Thanks, oldemalloy. Hope you make it back.

Thank you, sundowner!

I'll try to finish up the rest of our time in Park City and Jackson later today.

It was time for another where to go decision. I was slightly concerned about staying in this part of UT with an upcoming holiday weekend and trying to find places to stay so decided to head north to the Tetons where it's normally very quiet at this time of year. Most in park accommodations had closed for the season (or never opened) and what was left was already booked. In checking the town of Jackson prices were still much higher than I was expecting for October with availability tight... hmmm. In the end I cashed in some Marriott points to stay at the Springhill Suites. We broke up the drive at the Hyatt Place in Park City where we hiked PC Hill, grabbed lobster rolls from Freshies, walked the farm trail and had Jamaican food at 11 Hauz.


PC Hill


Farm Trail




Freshies lobster rolls


Ackee & saltfish at 11 Hauz

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We took the boring but quicker route via Evanston to Jackson where summer had suddenly turned to winter.



By the time we got to Jackson the sun was starting to shine and we had brunch on the patio of Coelette. We found Jackson to be much busier than we expected. Nothing like Ouray but a very noticeable increase from this time last year. NPS stats seem to confirm this with almost double the visitation in October 2020 vs October 2019 https://irma.nps.gov/STATS/SSRSRepor...ear)?Park=GRTE

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In the Tetons we hiked to Phelps Lake, Leigh Lake and at Colter Bay. The trail heads closer to Jackson were busier than ones farther north in the park.


Heron Pond where we've never seen any herons


String Lake

On the Phelps Lake hike a couple asked to follow us after other hikers reported a bear sighting as they weren't carrying any bear spray. We figured it was most likely a black bear given the location but didn't end up seeing it on the hike. If it's a confirmed grizzly sighting we will generally turn around. Later on as we drove through the same area we did spot a small black bear.


LSR Preserve


Phelps Lake



The weather was unsettled during our time in the Tetons but it never rained or snowed enough to affect us.


A stormy morning


Post storm


Signal Mountain Summit


Willow Flats

We spent some time looking for wildlife and found moose along Moose-Wilson Rd and grizzlies by Jackson Lake Dam and Pilgrim Creek. We had good views of Blondie (bear 793) who had lost her cub earlier in the year.

One day as we were walking along Pilgrim Creek, a ranger pulled into the parking lot and said he was closing the road due to due to the presence of 3 grizzlies which we assumed was 610 and her cubs. He said we could slow down to look as we drove out. I managed to snap a few photos out the car window as we cruised right next to them while a line of paparazzi were parked along the highway trying to get a glimpse. Boy her cubs have gotten big since spring!


Pilgrim Creek






In June when they still looked like cubs

Finally I can't skip talking about food. Not much was open inside the park. We stopped at Dornans once for pizza. Signal Mountain only had grab and go sandwiches from their store due to covid. Surprisingly the Springhill Suites had their usual pre-pandemic breakfast only it was no longer self serve. Other places had either pared down or eliminated it altogether. We made many trips to Persephone Bakery. We had dinner twice at Bin22 and went back to Coelette after our excellent brunch there. With heaters it was just warm enough to sit outside. Several restaurants had already closed their patios for the season so we had to hunt around a bit in order to eat outdoors. There didn't seem to be any capacity limits indoors.


Bone marrow gnocchi at Bin22


Kim chi pancake at Coelette


Short ribs at Coelette

After 5 days in the Tetons we decided it was time to start heading home. I played around with the idea of lingering in ID for a bit but in the end we just did two long drives with an overnight in Winnemucca. Despite some areas being busier than I anticipated, I thought it was a pretty successful trip considering there was little to no advance planning. Here's our route on a map https://goo.gl/maps/7P58UVUEgi3aS6LUA

Thanks for tagging along!

You know the bears by name???

We get the occasional bear or cub in our backyard and have seen others during our daily walks, and not once have I considered bear spray, but after seeing your photos, I'm wondering if we should invest in some for our hiking trip to the Tetons in May. Any that you recommend?

PS - that food looks really good.

There are some pretty famous "roadside" bears in the Tetons including Blondie's twins from a few years ago and the most sought after bear of them all 399 (mother of 610) who emerged with 4 cubs last spring. I've never managed to see her. Smaller bears and females with cubs may stay closer to human presence as protection from larger males that will kill other bears and cubs. We each carry bear spray when we hike in grizzly territory. We've always bought Counter Assault and get the two pack from Cabelas which has a 10 oz and an 8 oz https://www.cabelas.com/shop/en/coun...eterrent-combo We actually stopped at one on this past trip to buy bear spray as we hadn't planned to go to the Tetons. Some Costcos also carry two packs though I'm not sure what brand. I called a couple of Costcos in the Salt Lake area on our way up to Jackson but they hadn't gotten any last season. Some areas will have bear closures in the spring. Last spring Hermitage Point and Willow Flats were closed (this is an elk calving area) and some people saw hunts at a distance from the view point. Areas around Pilgrim Creek, Grand View Point and Two Ocean Lake are also common grizzly frequenting areas. From Oxbow Bend to the south to Leeks Marina to the north is generally where we've seen grizzlies. That's not to say they can't be in other parts of the park.

Beautiful report Patty. It brings back good memories of my trips, gives ideas for future trips, and has fabulous photos. Can't ask for more.

And last June we encountered this charging grizzly at Mammoth Hot Springs in Yellowstone going after elk calves. We got out of the way and back in the car quick. It was the only time we didn't have bear spray cause we were in a populated area but the park had also been closed for several months. I took these photos after I got back in the car.

Thank you, Nelson!

Yowsa. Thanks Patty. Black bears are one thing, grizzlies quite another.

Meniq8 beat me to it. How close were those grizzlies?

Thanks for the rest of the trip.

Patty -

Have you ever had to use that bear spray? Sounds like you've bought it a few times. Does it expire?

Patty -

Have you ever had to use that bear spray? Sounds like you've bought it a few times. Does it expire?

I'd think one would have to be pretty close to a bear to use the stuff right?

oldemalloy,
The photo of Blondie was over 100 yards using a 400mm lens and further cropped. We were on Pilgrim Creek Road. The drive by of 610 and her cubs was closer on the same road which is why the ranger closed it. I'm not sure how close the bear at Mammoth Hot Springs was before we got to our car. It probably wasn't that close but it sure felt like it when I saw it running down the road in our direction. I had to yell at my husband cause he couldn't see the bear from his vantage point. That was on Officers Row in front of the visitors center. The road itself is about a quarter mile long. Rangers arrived almost immediately to try to haze the bear so it seems this wasn't the first time that bear came into the area. A lot of elk bed down in the sage there. As a matter of fact the elk seemed agitated right before this happened and we should've realized something was up.



Melnq8,
We've never had to test out our bear spray, thankfully. It has a shelf life of 4-5 years and is marked with an expiration. It only goes about 30 feet so yes, really close. Here's more info https://www.nps.gov/yell/learn/nature/bearspray.htm If it's hot out, we store it in a small cooler if we have to leave it in the car but they also make containers for this purpose.