After departing Rapid City, we made a slight detour down into Northern Colorado to see friends and family, as well as celebrate the Fourth of July. We considered stopping in at Rocky Mountain National Park while we were there, but alas, entry reservations were not available. We’ll return to RMNP a different time.
From Colorado, we made our trek to Grand Teton up through Rock Springs Wyoming, and then on to the city of Jackson. Fun fact: The “Hole” part of “Jackson Hole” refers to a flat, plains-like area surrounded on all sides by mountains. So Jacksons Hole refers to a specific part of the terrain in the area. The actual city name though, is simply Jackson, Wyoming.
Jackson was a surprisingly busy little town, with more than its fair share of traffic on the roads. I can understand the crowds though, as it’s a fun little town, with remarkable wilderness a stone’s throw in any direction. Most of the businesses in the city were open, surprisingly, although there was a strict mask mandate city wide. Since we chose to avoid the town and crowds for this trip, this is another destination we would like to return to in the future, perhaps a winter ski-trip some day!
Grand Teton National Park was one of the parks that both Kristy and I were most looking forward to, and it did not disappoint! The jagged rocky mountains rise at a seemingly impossibly steep incline out of the ground. In some places it looked as though the mountains had suddenly burst straight out of a lake. The rate of elevation change on these peaks is some of the steepest in the world, and it makes for striking visuals. We were standing at the base of the mountains in 80 degree July heat, but looking up we could see snow on the peaks.
We made several trips into the park to experience the mountains from different perspectives and at different times of day, and each view was completely unique. From the East side of the range, morning sunlight definitely provided more dramatic detail across the park. We most enjoyed the views from Mormon Row (the iconic barn pictures) and Jenny Lake. The view from Craig Thomas Discovery and Visitor center on the south side of the park is also striking. From here we did a short hike to the Murie Ranch, where we were the only ones on the trail.
Owen taking a family selfie on one of the toddler friendly trails
One thing about Grand Teton, it was a bit less toddler friendly than some of the other parks we have been too. We only found a handful of hikes that were reasonable for a three year old (and nervous parents), and some of the best rated hikes and views involved either a ferry boat ride or a several mile long out-and-back hike. Nevertheless, we had an incredible time here, and it gives us reason to return in the future!
A brief final thought, there is nothing quite like breathing in a deep breath of crisp, fresh mountain air, with just a hint of pine in it. Of that, we had plenty here, and it was glorious.