Grand Teton National Park: Finally Seeing the Mountains After Three Trips

Grand Teton National Park is rich with scenery, diverse wildlife, and adventure. Views like those found here are not tough to come by. The Teton Range rises sharply from the valley floor with no foothills to soften the impact. The mountains simply explode out of the earth.

For some visitors, seeing those mountains proves surprisingly difficult. Weather and wildfires can obscure the view entirely. It took three separate trips to finally see the Tetons clearly. The first trip brought snow. The second brought wildfire smoke. The third brought clear skies and the views the park is known for.

Getting There

Grand Teton is located just below Yellowstone National Park. Three major airports serve the area. The Jackson Hole Airport sits within the park itself. It can be expensive to fly into. Other options include Bozeman, Montana to the north and Salt Lake City, Utah to the south. Both are about a four and a half hour drive from the Tetons.

From Salt Lake City, the drive north passes through Utah, Idaho, and finally into Wyoming. The small town of Alpine, Wyoming sits about an hour south of the Tetons. It makes a good overnight stop before entering the park.

When to Visit

Timing is everything in Grand Teton. There are only a few months of guaranteed good weather. Late June through early September offers the best conditions. May and early June can still bring snow. On a first visit in late May, a freak blizzard obscured the mountains for three straight days. Rain and snow blocked every view.

The main park road closes from November through about the end of April. The Rockefeller Highway stays open year round, but access to many areas is limited in winter. Visitors planning trips in May or early June should prepare for snow on the ground and cold temperatures.

Fire season runs from mid-summer through the fall. On a second visit in August, wildfire smoke blew in from California on the very day of arrival. The smoke never really left. The mountains remained hazy and obscured for the entire trip. Clear skies finally came on a third visit in late June.

Schwabacher Landing

Schwabacher Landing is one of the most recognizable views in Grand Teton. It is one of the best places to catch sunrise and a great spot for wildlife watching. The turnoff is simple to find from the main highway. A short walk from the parking area leads to the viewing spots.

The Snake River here creates perfect mirror reflections of the mountains above. On calm mornings, the distinction between mountain and reflection becomes difficult to see. Wildlife frequent the area. Moose, beavers, and birds are common sightings.

Jackson and Town Square

The city of Jackson, Wyoming borders Grand Teton National Park directly to the south. The town offers great skiing in winter and busy tourist activity in summer. Restaurants, shopping, breweries, and plenty of lodging fill the area. Lodging in Jackson is expensive. Finding anything under $200 a night is a bargain.

Town Square is the most popular area. Horse-drawn carriages offer rides. The famous elk antler arches frame the corners of the square. A wild west show sometimes performs, though authenticity varies.

The name Grand Teton comes from early 19th century French fur trappers. A quick search reveals the translation. The name suggests the 1800s wilderness was a lonely place for French speakers.

Mormon Row

Mormon Row is the most famous view in all of Grand Teton National Park. It is about a 15-minute drive from the park’s southern start. The John Moulton Barn is the most photographed barn in America. Just down the road sits the T.A. Moulton Barn, possibly the second most photographed barn in America. Mormon homesteaders occupied the area into the early 20th century.

To reach Mormon Row, turn off the Rockefeller Highway onto Antelope Flats Road. Drive a couple more minutes. To the left is the parking area for the John Moulton Barn. To the right, down a dirt road, sits the T.A. Moulton Barn and several others.

The best time to photograph the barns is sunrise. First light casts deep orange and purple hues on the mountains in the background. The barns themselves remain in shadow, creating contrast.

Snake River Overlook

The Snake River Overlook is another iconic view in the area. From Mormon Row, head north on the highway for about 10 minutes. Pass the turnoff for Schwabacher Landing. Turn into a parking lot marked as the Snake River Overlook.

This view offers a higher vantage point of the valley. The Snake River winds below. The Tetons rise in the distance. It is another great spot for sunrise. Ansel Adams took his famous photograph of the mountains here in 1942.

Where to Stay

Grand Teton has three lodges within the park. One is at Jenny Lake. One is at Signal Mountain. One is at Jackson Lake. The Jackson Lake Lodge is a personal favorite. Even for those not staying here, stopping by the Blue Heron Lounge for a drink and the mountain view is highly recommended.

Lodge prices start at around $300 per night. Rooms go quickly when reservations open about a year in advance.

For saving money, the park’s five campgrounds are the best option. Sites can be reserved six months in advance. Cost is $40 per night. Booking on the morning of that six-month mark is essential. Campsites go very quickly on recreation.gov.

The campgrounds are spread throughout the park. Colter Bay and Lizard Creek are near the northern end. Signal Mountain is near the middle. Jenny Lake and Gros Ventre are closer to the south. Gros Ventre is a personal favorite due to the heavy moose population. Moose love this area. Staying here almost guarantees a moose sighting, sometimes even walking through the campsite.

Wildlife Watching Etiquette

For non-predator wildlife like moose and bison, give at least 25 yards of space. For animals that could eat you, such as bears and wolves, give at least 100 yards of space.

Many wildlife shots in this guide appear close. They were taken with extremely long lenses from safe distances. Telephoto lenses allow for close-up views without close-up danger.

Elk Ranch Flats and Bison

Bison are iconic to the American West. While found all over Yellowstone to the north, Grand Teton has only two official herds. They are not hard to find. Head up the highway to the turnoff for Elk Ranch Flats. This spot is pretty much where the bison herds live. If they are not visible on the first stop, come back in a few hours. There is a good chance they will show up.

Elk Ranch Flats is also a great place to spot pronghorn antelope. Keep an eye out for them too.

Oxbow Bend

Oxbow Bend might be the best place to spot wildlife in the entire park. This meander of the Snake River offers a chance to see just about every kind of wildlife the Tetons have. Bald eagles, blue herons, beavers, elk, and moose all appear here. On occasion, grizzly bears show up as well.

During a second visit in August 2020, wildfire smoke obscured the mountains. Instead of shooting landscapes, the focus shifted to wildlife. The famous Grizzly 399 appeared with her quadruplet cubs. Her offspring, Grizzly 610, appeared with a pair of yearling cubs. One or sometimes both sets of grizzlies and their cubs would be on the hill across from Oxbow Bend literally every day. They would make their way across the road and into the river.

The cubs have since moved on or worse. Another reason to give bears space and not habituate them to humans.

Pilgrim Creek Road

For visitors absolutely dying to see a grizzly bear, Pilgrim Creek Road is the place. This turnoff sits just up the road from Oxbow Bend. Wide open meadows lead up to the tree line. Amazing views of the Teton range stretch across the horizon.

The rule of thumb for wildlife spotting is that best chances are in the morning just after sunrise or just before sunset. Hanging out near the turnoff for Pilgrim Creek Road offers a pretty good chance of spotting a grizzly. Chances are high of being joined by a swarm of other visitors and several rangers desperately trying to do crowd control.

Jenny Lake

Jenny Lake is easily the busiest spot in all of Grand Teton. It sits closer to the park’s southern half along the main road. A visitor center, market, and lodge are located here.

The lake itself is the real attraction. Jenny Lake is one of many pristine lakes found in the park. Visitors can hike the 7.9-mile loop trail around it. Wildlife encounters along the way include black bears, deer, and moose. The views of the lake and the Tetons are spectacular throughout.

Hidden Falls and Cascade Canyon

The opposite side of Jenny Lake holds two of the area’s best sites. Hidden Falls and Cascade Canyon are accessed by hiking around the lake or taking the ferry. The ferry offers round-trip rides for about $20. Arriving early to catch the first ferry of the day saves money. The first ferry costs only half the regular price.

From the boat dock, Hidden Falls is a simple 0.9-mile round trip hike with just over 200 feet of elevation gain. Following the same trail as Cascade Canyon before branching off leads to these amazing cascades.

Cascade Canyon is a longer hike at about nine miles round trip from the boat dock. Just over 1,000 feet of elevation gain is involved, with most of it coming right at the beginning. The steep part involves stairs built into the rock. At the top, Inspiration Point provides an amazing view of Jenny Lake and quite a bit of Jackson Hole Valley.

The trail then leads through forest before opening up into the glacially carved canyon itself. Moose and black bears are sometimes spotted on the trail, especially in the morning. Visitors can go as far as they want before turning back. Some argue that the best views of the canyon are found within the first couple of miles.

Delta Lake

Delta Lake is the park’s premier hike. Once a little-known secret, the word is out. It is now one of the most popular hikes in the entire park. The hike is about nine miles round trip with 2,300 feet of elevation gain.

Downloading the trail map for Delta Lake for offline use is essential. This is an unofficial hike. It requires navigating off trail, which can get tricky. The map is necessary.

The hike starts from the Lupine Meadows parking area. The trail heads toward Surprise and Amphitheater Lakes. Arriving early is important because parking fills up quickly. Follow signs for Surprise and Amphitheater until hitting the switchbacks.

There are six switchbacks to complete before turning off trail. The higher they go, the better the views get of Jackson Hole Valley as well as Bradley and Taggart Lakes down below.

At the end of the sixth switchback, veer off trail. While unofficial, enough people have taken this route to have blazed a relatively easy to follow trail. The next step is tackling boulder fields. Many of these rocks are loose, so watching footing is critical.

For those hiking in May, plenty of snow will still be on the ground. The lake will probably still be frozen. Crampons and hiking poles are necessities. Even in late June, enough snow and ice can remain to make things slippery.

After navigating the boulder fields, a steep climb leads to the final hill. Once at the top, Delta Lake greets hikers. Glacial runoff in summer gives the lake its distinctive turquoise hue. The lake is fed by melting glaciers, so it never really warms up. Swimming is possible but staying in too long is not recommended.

The actual distance of this trail seems to vary from hiker to hiker. In experience, it clocked around nine miles round trip and took about six hours with stops.

Conclusion

Three trips to finally see the mountains clearly. The first brought snow. The second brought wildfire smoke. The third brought clear skies.

The thing about the Tetons is that so much is packed into a reasonable and easily accessible area. Mountain views, long day hikes, and wildlife spotting are all available. The park is manageable in size. It can be driven from one end to the other in about an hour.

Some of the best views are accessible right off the side of the road from the car. Plenty of opportunities for hikes both short and long lead to even more spectacular scenery.

After three tries, the mountains finally appeared. And they were worth every trip.