When telling people you are doing a road trip to Wyoming, many quickly ask if you are visiting Yellowstone National Park. While yes, we did visit Yellowstone National Park, we also visited Grand Teton National Park.
Grand Teton National Park has simply the most beautiful scenery ranging from tall mountains, blue lakes, and green valleys. While visiting we went on some impressive hikes and explored some unique areas.
Jenny Lake – Hidden Falls – Inspiration Point
Jenny Lake is probably the most visited area in the park. It is tucked away at the base of the Teton Range with views of Teewinot Mountain, Mount St. John and into Cascade Canyon. There is a trail that loops around Jenny Lake. However, Michael and I took the shorter part of the trail (about 2 miles from the trailhead) to visit Hidden Falls.
Michael and I admire the popular falls. Hidden Falls is a 100-foot cascading waterfall. Honestly the picture doesn’t do it justice with the rushing water and awe-inspiring views of the forest and mountains. At this point we had a decision to make, well really, I did with being 22 weeks pregnant. Do we end the hike here or continue up the trail to Inspiration Point another 0.5 miles away? I told Michael let's at least cross the bridge over to the trail from which he knew then that vacation-vert (like introvert/extrovert but getting energy from being on vacation) Vicky had kicked in and we were going to hike up the trail.
The trail from Hidden Falls to Inspiration Point turns into a very rocky and steep trail. Hiking up the trail we made a “friend” of a chipmunk that kept crossing the trail back and forth until running off into the undergrowth. We stopped a few times enjoying the views of the Cathedral Group of the Teton Range.
As we neared the Point, we had to pass over a short section of trail that is a very rocky ledge, which gave us flashbacks to the Beehive Trail in Acadia National Park. We waited as some people descended the steep trail. There was a group of girls behind us, one being quite terrified of heights. She wasn’t so sure she could make it to the Point. Michael called out the tricky points and kept saying we are almost there. Once we arrived, we took in the outstanding views of Jenny Lake, Jackson Hole, and the Gros Ventre Range.
After taking in the view for a bit we hiked down. These hikes are popular because of the shuttle boat that can take you across Jenny Lake. We waited in line for the boat to take us across. This honestly is the best way to end a hike sitting down with the water splashing up and being able to cool off. Once we arrived at the dock, we were able to pay for our one-way tickets and conclude our day.
Phelps Lake Overlook – Phelps Lake
We drove to the Death Canyon Trailhead. This trailhead is located on a dirt road (if you can call it that), with huge ruts and boulders along the way. with our 4-wheel drive SUV it was quite the journey to get to the trailhead.
We were going have lunch at the Phelps Lake Overlook which is about a mile in from the trailhead. It was a gradual uphill trail mostly with views of the forested area. We arrived at the overlook which is resting at an elevation of 7,200 feet and is about 567 feet above Phelps Lake. The outstand view of the 750-acre glacially carved lake with Gros Ventre Mountains in the distance is amazing.
We ate lunch with Michael debating if we should continue down to the lake which is another 1.4 miles however it is completely downhill. The views from the switch backs were amazing we got more views of the lake as well as Death Canyon. As we got closer to the valley below, I heard running water. I looked towards the mountainside and saw a small waterfall.
As we entered, the meadow separating Death Canyon and Phelps Lake the field was covered in various wildflowers. As we walked through the field towards the lake, we noticed all the butterflies flying around us. We had a snack once we got to the lake which we kind of noticed was like a local watering hole for there were many people hanging out at the little beach and a few were even swimming. We stayed awhile admiring the view before hiking out. We overheard a small family talking on how they were going to hike out. A lady said "I’m not hiking up, I’m taking the easy way since I’m pregnant." Michael and I chuckled cause the hike up she was referring to was the one we were going to have to take.
After many stops since the day had gotten progressively hotter, we made it back to our vehicle and got to experience the dirt road again.
Mormon Row
When looking up various information about the Grand Tetons I kept spotting a picture of a barn with the Teton Range in the background, but they never said where this picture was taken. I was able to figure out that it was Mormon Row.
We drove to Mormon Row to find this picturesque barn. This barn turned out to be from the Thomas Alma Moulton homestead. It took him about 30 years to build his gable-with-shed style barn. A little walk away was an old homestead. Though neat to see, it honestly was a bit disappointing after visiting old homesteads in the Cades Cove of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park.
Jenny Lake Overlook
The Jenny Lake Overlook is part of a scenic drive. The view from this overlook is quite stunning. There is a sign that talks about how the Pleistocene glaciers carved the U-shaped canyon and the basin filled by the lake. It also talks about the Hayden Expedition in 1872 as they explored and mapped the valley.
As we continued down the scenic drive, I spotted a mama bear with her cubs. The park service was trying to keep them moving along since they were just by the side of the road. Later back at our lodge we would be told that the reason mama bears with cubs travel close to the roads was because male bears will kill the cubs to mate with the mama bear.
Potholes Pullover
Michael and I had passed this turn out point so many times going back and forth that we were curious on what it was and why it was important. We stopped over and read the information sign. Turns out potholes, or kettles, are depressions in a glacial outwash plain. The depression forms a micro-environment that traps moisture and dust. These micro-environments can turn into a grouping of trees within the sagebrush flats or small bodies of water. There was a pothole of trees that we walked around. It was interesting cause you really could see the depression in the ground.
Chapel of the Sacred Heart
This was another spot that we kept driving by and were curious to explore. This Chapel is off Jackson Lake on Catholic Bay. The Chapel was built in 1937. There are still services offered. The little chapel is just a wooden cabin but the stain glass window by the alter is super beautiful.
Lunch Tree Hill
After hearing about this little trail in an overnight program we decided to visit. This short hike begins at the Jackson Lake Lodge. The trail begins relatively steep, but it is short and completely paved. There are many info signs that explain the wildlife, geology, and history of the area. However, the most impressive thing of this hike is the outstanding views Jackson Lake, Willow Flats, and the Grand Teton Range.
Lunch Tree Hill is so named because in 1926 John D. Rockefeller Jr. along with his family had lunch with Horace Albright (superintendent of Yellowstone National Park). This meeting and view inspired Rockefeller to purchase the Jackson Hole Valley to be donated to the government in order to turn it into a National Park.
John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Memorial Parkway
This parkway is a stretch of 7-miles that separate Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks. This parkway is dedicated to him donating the land for the Grand Teton National Park. This year this parkway is celebrating 50 years.
While staying in Wyoming we stayed at Headwaters Lodge & Cabins at Flagg Ranch which is located on this historic parkway. Flagg Ranch is just 2-miles from Yellowstone and 6-miles from Grand Teton. It sits next to the northern section of Snake River. In the evening they have various ranger lead programs. We learnt more about the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, John D. Rockefeller Jr Memorial Parkway, and about the various wildfires that have taken place in the area.
Grand Teton National Park is quite a beautiful national park filled with fun hikes and fascinating history.
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