenic backdrop to any cycle trip. Jenny Lake also has a small yet comprehensive convenient store for just about any need you may have.

Jenny Lake: Offers Canoeing, kayaking and fishing. The south trailhead for Hidden Falls and Inspiration Point, both directly west across Jenny Lake, starts at the Jenny Lake Visitors Center. There is also a ferry that will take you to and from Hidden Falls, or take you just one way if desired. We hiked to Hidden Falls and Inspiration Point and took the ferry back just for the scenery and we were in a hurry to see other sites.

Photo above: Snake River Overlook in the morning.
Photo below: Cascade Canyon between Grand Teton and Mount St. John

Hidden Falls: A must. Claimed to be the the most visited spot in the park, it is easy to get there on the ferry across Jenny Lake or by hiking the easy 1.5 mile trail around the lake. The trail is smooth enough to mountain bike on, unfortunately no bikes on the dirt trails in the park.

Inspiration Point: Just a short hike above Hidden Falls, offers a view of the whole Teton valley looking East. Also a must if you are already at Hidden Falls. The hike up, however, is much steeper and has a number of switchbacks from Hidden Falls. its short and worth it.

String Lake: Thin little lake connecting Jenny Lake and Leigh Lake, offers the best place for a dip in a cool mountain lake. We swam out quite the distance, until the water was up to our shoulders. The water is crystal clear, and very refreshing. Once your body acclimates to the water its not that bad… My thermometer on my watch was reading right around 60 degrees!

Colter Bay Village: Boating, camping, restaurants, visitor center, a very scenic area with many options for easy, rewarding hikes. Also, showers that we took advantage of, reasonably priced too. If you have time, stop by.

Jackson Lake Lodge: Quite the resort located here if you are not into camping and hiking and are looking for a 4 star + experience at the Tetons. We stopped by Pioneer Grill briefly on a recommendation for a good place to eat breakfast. That morning we were in the middle of a downpour and our campfire was not going to start with wet wood, if we had a small quick-boil mini gas stove things would have been different. The 50′s era diner was a nice touch.

Photo Above: Our tent at Jenny Lake campground, we may have had the best campsite in the park.
Photo Below: Buffalo herd sighted near Mormon Row.

Taggart Lake: Quick short hike to a great lake that offers great views of the tetons reflecting off the surface. If you go in the evening, bring bug spray! If you like trail running this is a great trail, my Hi-Tec V-Lite Thunder HPI’s handled the trail well.

Bradley Lake: We trail ran this whole trail starting from the north at the Lupine Meadows trailhead. There are decent climbs and descents, the trail is about 3 miles one way. You can also take this trail to Surprise Lake and Amphitheater Lake. The trails originating from Lupine Meadows trailhead are a bit more advanced, meaning more climbing and rougher terrain. Again my Hi-Tecs performed well on the wet trail.

Mixed Use Trail: We brought our mountain bikes and made good use of them, we cycled everywhere we could from our campsite and chained our bikes at the trailheads when we had to start hiking. The mixed use trail is all asphalt and runs for miles north and south through a portion of the park. Who doesn’t like a bike ride? Not to mention one as scenic as this. We also rode of bikes on the road as often as possible where there was no bike-specific trail. Made us feel less like tourists in a car I guess. One of our best series of activities was biking from Jenny Lake to the Lupine Meadow trailhead and then trail running to and from Bradley Lake. Half the way is on a dirt road and its much more enjoyable on the saddle of a mountain bike than car.

Visitors Centers: They all offer some learning experience, we visited more than we planned on one day as it was a torrential downpour for the majority of the day. Good films offered and exhibits for kids.

Scenic – Photography: The whole park is scenic and a bad photo is impossible to take while inside the park, the Tetons are that amazing. Although there are certain areas that let you take in everything all at once, or at least allows you to see numerous peaks at once. On Highway 191 there are a number of turn outs that make it child’s play to snap a great shot. Snake River Overlook, made famous by Ansel Adams, google search it. Blacktail Ponds Overlook, and Mormon Row for other iconic Tetons photography areas. You’re bound to see wildlife everywhere so keep you eyes peeled. Check for Elk in the National Elk Refuge later in the season, as well as moose and buffalo. Pronghorn antelope make their yearly migration to the valley for the summer as well.

Who has other Tetons recommendations or more question for us? Let us know in the comments.

Resources:
Grand Teton: National Park Service
Wyoming Tourism
JacksonHoleWY.net
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