Grand Tetons/wildlife tour?
 

My 12 year old son and I are taking a very short trip to Wyoming. We fly into Jackson 8/1 in the late afternoon and we're departing 8/6. We would like to take a Wildlife tour. Is there any company in particular you would suggest? We like to do very easy biking, and I like to canoe. Are there any "things we must do" in GTNP? Yellowstone will be a separate trip next year, unless there is a day trip worth taking there.

DH and I were there recently - it's stunningly beautiful, you'll love it! We didn't take any wildlife tours, but we did take a float trip through the park on the Snake River, which we enjoyed very much. We saw elk, geese, and mergansers - and one person on our boat caught sight of a moose. The best times to see wildlife are in the early morning, and near sunset - and we went mid-afternoon, so we did pretty well for the time of day we went. We went with Barker Ewing, and our guide was extremely knowledgeable and informative. The water was swift and the currents were challenging, and I don't recommend trying to canoe this river on your own. Our guide told us that this section of the river was actually more dangerous and challenging to navigate than the whitewater sections below Jackson, as the channels change so frequently, and there are so many snags, rocks, and trees that have been washed into the river there that boats can get hung up on and pulled underwater by. He was very skilled at maneuvering our raft through the difficult spots, but it was obvious how hard he was working. I think you would enjoy getting out on the river with a guide.

Will you have a car? If so, drive down Antelope Flats Road, east of HWY 89, just north of Moose. There's a large herd of wild buffalo you're likely to see that hang out in the areas along that road - and it's a very pretty drive with great views. Also, there's lots of wildlife to see at Oxbow Bend, especially late in the day. Our best wildlife sighting in GTNP was a moose feeding on grasses right next to the sidewalk leading from the visitors center to the boat dock at Jenny Lake.

I recommend taking the boat across Jenny Lake, then hiking up to Hidden Falls, on to Inspiration Point (great view!), and then into Cascade Canyon for a way - it's a beautiful hike.

I know you can rent bikes at the area of stores and restaurants at Moose near the entrance station there, and there appeared to be a nice bike trail in the park - we saw quite a few people riding along it.

Have fun - I'm sure you'll have a great time!

I've never done a wildlife tour, but like the last poster we saw a lot of wildlife. And the hike to inspiration point and onto cascade canyon is beautiful. I've visited many national parks and done a lot of hiking, and it is in my top 5 hikes ever. I'm referring to the cascade canyon portion. On that hike we saw 3 deer, 3 moose (1 male, 1 mother and calf) and 1 bear.

Sara's float trip sounds like a lot of fun, however, we took one on the Snake river from Jackson Lake Lodge that was not dangerous at all if that would appeal to you. It starts with a steak dinner on the river bank, we didn't see a lot of wildlife but we had a good time. We saw a lot more wildlife in Yellowstone than the Tetons but maybe that's because we didn't do a lot of hiking there.

I don't know if this organization still exists, but several years ago we went on an "expedition" with the Great Plains Wildlife Institute and had a great time. They had sunrise and sunset expeditions, along with a full-day one. The phone number I have is 307-733-2623, and the address was PO Box 7580, Jackson Hole, WY 83001.

I hope you'll have a car--definitely a good idea. I wouldn't do a daytrip to Yellowstone if you're going again next year--so much to see there and the roads can be slow with tourists, buffalo or elk in the road, and possible construction. It looks like a short distance, but it can be a lengthy journey. Not sure how far Cody Wy is from Jackson Hole for a daytrip, but the musuem there has something for every age, the tour train gives a lot of info into a really interesting piece of American history (who knew Buffalo Bill was so much more than just a cowboy entertainer??) and the town can be done pretty well in a day. In GTNP we took a wildlife "safari" with the National Parks service. Signed up at the visitor center/park entry (very well-done small museum, good short film and a great bookshop)on the same day as the tour. It was a caravan of cars (they encourage sharing rides) to various stops at around sunset. Really helps orient you to the area. I think the tours can fill up quickly and might only be available on the same day but I'm not sure. On our trip we saw several moose, many antelope and elk and even spotted a bear (we were really determined to do that and it wasn't all that difficult)! There were several guided hikes and tours available. Rangers in the visitor center were very helpful. No charge, very informative and lots of fun. We shared our car with someone from Canada who does the same obscure job that I do (quality improvement in healthcare) and when we were out of the cars antelope-spotting I met a man who from Californis who is best friends with someone who lives around the block from me in NY! He dialed him up on his cell and we caught up! Once again Disney was proved right--it really is a small world after all :).

I've had my internet down a few days so I haven't been able to thank you for the responses. Yes, we have a car and lots of good ideas.

I have never done a wildlife tour but I have seen them on the same roads that i have traveled looking for wildlife. You can do the tour but it is not necessary to see a lot of wildlife. I have been to GTNP 5-6 times and I wouldn't pay for tour.

If you want to go it alone, there are a couple of great areas to see wildlife and the tours also take customers here. There is a partially paved road from Teton Village to GTNP. If you go in the eraly morning and around dusk, you can see elk, bears, moose, deer, etc. I always travel this road several times when I am there and have had great luck. Last September we saw elk by the hundreds along with a couple of tour vans.

I also recommend the Gros Ventre area between Jackson and Moose, WY. Take the road to the Gros Ventre campground. I usually go in the early evening and almost always see moose down on the riverbank. You can also see buffalo in this area.

If you go on the float trip, you can see porcupines, osprey, and bald eagles.

There is an alpine slide in Jackson at the Snow King resort that is fun and you should check out Teton Village