The Grand Tetons were a sidelight to this trip. We flew into Jackson Hole to drive to Yellowstone. It was late in the planning when I realized we had to drive by and through the park to get to Yellowstone.
The Tetons were a beautiful way to start the trip. They come straight out of the ground and are very steep. Some of the peaks still had snow. We arrived around noon so we had the afternoon to explore. We also had to go through the park in the morning to get to Yellowstone.
We entered the park at Moose. The entrance fee covers Yellowstone as well. We had a Parks Pass so it didn't really matter. The road runs to the North and parallels the mountains. There were several campgrounds and a lodge or two. Since we weren't staying there, I didn't look very close. The lodge at Lake Jackson looked nice, though. Teton Village is at the ski slopes and offers some accommodations as well.
The hiking seemed to be flat but there are apparently some trails in the mountains as well. We didn't have time to explore so we were taking in the sights.
We pulled off at Jenny Lake to take some pictures. The peaks there make it
a beautiful place. The tour boats run continuously so keeping them out of
your pictures is a pretty good trick. The lake is small so I had trouble
seeing the fascination with the tours for scenery but they also ferry hikers to
some of the trails. Never the less, if you're there, stop and take a
look.
As we went through the park, we stopped at Jackson Lake and looked at Signal Mountain Lodge. The scenery there was beautiful but it was hard to get a good picture. There were too many boats and other man made objects there.
On the way out of the park, we stopped at the Oxbow Bend Turnout. We
didn't see any of the rumored wild life
but the view is great. The river
is very pretty and the mountains in the background make a great picture.
You have to go through the Tetons to get to the South Entrance to Yellowstone NP
so we stopped at Oxbow Bend again on our way to Yellowstone. Still no wildlife but the river was
very calm. We didn't get there as early as we hoped and I'm sure that's
part of the problem. The mountains were reflecting off the water so it was even
better the second time. At least until the geese started swimming around
and messed up the reflections. I'm told there are frequently moose or
grizzlies at Oxbow Bend but we didn't see any. Only spectacular views of
the Grand Tetons.
In hindsight, the Grand Tetons were very nice. Given the choice, though, I'd basically see them on the way to Yellowstone. The few hours one day and a drive through the park the next day, made me feel like I'd seen a lot. It would be pretty easy to combine the Tetons and Yellowstone into one enjoyable trip.