Grand Teton National Park
Don’t skip – The sunrise paint the mountains pink at Schwabacher Landing and lunch at Dornan’s Pizza and Pasta Company
Don’t forget – the hiking must-haves – trekking poles and wool socks. When hiking often, trekking poles took some of the weight off and wool socks are the best to avoid blisters
Good time to visit?
We visited in the park in mid-September to avoid crowds. May and September are what they call shoulder months for Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons where there are less people, but still decent weather where the park is accessible. We had some warm and some cooler days, which made it pleasant for hiking and being outside. September is when the elk are in rut, so their bugles can be heard echoing through the park.
This is by far my new favorite park – with the exquisite mountains, sparkling turquoise water, and magnificent wildlife coming to the forefront of my memories and daydreams. I can hardly wait for the day we return– the Tetons are just pure magic.
We landed in the park as we flew into Jackson with a hazy view that kept the secret of the Tetons’ grandeur for a while longer. It’s the only national park with a commercial airport inside its boundaries. We headed south into town for a quick lunch at the Jackson Drug store where we enjoyed milkshakes and elk, bison, and beef burgers. After checking into the hotel (we used points to stay at the Hampton Inn that is about 5 minutes from town and 10 minutes from the park), we headed back into the park. Our first stops were the Chapel of Transfiguration and a hike at Taggart Lake. Both are must-dos. The ~3.8-mile Taggart Lake hike was a relatively easy one and we were rewarded with the picturesque Teton reflection on the lake. It started raining halfway up the trail, but continuing until the end was well-worth it. The dense canopies of pine trees, different perspectives of the mountains, and wildlife sightings of mule deer and foxes were most memorable. Before turning in for the night we caught the sunset at Mormon Row and ate dinner near the hotel at Sidewinders! The salad with salmon filet was the perfect post-hike meal.
Thankfully, we decided to postpone our original plan of seeing the sunrise the next morning because the rain from the night before brought in dense fog and clouds. Take the pulloff for views of the Teton Glacier before continuing toward Jenny Lake. We opted for the ferry boat ride to Hidden Falls and Inspiration Point. It was easy to see why this is the most popular area in the park. Some say the crowds are not worth it, but if you are there early during a shoulder month like we were, we disagree. Don’t stop at Inspiration Point! If time and energy allows, continue your hike into Cascade Canyon. The trail continues 3.8 miles but we only went an extra mile from Inspiration Point. To be in between the Tetons was one of our favorite parts of our time here. Moose frequent the areas along the creek, and we were lucky enough to catch a glimpse of the tippy top of a bull moose’s antlers as he was bellowed down and camouflaged between some trees.
Next, we headed to Signal Mountain – a weevy, windy uphill drive with views of valleys below and mountains ahead. We encountered a bull elk that the locals call Hollywood (his bold, brave personality makes him unafraid of people and cars) and his harem of lady friends. September trips to the Tetons mean lots of elk bugles that echo for miles. But we didn’t need to be miles away to hear Mr. Hollywood! He ran right in front of our car where he made his call to the ladies. We did not spend too much time in the northern section of the park besides Signal Mountain and a quick stop at the Colter Bay Visitor Center – the best gift shop in the park, in our opinions.
The hiking adventures continued with Leigh Lake Trail. When Jared lived and worked at Yellowstone National Park in 2017, he visited the Grand Tetons and took photos of the mountains from this very trail. Before I saw them in person he surprised me with a large print of the Tetons at Leigh Lake with a unique gray frame. I had it hanging in my office for about 2 years prior to our trip. Because of this, we made this short __-mile trail a must-do. As another day had gone by too quickly, we headed into town for dinner at Snakehead Brewing Company. This brewery had a cool atmosphere with cornhole and fire pits outside. Next time, we would pass on the wings, but consider the elk bologenese once again!
The next morning, we were up and out early to finally catch that sunrise! We researched the best place to see it, and those repeated Schwabacher Landing suggestions that you may have seen too exist for a reason. We got to Schwabacher about 20 minutes before sunrise when the mountains still appeared gray. As the time ticked by, the mountains were painted pink little by little as the sun rose. We stayed here for about 45 minutes, but while we were in a photography shop later on that day, we learned we had missed a bull moose walking through the creek at Schwabacher by less than 10 minutes! Luckily, we got to see a cow and her baby in the pond on Moose Wilson Road that morning. We also saw a bear snoozing on a tree branch and some beavers swimming along that same pond.
Before leaving Jackson, make time for the shops and check out Persephone Bakery! We were obsessed with the chocolate hazelnut banana bread, which stayed fresh for the next few days. After learning that the pizza place that we had planned on visiting was temporarily closed, we found Dornan’s. This area had an outdoor bar with cornhole and picnic tables, a grocery store, wine shop, and a pizza and pasta company. Dornan’s had some of the yummiest pizza, and we enjoyed it on the rooftop with views of the Tetons and planes flying overhead. It is on the way from town to Jenny Lake and most attractions within the park. The next time I get to the Tetons, Dornan’s will 100% be on the itinerary.
Before heading north to Yellowstone, we spontaneously added another hike because of my “moose fever.” I was determined to see a bull moose that was standing, not hiding! We started walking around Jenny Lake and veered off the trail when we came to Moose Pond. We were lucky to see an active cow even though it was the middle of the day. She was walking through the pond, pausing to graze by dunking her head under the water. We climbed down to the edge of the bank and watched her for about an hour as she walked from one side of the pond to the other, coming closer with the Teton backdrop behind her. When we finally decided to head back, I kept turning back to her with tears in my eyes. It was a rare encounter that I will remember for the rest of my life.
Well time to move North! Check out our posts on Yellowstone and what we plan to do on our next trip to the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone National Parks, including some things that are worth doing again and what new things we want to see and do.