Grand Teton and Jackson, Wyoming

After spending three days in Yellowstone we left via the south entrance through Grand Teton National Park. Grand Teton is very different than Yellowstone, and is known for majestic views and pretty alpine lakes. We only had a half day there, but managed to take a boat ride, do a hike, and see some historic barns.

We started at the Colter Bay Visitor Center right when it opened, then drove along the east side of the park (Teton Park Rd) for panoramic views. The best view was from Lower Schwabacher Landing, with the mountains rising over the river and meadows. Grand Teton has probably the most impressive mountain views in the US, with jagged snowy mountains rising straight up from flat meadows and lakes.

Bonus national park!

The mountains in Grand Teton are impressive.

They're particularly impressive because there aren't many foothills. Just plains and then a huge mountain range.

Views for days.

Us, mountains, water.

Grand Teton National Park is unique because it has a national historic district within the park - "Mormon row," a few barns and houses from the early 1900s. It's a great place to stop for photos, and the view with a barn and the Tetons is an iconic image of the west.

Barn and mountains.

It would have been a rough life living here in the 1800s.

Classic scenes.

The overcast skies gave the barns an almost creepy look.

Next we drove around to the more western side of the park, closer to the mountains, stopping at the Jenny Lake area. This is the busiest area of the park, with services and several hiking trails. We bought tickets to ride a boat across Jenny Lake, then did the short hike to Hidden Falls and Lower Inspiration Point before heading back across the lake. It was really cold on the boat, and there was still a lot of snow near the trails. We would have hiked a little further, but the trail was closed due to heavy snow. Along the way we saw plenty of marmots and a waterfall. The weather was drizzly so the views weren't great, but it was still a good little hike.

Chilly morning on Lake Jenny.

We should have had warmer clothes for this boat ride! It was fun though.

Paul in the VIP seat.

View from the boat.

A weird little plant on the trail.

Still so much snow!

Marmot meeting a tourist on a bridge over a stream.

The views from lower inspiration point were still good despite the cloudy weather.

Paul on the hike.

David is king of the mountain.

Next we drove south to Jackson, a cute tourist town. It was still a bit rainy, but we walked around downtown for a bit, and had lunch at Snake River Brewing before going to Snow King ski resort to ride the Cowboy Coaster (an alpine coaster). Jackson is a nice town and it would be fun to spend more time there. We wrapped up the day by driving the final few hours to Salt Lake City, and flew out the next morning. We didn't as much time as we would have liked in Grand Teton and Jackson, and hope to return some day to explore some more.

Beer sampler for the table at Snake River brewing.

Finally, some real food!

Yum!

Paul with the famous elk antler arch in downtown Jackson.

Too bad the weather was still bad, or we would have walked around more in Jackson.

If there's a coaster near by, of course we had to stop!

A fun little ride.

Beautiful scenery as we drove through Wyoming and Idaho on the way back to Salt Lake City.

We drove through Afton, a small town with a cute stretch of downtown.

The open road!

The weather cleared up a bit and we had amazing views of reflected blue skies.

This area was particularly beautiful.