We live in a part of the country where there are so many National Parks accessible, and we feel like we haven't visited enough of them! This year we wanted to check the Grand Tetons off our list, so we planned a full week in the park to allow us to explore. It's so close to Yellowstone that we did entertain doing a combo trip but ultimately decided that it would be best to focus on one location at a time.
Day One
We arrived around noon and got settled in at the Colter Bay campground (more about where we stayed below), then decided to explore the near vicinity. We went to the visitor center and grabbed Jr. Ranger booklets then headed on a hike from the visitor center out to Jackson Lake. It was a very easy hike (more of a walk) but we were rewarded with fantastic views of the Tetons over the lake.
One of my husband's goals during our visit was fly fishing, so we headed to the Jackson dam in the afternoon to scope it out for fishing purposes. Most people were above the dam looking at the Tetons, but we were below the dam where all the water was coming out. There were plenty of people fishing there in addition to 10-15 pelicans! It was really fun to watch the pelicans take off and land in the water, and then try to catch fish. It would be a great place for a picnic.
On the way back to our camper we stopped at Jackson Lake Lodge for drinks and snacks on the patio. The lodge is a fantastic place to stay while in the park because it's a central point and the lodge is pretty class National Park lodge, a little rustic and a little luxurious. The best part though is the spectacular views of the Tetons from every angle!
Day Two
The Grand Tetons park is centered around a big 42 mile loop road, with an inner road and an outer road. On the outer road you'll see fantastic views and on the inner road you'll get more up close and personal with the peaks.
On our second day we explored attractions and views on the outer road. We decided to drive to the furthest southern point we were going to explore and work our way back north. So we drove down to Schwabacher landing, which is where you see the iconic pictures of the Tetons reflected in the water. It was a nice little 0.5 mile walk out to the viewpoint, and plenty of other tourists were helpful with getting a picture. We loved walking along the pond and noticing the ecosystem living there. The water was so clear, and there was so much life happening inside, so it was pretty cool.
Our next stop was the Historical Cunningham cabin. The original cabin is still standing, and there is a map you can pick up that shows where other buildings likely stood. There's a great history about the Cunningham settlement in the map as well, the kids enjoyed learning about homesteading and how the land became part of the park system.
In the evening we drove over to Oxbow Bend because it's well known for wildlife sightings. The kids were pretty cozy in their bunks, but we dragged them out and were sadly not rewarded with any wildlife. But we did see some beautiful sunset colors over the Tetons as the sun went down.
Day Three
This day was probably our favorite! We spent most of the day hiking near Jenny Lake.
This parking lot is bonkers, it's always full and there are always people parked out on the street. (We went on a Monday in September, I can't imagine how crowded it would be on a summer weekend!) However, the good news is that the boat shuttle comes every 12 minutes, so a whole boatload of people are heading to their cars every 12 minutes! (We got a front-row spot because of this strategy!)
Once parked we headed to the boat docks, paid for our roundtrip transportation, and enjoyed a beautiful boat ride on Jenny Lake. As we pulled up to the dock we could see other hikers up on Inspiration Point, and it was a fun introduction to the wilderness we were about to hike through.
There are a few stopping points along the way in this area. The longest hiking opportunity is back to Solitude Lake, which is a 14 mile out and back, we didn't do that! We stopped at Hidden Falls (the closest hiking point from the dock), headed up to Inspiration Falls (a rigorous uphill hike to a beautiful viewpoint), and back into the canyon where we saw a few moose and beautiful views! We had a picnic lunch overlooking the Tetons and then headed back down to hop on the boat back to the parking lot. We spent about 4-5 hours exploring that day and it was spectacular!
Day Four
On day four we swapped camp grounds and took some time to take showers and do laundry. Signal Mountain has a pretty big shower building and laundry facilities, and it was nice to be able to do both during our week up there!
Day Five
We had planned a hike at Taggart Lake on this morning, but the weather wasn't cooperating very well with us. So we caught up on some work while it rained outside. The clouds finally cleared around 2pm, so we headed out as planned to try and get the hike in before the next storm moved through. We had originally planned to hike to Bradley Lake and then hit Taggart Lake on the way back, but as we passed the path to Taggart Lake it started to rain really hard and the wind kicked up. We quickly turned around and took the forest covered path to Taggart Lake. The lake was beautiful when we arrived and the rain had died down to a sprinkle. Since we missed the other part of the hike we took the long way back to the parking lot from Taggart Lake and it was beautiful! It was a lot of down, but the scenery was gorgeous, and we really felt like we were in the wilderness.
Day Six
It was time to make the long journey home, but first we stopped at the visitor's center to turn in the kids Junior Ranger booklets and get badges. We headed out of town on the road to Jackson because we wanted to have a glimpse of that before leaving the area. It was a bit of a mess in town, parking was difficult and it was really busy. So it ended up being a little overwhelming. I can tell you that it's not much different than our mountain towns though. It would probably be fun to stay in during the winter and be able to walk out your door to dinner! It's also a great place to stay if you're only driving the scenic road around the Tetons and then heading back up into Yellowstone. (I have an itinerary that I do for my travel clients that includes this!)
Where We Stayed
We camped in Colter Bay for the first three nights. There are lots of camping options here and loops that restrict to tents only or no generators. An RV park with full hookups is also available that has larger sites. I think there were cabins at Colter Bay too. We stayed in the part of the campground where campers and generators are allowed. The setup it a little strange as they're all pull-through sites, but you have to go in the exit for some sites to get the door lined up correctly. But our site was woodsy and beautiful. The kids hung up the hammock and we enjoyed sitting around the fire under the canopy of trees. There are no views from the campsites of the lake, but there is a path down to the lake. It's pretty rugged though and a little further than we thought it would be. This was a good home base for exploring the outer road.
The last two nights we stayed at Signal Mountain campground. This was slightly further south and was a good access point for Jenny Lake and other attractions on the inside road further south. Sites were pretty small, and there were mostly tents in the loop here. We could see the lake from our camp site, so that was a nice perk.
Overall it was a fantastic trip and we were glad we finally made it up to the Tetons for a visit! A week seemed like a long time, but in the end, I was glad we did that. We were able to have a down day and we also were able to be a little flexible with the weather that moved through. Now we have to get up to Yellowstone!
Want to see other trip reviews from our travel? Head to our Family Travel Guide!
