The Teton Mountain Range is one of my favorite places. The granite mountain range rises up from the grasslands and the glacial lakes without any foothills to obstruct their view. Fort this reason they appear monumental and majestic.
Grand Teton National Park is located 10 miles south of Yellowstone National Park. The Teton mountain range and its lakes were established as a national park in 1929. The surrounding valley was added to the protected area in 1950. The park consists of approximately 310,000 acres of a diverse ecosystem.
I have been lucky enough to visit The Tetons 3 times, this visit was just me and my husband. We stayed in a cabin at Jenny Lake Lodge and had a gorgeous view of the Tetons. Jenny Lake Lodge was first operated as a dude ranch called Danny Ranch in the 1920’s. It is now a AAA 4 diamond resort. A gourmet breakfast and a five course dinner menu are included in your stay as well as complimentary daily activities. There are no televisions or air conditions in the accommodations and no pets are allowed. It is a bit pricey, but the location can’t be beat and the view is exquisite. If you can request the Chokeberry Cabin, it had a phenomenal view from the porch. You can book your stay through http://Gtlc.com, http://Nationalparkreservations.com or by calling 307-543-3100.
Dave and I decided on String Lake hike, which was a short walk to the trailhead from our cabin. It was a gorgeous morning as we headed off and the Tetons were impressive against the blue sky. String Lake hike starts off flat and meanders north to the junction of Leigh Lake. We took a small detour at the northern end of the trail to view Leigh Lake and then made our way back to the route and continued on to the west section of the hike. Along the trail, we were fortunate to see a cow moose feeding in a small pond down the hill from the path. Moose mostly feed on willows, they can dive up to 18 feet and stay underwater up to a minute to feed on aquatic plants. String Lake trail is approximately 3.5 miles, but with our extra excursions we finished with a 5.5 mile hike.
Jenny Lake Visitor Center is a hub of activity. It was extremely busy in July and cars were parked all along the roadway. You can take a shuttle boat across Jenny Lake, http://Jennylakeboating.com for $20 round trip (12 to 61years) or $12 adult one way. Across Jenny Lake is Cascade Canyon and several trailheads can be accessed from this spot. In a previous trip we did this with our children then walked back to the visitor center around the lake.
Dave and I drove around the valley one day and stopped at several of the pull offs. We explored Cunningham Cabin, which was established as the Bar Flying U Ranch by J. Pierce Cunningham in the 1880’s. The original cabin is still standing. We also wandered through the buildings on Mormon Row. The Homestead Act of 1862 promised 160 acres to any person willing to improve the land by building a dwelling and cultivating the land. After 5 years on the land, the original settler was entitled to the property, free and clear. Mormon families began homesteading land in Grovont area in the 1890’s with the hopes of a new life.
Oxbow Bend is another fabulous viewpoint of the Teton Range on the Snake River. It is an overlook along highway 89/191 between Jackson Lake Junction and Moran Junction. It is a popular area to view the sunrise or sunset and is also home to a variety of birds, otters, moose and bear. We had family pictures taken at this spot at sunset a several years ago.
Another activity to consider is a dinner float trip down the Snake River. We did this in 2017 and had a wonderful time.
Grand Teton National Park is an incredible destination with extraordinary views. We keep coming back here to experience all the wonders this park has to offer.
