Grand Teton Questions

Old Jun 30th, 2016, 02:17 PM
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Grand Teton Questions

Realized I didn't tag Wyoming in this...

My fiancé and I are taking a 3 week long road trip of the National Parks in the northwest. One of our stops is Grand Teton. We have never been there before so we have several questions. We are hoping to camp, but all the campgrounds in the park appear first come, first serve. We will be going August 2017, so it will be a busy time of the year. So the availablilty of campsites really scares me. So here are my questions:

1. We will be traveling from Salt Lake City. Our flight arrives early in the morning. After picking up our rental car and supplies, we will head north to Grand Teton. What are some cheap options for motels outside the park? The cheaper the better!

2. What campgrounds would you suggest in the park? We will have a tent and would like our car with us. A toilet would be a great plus! We could live without a shower (but preferred). I've seen Jenny Lake comes highly suggested.

3. What time would we have to arrive at said campground to easily obtain a spot? If we got to the campground before 6am would we pretty much be guaranteed a spot? This whole no reservation thing is giving me an aneurism.

4. Also can you stay at your spot for multiple nights? We will be there for two night.

5. Also any suggestions on activities to do within Grand Teton? We have approximately 2 1/2 days there. We're thinking of doing the 42 mile scenic loop one day. A day of hiking possibly at Jenny Lake and Inspiratipn Point. And then for the half day either a float trip on Snake River or a horseback trail ride. Are we missing anything major here or doing something not worth the time? Any suggestions on other hiking routes?

6. Any other suggestions on general for our time in Grand Teton?

To help you better answer the activities question. Our interest include:

Hiking- at a moderate level. We both are physically fit, not too used to high altitude climbs, would prefer to stick to more well travel paths.

Animal watching- but not too close of watching lol. Not looking for any up close bear encounters lol.

Adventurous Activities- float trips, trail rides, etc.

Photography- pictures will be our main souvenirs for this trip, so we want some great ones.

Also this trip is on a tight budget. So lodging we want cheap as possible and we're trying to keep to one paid activity per national park. Would prefer cheaper activities, but if it will be an amazing experience we would pay more for it.

Also we're already planning to rent kayaks in Glacier and do a wildlife safari in Yellowstone. Looking for other activities, we want a variety of experiences!

Thank you so much for your help!
Arogers is offline  
Old Jun 30th, 2016, 02:28 PM
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Motel 6 is as close to camping as I will ever get. Fortunately for you, there is one in Jackson, though I don't know what their prices are like in the late summer.

We went on a float trip with Triangle X, which was a lot of fun.
http://trianglex.com/river-trips/

Lee Ann
ElendilPickle is offline  
Old Jun 30th, 2016, 03:03 PM
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Here is one option in Moran, just outside Grand Teton. We've stayed there, older but clean and cute, not sure if it is quite cheap enough, though - the huge influx of Asian tourism has driven prices up:

https://hatchetresort.com/
sludick is offline  
Old Jul 4th, 2016, 04:48 PM
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For horseback riding, I highly recommend Swift Creek Outfitters. I did the 1 hour ride and wished I had signed up for the 2 or 3-hour rides. It's a trail unlike any other but make sure you bring extra socks and shoes as you will definitely get wet multiple times when the horses cross the creeks. It is a very unique experience to say the least.

I can tell you the float trip on Snake River is rather boring. I did the 2-hour trip with Barker-Ewing and my 2 kids literally fell asleep after 1 hour. If I had to choose again, I would've done the rafting trip. I'm almost sure Barker-Ewing offers rafting as well.

At Signal Mountain lodge area, you can rent a kayak/canoe/fishing boat by the hour and venture off into Jackson Lake. This was one of the highlights of our trip.

If you are willing to splurge, I recommend the Aerial Tram at Jackson Hole. I didn't get a chance to do this because it closed shortly before I arrived but it looks like an amazing ride to the top. It is around $50 per person though.

If you have time, I highly recommend the Downtown District. It has many wonderful gift shops and restaurants. I think we all gained a few lbs eating there.

As far as sights go, DO NOT miss Mormon Row and Chapel of the Transfiguration.
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Old Jul 4th, 2016, 08:18 PM
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> 2. What campgrounds would you suggest in the park? We will have a tent and would like our car with us. A toilet would be a great plus! We could live without a shower (but preferred). I've seen Jenny Lake comes highly suggested.
3. What time would we have to arrive at said campground to easily obtain a spot? If we got to the campground before 6am would we pretty much be guaranteed a spot?

Good place to start:
http://www.gtlc.com/camping

My choice would be
http://www.gtlc.com/camping/colter-bay-campground
as this URL states, "Fills early to mid-afternoon from mid June to late August."

And, according to
https://www.nps.gov/grte/planyourvisit/camping.htm
"Fills in the afternoon, if at all."

Based on the URL I note above, arriving at 6am would seem to allow to get a site at any campground. However, Jenny Lake is notorious for filling up early, so I would just skip that one unless you feel REALLY lucky. Since you'll be driving by it on the way to Colter Bay, you can check to see if there are any openings at Jenny.

Of course, if you're REALLY paranoid, just stop in at Gros Venture, on the south side of the Park.
http://www.gtlc.com/camping/gros-ventre-campground
The NPS site says, "Generally fills in the evening, if at all."

> Hiking- at a moderate level

https://www.nps.gov/grte/planyourvis...Dayhikes16.pdf
PaulRabe is offline  
Old Jul 5th, 2016, 08:04 AM
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"5. Also any suggestions on activities to do within Grand Teton? We have approximately 2 1/2 days there. We're thinking of doing the 42 mile scenic loop one day. A day of hiking possibly at Jenny Lake and Inspiratipn Point. And then for the half day either a float trip on Snake River or a horseback trail ride. Are we missing anything major here or doing something not worth the time? Any suggestions on other hiking routes?"

On your question above about hiking - if you do the Inspiration trail hike, my advice is to pack a picnic lunch and start as early as possible and beat the crowds that mostly either stop at Hidden Falls or Inspiration Point. The best part of the hike IMO is after Inspiration Point as from then on it is a much more gentle and less crowded trail through the gorgeous Cascade Canyon. Paintbrush Canyon trail is also beautiful, especially in the morning as the sun hits it just right. Out of all the activities in the Tetons, I truly believe that a hike into either Paintbrush or Cascade Canyon is the single best way to experience the beauty of the Tetons!

The aerial tram is also nice from Teton Village to the summit if you would like to see the views. Really just depends if you want to fit that into your budget ($42 per person) - for me it was nice but I wouldn't choose it for my only paid activity in a park if I was on a budget. You can do a hike from the top and we used it as a base for a nice day hike but if I were only to do one hike, I prefer Cascade Canyon.

Finally, and this may be important to you..... What dates will you be in the Tetons in August 2017???? You may already be aware but a total Solar Eclipse is happening Aug 21, 2017 and going straight over the Tetons. August is always high occupancy time in Jackson/Tetons but next August they expect it to be crazy busy and people have already been trying to book hotels years in advance despite many hotels having 1 year in advance polices. Just a warning in case you were not already aware of this event!
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Old Jul 22nd, 2016, 11:03 AM
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NorCal: according to the day hike brochure from NPS Hidden Falls has no access summer 2016. Is it worth doing the Inspiration trail hike then?

Like the OP, I have 3 full days in GTNP, Aug. 16, 17, 18 driving down from YNP and staying at Signal Mountain Lodge Aug. 16 & 17. On Aug. 18 we will stay in Jackson at Antler Inn for one night before an early morning flight home Aug. 19.

I'm also looking for the best way to spend our 2/12-3 days at GTNP. Horseback riding is out as I am allergic. Not to keen on a float trip either. Mostly interested in scenic drives/hikes and wildlife viewing.
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Old Jul 22nd, 2016, 12:46 PM
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Susiesan - Sounds like they are still working on the new bridges to hidden falls (they started in 2015). IMO it is still worth doing the hike especially if you want to go further than Inspiration Pt into Cascade Canyon. But there are other lovely day hikes as well depending on how much of a hiker you are.

Given your interests, you should definitely do the 42 mile scenic loop drive, a few day hikes, perhaps the aerial tram, and you might have fun poking around Jackson the afternoon/evening that you are staying in town. Staying at Signal Mountain means you could also rent a motor boat or kayak easily and a nice relaxing way to get views (as opposed to float trip).
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Old Jul 24th, 2016, 06:23 AM
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In my opinion Yellowstone is more of an event(?) park and Grand Tetons is more of a scenery park.

You can see photos of my two trips there at www.travelwalks.com

I think there's more wildlife to view in Yellowstone but the scenery in GTNP is spectacular.

Be aware that the sun rises on the side away from the Tetons and sets over them.

So, a good time for a lot of photos is from just after sunrise to mid-late in the morning.

There are two road in the Tetons going from north to south; The inside road (for slower traffic and details) and outside road (for slightly faster travel and getting to and from YNP)

Along he outside road you have the Mormon Row Barns, Schwabacher Landing and Oxbow Bend where the inside and outside roads meet.

Along the inside road just keep finding spots to pull over and take your photos. The place is one large scene.
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