Grand Teton NP, WY
2022 Parks Road Trip Diary: Days 17-22
Grand Teton National Park, home of the classic Teton Range. We got in some great hiking here, and had our first bear encounter!
Day 17: Jackson Hole
We drove 8 hours from Rocky Mountain NP to arrive at Jackson, WY, a mountain-resort-style town just south of Grand Teton National Park. The drive wasnāt very scenic until the Grand Teton range finally appeared in the distance.
The highlight of the long stretch of driving through Wyoming was probably the Thai restaurant (Anongās) we decided to take a chance on in Rawlins, WY. Super remote town, yet they served a really solid $10 bowl of Thai beef noodle soup! This was actually our first restaurant meal the whole trip, and even though we only spent $30 all together it felt like SUCH a treat. So, perhaps take this glowing review with a grain of salt.
We restocked in Jackson and headed to the parksā southern Gros Ventre campground where we had managed to reserve a couple of nights.
Day 18: Hiking Bradley and Taggart Lakes
Grand Teton National Park is basically one long north-south road with the Grand Teton range to the west, and several lakes at its foothills. Jackson is in the south, and Yellowstone National Park is to its immediate north.
Being in Gros Ventre (in the south, near Moose on this map), we were pretty near the Teton peaks themselves. Hiking to the āMiddle Tetonā can be done (12.7 mi, 6000 ft elev gain), but that would have requiring nearly doubling our current record for elevation gain from a single day hike, so we decided against it.
Instead we chose to do something more casual instead: the Bradley and Taggart Lake loop (6 mi, 750 ft elev gain). Still a great intro to the park!
Day 19: The Baby Bear
Our second day in this area we reserved for the one strenuous hike we could find that wasnāt too far above our level: Delta Lake (7.4 mi, 2300 ft gain, steep scramble in the last 0.5 mi).
As much as we try to use the bathroom when at the trailhead, sometimes you just canāt avoid the need to pee mid-hike. Not really a problem for men, but kind of a burden for women. When we finally found a somewhat flat spot with enough trees to provide cover, Judy ventured off trail while I stood lookout. Bear with me here ā I wouldnāt be telling you about our peeing habits for nothing.
As I stood lookout, a father hiking with his daughter started coming down the trail from ahead. Not because they were finishing their hike, but instead, as they explained to me, because they had seen a bear cub ahead and it was coming this way. Our first bear!! (Apprehensively excited!)
I assumed that encountering a bear mid-pee would be a terrible experience, so I motioned for Judy to abort and come back to the trail. The bear was still coming down the trail towards us, so the father and daughter decided to move off trail, and we followed. They seemed pretty nervous, explaining that a cub means the mother isnāt far, and will be aggressive (which is true). Reason number 2 that aborting the pee plan was the right choice: the four of us retreated right to the spot where Judy planned to go. Good pee spot = good hiding spot from bear?
We never did see the mama bear, but perhaps thatās for the best. And yes, once the commotion settled, a new pee plan was executed.
Anyway, the steep scramble up to Delta Lake was really fun, and then the lake itself was totally worth reaching too.
After this we drove to our next campground in the northern part of the park, Colter Bay. Once we set up camp and got some food in our stomachs we took a little evening stroll at the rocky shore near the bay, which is part of Jackson Lake. So pretty!
Day 20: Swimming in String Lake
Since Delta Lake was relatively strenuous and we planned to do another hard hike tomorrow, we made this one a rest day.
This morning we also moved to our spot in Jenny Lake campground, in the central area of the park. (All the back and forth is because we can never get optimal camgrounds when booking last minute.)
Before setting up camp that morning, we also took some time to drive around to a few scenic spots in the park.
The main one was āthe one spot where everyone takes a picture of the Teton rangeā:
Jenny Lake is connected to String Lake, which is a popular swimming spot. It was pretty hot that day, so perfect for some lake swimming!
Judy relaxed in a chair by the shore while I proved to myself that I could swim far distances by reaching rocks jutting out of the deep lake at different points. I guess Iāve gotten used to every day being a test of my physical capabilitiesā¦
Day 21: Hiking Lake Solitude
Despite its name, Lake Solitude (14.2 mi, 2700 ft elev gain) is a popular hike for people willing to put the effort in. This was our plan for the day, and would be the last big thing we do before heading to Yellowstone the next day.
The hikeās distance would be a new record for us, the previous being 12-ish. Definitely doable, just tiring. Also, that distance is only possible by taking a boat across Jenny Lake in the beginning so that you donāt have to hike around it. Round-trip tickets cost $20, which felt a bit steep, but it was actually nice to be taxied around on the water for a little bit.
A lot of tourists like to take the boat and visit some of the attractions near the dock on the other side, including Hidden Falls and Inspiration Point. Of course we werenāt going to miss those either!
From there, this hike was a long and mostly flat walk through a deep valley. Normally Iām not a huge fan of long and flat portions that just add distance to the hike, but the valley was really beautiful. We even saw a bull moose (couldnāt get a good picture though)!
It eventually reached the steeper climb where the views really started to open up:
We actually were nearly alone at Lake Solitude, which was nice š§āāļø
Our legs were really tired by the end. It felt so nice to sit on that boat back home.
Day 22: Itās Yellowstone Time
Not a far drive from Grand Teton to Yellowstone. We set off in the morning. Bye snow-capped mountains, hello geothermal attractions!
post originally written 7/27, backdated to match reality