Grand Teton National Park was a Wonderful Change
Written: Dec 03 '03 (Updated Dec 03 '03)
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Pros: Pretty well everything; lakes, mountains, not busy
Cons: Somewhat difficult to get to
The Bottom Line: I'd go back to Grand Teton National Park without any complaints, it was a wonderful place.
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| tch7's Full Review: Grand Teton National Park |
Grand Teton National Park is the only National Park in the United States that I can say has nothing bad about it. Most people go to Yellowstone National Park, yet ignore the fabulous park that is only a short distance from its southern border; we didn't even plan on visiting it until the day before we actually went down for the day. Grand Teton National Park is currently the only park in the US I'd make an effort of returning to for an extended trip, as I'd love to do some backpacking in the area.
While in the Black Hills National Forest in South Dakota, I convinced my father that we may as well drive back home through Yellowstone as it didn't make a huge difference in distance, and was much more scenic than driving through eastern Montana. Then, once we were at the eastern gate to Yellowstone I introduced the idea of taking a day trip down to GTNP - the park pass covered it as well, so it wouldn't be too costly. I had seen so many wonderful pictures of the area, so I didn't want to pass up the opportunity to see it with my own eyes. With a little persuasion, I got what I wanted and we headed down the next day to check out the typical attractions.
Flagg Ranch
Once you leave Yellowstone, you enter the John D. Rockefeller Jr. Memorial Parkway, and soon reach Flagg Ranch, which is basically just a place to get gas & groceries or stay overnight, and it also has a Visitor Information center where they told us about the best views and how to get to the ones I had seen in pictures. It's not a scenic stop, just a place to stock up if you need to.
Jackson Lake
Although you don't typically think of swimming in a mountain lake, I had the somewhat unexpected surprise of taking a plunge into the relatively warm water. In the morning, we stopped at one of the picnic areas and ate a small breakfast, which we purchased at Flagg Ranch, and then moved on. Later in the day though, on the way back, we stopped at the same place and went for a short little walk along the shore. There was one spot where you had to cross what appeared to be a small little channel on a log, but the log was beginning to break. Me, being such a nice & caring son, tried to break it to annoy my parents, but my plan backfired and I got drenched. I suppose I got what I deserved, but it was actually somewhat refreshing - except for the sand which got under all my clothing.
Anyways, the lake was very nice looking when heading south, as the Teton Range is in the background. There were a few boats on it, but not many. Although I couldn't tell you exactly where we stopped, it was near the middle of the lake and wasn't very busy.
Colter Bay
It's basically like Flagg Ranch, but bigger, busier, and it has nicer scenery around it. It had a few short hikes around it, but we didn't bother with them, as we didn't want our time to get eaten up. A little ways southeast of Colter Bay is the Jackson Lake Junction, where the road forks, we stayed to the right.
Signal Mountain
Although it is more a ridge than a mountain, you can drive up to near the top where you get some good views of the Teton Range and there are some nice flowers. It is a narrow, steep, and windy road so it does take some time. Although it was great for views and flowers, there were billions of bugs that made it unpleasant and hard to get a good picture of people. If I do recall correctly, the best view wasn't at the very top, but near the top. Although you had to just find a spot on the side of the road, a short walk took you out to a more open area than the actual top of the mountain that gave you the desired views of Jackson Lake & Teton Range.
Jenny Lake
Other then the man who was shaving, I don't remember much about this area. Jenny Lake was busy, as it is one of the main trailheads in the park. It also offers a Visitors Center, and on the northern part of the lake is the Jenny Lake Lodge. In contrast to Jackson Lake, it wasn't that impressive of lake in any way.
Teton Glacier Turnout
Okay views, and good information about the geology can be found here. There wasn't anybody else stopped here. A little ways further south is the Climbers Ranch, where I expected to see the old ranch building that is often in pictures, but I never saw it and I still don't know where it is - it's somewhere in the southern portion of the park, but I don't know exactly where. It is always possible that the Climbers Ranch is where the building was and that I just didn't see it.
Moose Junction
This is where the two roads meat up again, and it makes for a nice loop back up to Jackson Lake Junction. There is also the Moose Visitor Center, but we didn't check it out at all. This area is quite dry and covered mainly by sagebrush, unlike the forested area around Jenny Lake.
Snake River Overlook
Although there are a number of lookouts along this stretch of road, most of the pictures of the Teton Range come from the Snake River Overlook. Although it was completely different than what I had expected, it was still quite nice. Not one person showed up either, which really surprised me.
Cunningham Cabin Historic Site
Further north from the Snake River Overlook is the Cunningham Cabin, which is where I figured the old barn building had to be, but it wasn't. Instead, it was an old cabin, with okay scenery, but it had a lot of good information on the history of the area. This area is also dry and covered mainly by sagebrush. There is also the Triangle X Ranch near the cabin, which provides lodging.
Oxbow Bend Turnout
The Oxbow Bend in the Snake River is another popular stop that gives an excellent photo opportunity. I say popular only because you often see pictures of it, but it only had two other cars stopped, and it is right off the side of the road. For daytime pictures, this is the best roadside stop, whereas the Snake River Overlook is better at dusk & dawn. After this, it was back to Yellowstone for another terrible night of sleep.
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Prices
Prices were high, but understandable in most cases. Camping costs about $25 a night, but it's not easy to secure yourself a spot in the peak seasons. Lodging isn't cheap, as there is only a few places to stay, which also means it can be difficult to get a spot. Groceries and gas were given the typical National Park markup, plus a little more since it's a somewhat remote location. Getting into the park is $20/vehicle for a week, and it also gives you access to Yellowstone.
Crowds
Even though Grand Teton National Park receives over 4 million visitors a year, I found the park to be quite quiet, with the only real crowds being at Colter Bay and Jenny Lake. Most of the places I stopped had no more than two or three vehicles and this was in mid-July, and there was very little traffic on the roads; it was sure a nice change from Yellowstone and it's incredible crowds. However, getting a place to stay isn't easy, so if you get there late in the afternoon, you may not find anywhere to stay (depending on the time of the year).
Lodging
Since I didn’t stay overnight, I’m not the best to describe the lodging situation in GTNP. There are a few campgrounds, but not as many as Yellowstone, and they are all about $25 a night. The campground at Jenny Lake is usually full by 8am.
If you’re not the camping sort, then there are a couple of lodges to stay at. To name a few places in the area: Triangle X Ranch, Snake River Lodge & Spa, Jackson Lake Lodge, Jenny Lake Lodge, and Colter Bay Village. Since there is a variety of lodging types, prices start at about $30 and go up to $600. For a nice & comfortable room, you’re looking at about $200/night.
Roads
The roads were all in good condition and there was only one small patch that was being worked on, but you could still get through. Traffic was minimal, finding places to pass people wasn't too difficult, and it is definitely possible to cover the majority of the park in a day. Some roads are closed in winter, so I suggest you check what is going on with closures and construction before you head out.
In Conclusion
Although Grand Teton National Park was much different than I had been expecting, it was still a great experience. I think the main reason I liked it, was because it wasn't busy. After two and a half weeks of visiting busy places, it was a nice change and it reminded me of the Canadian Rockies. Some day I hope to go back, so I can do some backpacking, but that probably won't be any time soon as it isn't a fun place to get to. I highly recommend you visit Grand Teton National Park, even if it is just for a day while you are staying in Yellowstone.
For further information, check out the National Park Service's website:
http://www.nps.gov/grte/
If you're interested in the rest of my road trip, here are links to the other portions of it:
Montana
Wyoming
Yellowstone National Park
Grand Teton National Park
Colorado
The Vail Area
Rocky Mountain National Park
Arches National Park
Jewel Cave National Monument (South Dakota)
Recommended:
Yes
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tch7
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