the tetons

home, home, on the range, where the deer and the antelope play!

Being from the Midwest, people talk about The Grand Canyon and Yellowstone, but no one ever spoke about going to the Tetons other than Jackson Hole for skiing. My husband suggested The Tetons as a stopping point between Salt Lake City and Yellowstone - and I had no idea how much beauty there was in store! The stars near the Tetons were my favorite part of the entire trip!

places to visit

Here is a map that I put together of all of the places that Google and other bloggers said were enjoyable. Since everyones' taste is different, I wanted to give you options.

Below were my favorite locations and what we did in each place.

TOP PLACES TO HIKE AND SEE

The FREE mobile app, All Trails, is the best for finding hiking destinations. This link below will show you the top hikes in the area. The hikes range from easy to hard, so you can sort based upon your skill level.

LINK TO BEST HIKING TRAILS

JENNY LAKE TRAIL

This is a 7.7 mile trail around Jenny Lake. We added an additional 3 miles to go up to Inspirational Point and String Lake. You can choose to only do half of the trail by starting to the west of the lake. It’s a moderate difficultly. You also cannot bring dogs - we didn’t know that…

HIDDEN FALLS

You can travel to Hidden Falls one of 3 ways: by boat across the lake, up the String Lake Trail by Jenny Lake Lodge, or via the Hidden Falls Trail by the Jenny Lake Campground. I would recommend going via boat both ways if you want an easy hike, String Lake Trail if you want a moderate hike, and Hidden Falls Trail if you want something more difficult but prettier. I bouldered up to the base of the waterfall, and it was breathtaking!

MORMON ROW

Mormon Row is where you see the free ranging bison! These barns are iconic and wonderful to see in the early morning just as the sunrise hits the Tetons.

taggart lake loop

An easy 4.1 mile loop with waterfalls and a beautiful view of the lake. We saw a black bear on this hike.

STRING LAKE

You can park at the nearby parking lot and walk to the bridge that connects String Lake to Jenny Lake. It’s a great place to wade in the water, have a picnic, and or rock hop.

inspiration point

If you make it to Hidden Falls, take the additional few steps up to Inspiration Point. It’s a slightly obstructed view of Jenny Lake, but it’s worth making it to the top if you already made it to Hidden Falls. This picture is from the start of the trail to the point.

WHAT NOT TO FORGET

Winter coat (warmest you have) - early mornings and while star gazing, you’ll be so thankful you have really warm gear
Binoculars - get a really good magnification that are lightweight for wildlife
Bear spray - they’re all over the park so be prepared
Water filled backpack - you will need extra water at these altitudes
Rain jacket - You just never know when you’re near the mountains
Waterproof hiking boots - wear them in before you try hiking for 5-8 hours a day
Beanie hat for the mornings - even if it’s supposed to be warm, the mornings won’t be
Snacks - don’t go on a long hike without packing food or at least a few granola bars

HAVE BICYCLES?

If you brought bicycles on your trip, there is a 10.6 mile paved path to Jenny Lake that is beautiful and easy. It’s called the Grand Teton National Park Pathway. You can also rent bikes at the southernmost start of the trail.

ADVICE

Arrive early - around 7am to get parking closest to your trail. The park has many parking lots, but they fill up in the afternoons.
Venture to Jackson Hole - it’s a cute town with lots of touristy shops. Arrive in the early afternoon because everything shuts down early.
If you aren’t prepared for hard hikes, park in a parking lot and walk to the water - no matter where you are, you’ll have a beautiful view.
Take the boat across the lake at least one way if you don’t plan to hike the entire loop - it’s $18/adult.
Try to find a pronghorn in the tall grass by Mormon Row.

THE BIG QUESTIONS

SHOULD I HIKE the canyons?

There are many trails up the canyons into the actual Teton mountains. We didn’t have time to do 20+ miles, but we’ll go back to at least do the trail to Lake Solitude via Lake Solitude and Cascade Canyon Trail. If you have time, be prepared for a long day and potentially an overnight.

where to stay?!

Jackson Hole is beautiful, quaint, and EXPENSIVE! If you have a camper that you are able to boon-dock with, we have the PERFECT spot that is FREE! There are 10-12 spots here and do fill up, but’ll be able to turn around if there isn’t availability.

GPS Coordinates: 43.70516, -110.62162

Even if you don’t stay there, come out here when it’s dark and the sky is UNREAL!

WHERE CAN I SEE THE BEST STARS?

I’ve never seen the Milky Way with my own eyes until the Tetons. There is so little light pollution, that you can see millions of stars. It’s almost better than the mountains.