20 October 2022
Grand Teton is situated about 100 miles south of Yellowstone National Park (from which it is also visible). Much smaller than Yellowstone, it encompasses the Teton Mountain Range and Jackson Hole Valley. The Park is named after the tallest mountain (around 4000m) in the 40-mile-long Teton Range.
Knife-sharp peaks rake the sky and mirror-bright lakes shimmer in the sun, while shaggy grizzlies lumber among soaring conifers and bugling elks shatter the early morning silence. This sprawling wilderness has even more impressive mountain scenery and there are fewer crowds than at its better-known counterpart.
The mountains here are among the youngest in the world. Less than 10 million years old, their jagged spires still look raw as they rise suddenly from the flat green floor of the Snake River Valley, without any intervening foothills to soften the transition. The deep forests and lakes are laced with trails and carved through with a scenic drive, which enables visitors to explore the area in a variety of ways.
Nearly everywhere we looked, we enjoyed a postcard-worthy view of the mountains. Overlooks and viewpoints from the mountains themselves offered sweeping panoramas over the park’s many forests, rivers, lakes, and meadows.
As we crossed Snake River into Antelope Flats, which would lead us ultimately lead us to Jackson Hole, at the lowest point of the valley, we had a clear view of the mountains on our right. To our left, lay sagebrush flats and wet meadows. A sign sent us to a place called Mormon Row.
In the 1890’s, Mormon homesteaders from Idaho established a small community in the area because of the fertile soil, wind shelter by Blacktail Butte, and access to the Gros Ventre River. They dug ditches by hand and with horses to funnel water to their fields and irrigate their crops. A few generations later, they upped and left and today, Mormon Row is not much more than a couple of barns and old farm houses. Still, it is a very atmospheric place and provides an insight into the hard life of homesteaders just over a century ago.
We stopped at Jackson Hole with its quaint town square. Small and charming, it’s full of restaurants, bars, shops, art galleries (and elk antler arches). After an early dinner there, we drove to our hotel, Bentwood Inn, situated about 5 miles outside of town. Set in its own woodland, the cabin-style inn featured a giant 3-storey fireplace and stylishly decorated rooms with bay window seats, just perfect for enjoying the incredible views of the Tetons.
The next morning, we set off to the National Park (entrance fee USD $35 per vehicle) and took the scenic drive loop road, stopping off first at the Lake Jenny trailhead. The shuttle boat to cross the lake had closed for the winter so we just enjoyed a short hike around the lake enjoying the clear, calm mountain air and the incredible views. As we had forgotten to bring our bear spray, Mylene broke out in song every 10 minutes or so to scare off the grizzlies...
A little further on down the road, we reached Taggart Lake. This was a 3.3-mile roundtrip trail and a perfect hike as the trail does not gain very much elevation and it looked just stunning in the bright, autumn sunshine. We may have forgotten the bear spray but we did not forget to stop by at the Persephone Bakery in Jackson beforehand to buy our to-go sandwiches and we enjoyed a leisurely picnic lunch when we reached the lake. The views of the Grand Teton, the tallest peak in the Teton Range, were just incredible and crossing the bridge over Taggart Creek, we admired the clear, fresh mountain water cascading down the slope.
Visiting Grand Teton is like stepping back in time to the old American West. The majestic peaks of the Teton Range, the roaming wildlife, the undisturbed natural beauty… it was literally – and figuratively - like a breath of fresh air.
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