Grand Teton National Park, The Grand Mountain Range in Wyoming
Written: Jul 12 '03 (Updated Jul 12 '03)
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Pros: BEAUTIFUL!!
Cons: Not enough time
The Bottom Line: You can camp, fish, climb mountains, ski, boat, float. This is an outdoor enthusist's dream.
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| remnjava's Full Review: Grand Teton National Park |
We were coming back from visiting my son in Washington State and had a few days to spare. We had also just been on an Alaskan cruise. I threatened to go back to work early and save a few vacation days. Well, I said the wrong thing, or perhaps it was the right thing. Before I knew it, hubby wanted to camp at Grand Teton National Park overnight.
Getting There
It wasn't easy to get there from Spokane, with no Interstates leading directly there. There was frequent road construction in the area; one-lane roads with shear cliffs dotted the way. At one point, hubby spotted a moose about 200 feet ahead of us. I enjoyed viewing him nibbling on the vegetation, until he decided to cross the highway in front of a couple of "sand trucks," then cross in front of us. Fortunately, because of my eagle-eyed husband, I was prepared, unlike the truck drivers, who locked up their brakes. I could smell burning tires as we passed. The moose ran off, unhurt.
Jackson
We went to the town of Jackson. Jackson is the town. Jackson Hole is the area. It used to be called, "Jackson's Hole," but then the residents thought that disrespectful. A hole basically refers to a valley, perhaps an area below a mountain.
We took the state road, then came to a corner marked by an arbor of Elk Antlers, this was our signal to turn. It seems that Shell or Mobile Oil designed this area. Everything seems so far apart. Getting from our campsite to town was about 70 miles roundtrip. We tried to find a campsite in Jenny Lake, but all the areas with great views of the lake was taken. Besides, the camping pads seemed difficult to back in to, especially with a F150.
We went to the next camping area, Signal Mountain. We found a few great campsites. Hubby wanted to explore further. We went to Colter Bay, where a ranger awaited us. We said we wanted to pick out a spot before we paid. He said that was fine, but the camping at Signal Mountain was probably all filled up, we should probably set up camp here. My husband didn't listen, and we ended up back at Signal Mountain, with a GREAT view of the lake! This area was self-registration. We left a payment at the ranger station. Bear in mind, it is approximately 10 miles in between camp grounds. Make sure you have plenty of gas before you get into the park.
http://www.nps.gov/grte/pphtml/camping.html
http://www.nps.gov/grte/pphtml/feespermits.html
The entrance fee for my husband and myself was $20. We planned on doing a 2 1/2 hour "float trip," or a raft trip the following day. We were traveling with my asthmatic dachshund and asked if we could keep her in the back of the pickup truck. The lows were in the 40s and the highs in the 80s. We were told, "NO!" by the ranger. We were likely to be cited. The topper has smoked windows and there are two windows for air vents. We ended up taking her into town to a vet for a few hour boarding for about $18.
Float Trip
We made the float trip reservations the night before on the telephone, paying $40 each. We arrived at 9:30 am for our float trip with Solitude Float Trips. I was really confused what our "vehicle" would look like. I was imaging a raft like Tom Sawyer, worried that our belongings would fall into the Snake River! It was actually a rubber raft with two rubber bumpers on the edges. One bumper you sit on. You don't sit on the outer one, or you MIGHT fall into the river, and that wouldn't be a pretty sight! One might break their ankle! Perhaps 20 people were able to get aboard. The area in the middle, housed the oars and one could not sit there.
We got into the air-conditioned van which pulled the raft on a trailer. We drove about 10 miles up river. Along the way we were given a list of possible things that might happen to us, being attacked by wild animals and having recurring nightmares, etc. Most of the "dangers" seemed pretty silly. I'd gotten a bit seasick on the ship we'd just taken to Alaska and wondered if I would get nauseous here, but not to worry. BE SURE TO TAKE SUNBLOCK! We didn't even consider taking any on our trip to Alaska, so therefore we didn't have any with us. We saw someone else using it, so we asked to use some of theirs. I'm glad we did, since one area I'd forgotten to cover was pretty sun burnt!
The guide balanced out the raft, and instructed us that we may need to "hit the deck" at a moment's notice. That came in handy as we docked, we needed to get weight off the edge closest to the shore, so hubby and I needed to scoot our bottoms to the bottom of the raft. But I'm getting ahead of myself!
The 10 mile tour down the Snake River was very serene. The lovely snow capped mountains graced the background of our tour. The waters of the Snake River were muddy due to the volume of melting snow coming off the mountains. This was in May. Later in the year the waters are a bit calmer and run clear. This was no white-water trip, although one is available. I believe our water was running at 6 cubic feet per second, although 4 cfs is normal. The guide had double duty. He had to navigate the raft around boulders and fallen tree branches, as well as entertain us and show us wildlife of interest. He did a GREAT job!
We saw eagles, eagles' nests, a variety of water bird and its mate, egrets, pelicans, a moose, and probably a few more animals I'm forgetting. We heard a popcorn popping sound as our raft navigated the river. We learned this was actually stones being moved beneath us by the force of the river. The Snake River got its name from an Indian tribe living in the area. They were famous for their weavings. Their hand-signal greeting looked like a snake's movement.
After our encounter with the moose alongside the road, I learned that moose spend 80-90% of its life in the water, eating willow branches! The night before, hubby and I saw a herd of animal closely resembling deer. We learned it was actually elk!
There is an elk refuge in the area. Each year the Boy Scouts are commissioned to pick up the fallen elk antlers from the fields. The refuge holds an auction for the antlers. Buyers come from all over, even Asia! Powdered elk antlers are considered aphrodisiacs. Antlers weigh somewhere around 15-20 pounds. The antlers sell from $15-20 per pound. Locally they can be made into lamps and other crafts. That Boy Scout Troop is one of the richest in the U.S.!
Camping
The camping was great in the Tetons, with beautiful scenery. Be sure to take your mosquito spray! We were getting bitten with great regularity in late May. I felt sorry for our dachshund, who didn't have much of a chance. We went to the local store and picked up some organic mosquito spray, the only kind they offered, for about $6-8 for a 2 ounce bottle. I heard the word, "sucker! Outdoor Insect Oil, it is called, and put out by Wind River Herbs, from Jackson Hole. I was very skeptical. I must say it did an EXCELLENT job! I even applied some to my hands and put some on Hildegaard, our dachshund. Coconut oil is the first ingredient, and it has a pleasant citrus smell.
Overall, I'm glad I told my husband I wanted to get back to work early. I got a lovely camping and raft trip out of the deal!
Here is the link to Solitude Float Trips:
http://www.grand-teton-scenic-floats.com/
Oh yes! Grand Tetons is French for big "bosoms."
Recommended:
Yes
Best time to go: June-August
Recommended for: Anybody
Review Topic: Overview
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remnjava
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Member: Carol
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