I recently experienced The Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming on an adventure travel trip where I triumphantly plowed through my altitude sickness with Advil, also known as Teton’s Tic-Tacs!
Given The National Park’s service turned 100 this year, I thought it would be a grand idea to travel to the Grand Teton National Park and to Yellowstone National Park. Talk about a photographer’s dream! Our trip consisted of hiking, climbing, kayaking, and wild life viewing. But biking is a common activity, too!
Jackson Hole has always been on my bucket list, so I gathered up my backpack (I’ll write a Report about what to pack in your day pack soon) and off I went to experience the amazingly dramatic Grand Teton; a great place to view wildlife. We also visited Yellowstone National Park, which was filled with geysers and thermal features, but Just Ask me about how to celebrate in that park. Travel tip: Buy a park pass for the week, which includes entrance to both national parks.
I’d like to fill you in on our experience of how we rushed from one activity to the other, from hiking, to floating, to kayaking, to wildlife viewing, to cocktails and dinner! Don’t worry, I relaxed when I returned home. :)
Our lodging in the Hole was in Teton Village in a Jackson Hole Mountain Resort hotel called Hotel Terra. Teton Village is approximately 20 minutes from Jackson Hole Town Square but a perfect location for the multitude of outdoor adventures. Plus, with so much outdoor activity, who wants to stay in their room? Teton Village has their assortment of restaurants, cafes and fire pits. This village must be extraordinary during the ski season with the gondola, tram and runs right out your back door. I’m already making plans to return! But summer was a pretty cool time to visit, as well! Take the gondola and have cocktails at Piste Mountain Bistro on the deck or indoors where it’s nice and cozy.
There is a bountiful amount of hiking trails in The Grand Teton National Park. Hopefully, you’re not allergic to sage because there is sagebrush everywhere in the meadows! Ah-choo! There are hikes around Jenny Lake, Phelps Lake, Jackson Lake and more with lookouts! Check out bear claw marks left in the aspens letting other bears know of their existence. Wear tons of sunscreen as you can get a significant sunburn because of the higher elevation and don’t forget bug spray and bear spray! Wear adequate moisture wicking fiber layers to prepare yourself for dramatic drops in temperature. Need help packing? Just Ask me, your adventure stylist.
If hiking is not your forté, simply driving along Teton Park Road you’ll approach magnificent turnouts for viewing the majestic mountains and the Snake River. I can still smell the scent of wild sage.
As I mentioned, we jumped from one athletic activity to another including float river rafting down the Snake River where I spotted a river otter, evidently the first one seen all summer season long. Good thing I brought my binoculars! We hired an incredibly knowledgeable naturalist to guide us on an American wildlife safari. We saw bison, bighorn sheep, moose, elk, pronghorn, falcons, hawks, bald eagles and a grizzly bear! Granted, the bear seemed like it was five miles away but we saw it through a scope! My brother was ready for action with his bear spray and knife on his belt loops. Ha! Remember to ask for Dwayne with his amazing memory. “A life lived wild is a life well lived.” is their motto. Even on our hikes we saw elk, moose, and deer. Be careful at night though while driving near moose crossings because they literally will jump right out in front of you! In fact, one early morning, we saw a mama and baby moose crossing the road and in a distance we saw a lonely wolf strolling through the meadow. So sweet! Like I said, a photographer’s dream!
We had some good eats in Jackson Hole, too! The best lunch and most picturesque setting that you can imagine was Dornan’s. Beef, beef and more bison! It’s meat lovers country, so make sure you try some bison burgers, some elk sausage and some amazing steaks! Swill it down with some Wyoming Whiskey and I’d say you’re a real cowboy or cowgirl! Don’t forget a visit to the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar on the Town Square and the steakhouse downstairs. Don’t forget to try a “baked Teton” at the Amangani. You’re in for a real treat! And don’t try to steal an Elk antler from the Town Square arches. They say you’ll have bad luck for 20 years!
There’s so much to do and see in Jackson Hole and in The Grand Teton National Park, that it’s important for you to contact me, your adventure stylist to create an incredible itinerary for a memorable adventure. And hopefully you won’t need Teton’s Tic-Tacs!
Saddle up!
