We flew into Jackson Hole around noon on Saturday, July 3rd and picked up our rental car.
From Jackson Hole Airport it's just a short drive into town. Since we were camping we hit Albertson's Supermarket and loaded up on food, water, ice, etc and bought one of those foam coolers.
Once we were supplied, we drove north on the main park road through Grand Teton National Park toward Yellowstone.
We took our time as the scenery is just so striking and beautiful. We stopped at many of the overlooks and pullouts.
And we had our first of many bison sightings as well. The little ones never stray far from their mothers.
The Tetons are big. Really big. And different from the mountains we are used to back east.
We entered Yellowstone through the South Entrance and paid the $25 fee which is valid for 7 days for both parks.
Within a few minutes we already had our first “wildlife jam” as a young grizzly bear was feeding on the side of the road. There was a Park Ranger there who made sure people were pulling off the road. That seems to be the main concern with the wildlife sightings in the park. It's fine to stop and get out and take pictures, just make sure you are completely and safely off the road so traffic can flow.
And of course, don't get too close to the bears!
We thought we didn't plan too much on the itinerary on that first day, just to get to Yellowstone, visit the Old Faithful area, and do a short hike. However, we ended up stopping a lot just to look at the amazing scenery or wildlife that popped up seemingly around every bend. You can certainly rush around the park and get almost anywhere in a reasonable amount of time, but allowing for extra time is a good idea.
In addition, coming from North Carolina, the altitude change was definitely a factor. We were both a little tired and by afternoon Emily had a headache and wasn't feeling great. No one was more surprised by this than me as she is in better shape than I am. It just goes to show you that altitude sickness is mysterious and you never know who it is going to effect. Drinking lots of water and getting some rest seemed to help her. So we decided to abandon plan, and just set up camp early.
Emily hit the tent and I drove around the area some more, stopped at the Visitor Center and chatted up a Park Ranger where I found out the Avalanche Peak Trail we were planning on hiking on Day Two was closed due to snow. I was looking forward to that one so it was disappointing but it opened up our schedule for other things. I took the opportunity to sign us up for a Ranger hike for later in the week.
If we had any regrets on this trip – and they would be very few – one would be that we didn't have time to see the film they show at the Grant Visitor Center on the 1988 Yellowstone Fires. Still controversial even today, about 36% of the park burned during those wildfires.
Our campsite was nice with a firepit and table. I had a snack for dinner as the sun went down. As with all the campgrounds we stayed at in the park, facilities and water were nearby and easily accessible.
As soon as it got dark it dipped into the 40's so layers and a fleece were needed for sure. At 9:30 I went to a Ranger talk on bears at the Grant amphitheater which was entertaining. And, then, after a long day, it was time for me to crash.
Day Two:
I woke up to a chilly dawn and let Emily sleep some more while I went for a drive. I took pictures of some Elk at the West Thumb Geyser Basin parking area and of the sun coming up over the lake at a few pullouts.
Back at camp we had breakfast and then drove to West Thumb to hike the Lake Overlook Trail. This is a fairly easy 2-mile hike through woods and meadows uphill to a great view of Yellowstone Lake, which is the largest body of water in Yellowstone and one of the largest high-elevation lakes in the world – covering 136 square miles. It was cool that morning but blue skies made it a nice first hike.
We only saw a couple of people on the trail but we did see a couple of deer.
And a few scurrying marmots.
Since it begins from the same parking area, we did the West Thumb Geyser Basin walk as well which is a boardwalk path on the edge of the lake that takes you around these interesting thermal pools.
And on our way out of the area we crossed over the Continental Divide.
Old Faithful was definitely the most crowded part of the trip. It was a beautiful day and it was the 4th of July so naturally we weren't surprised to see throngs of people. But it really wasn't that bad. Eruptions are generally about 90 minutes apart and at the Visitor Center they post the next estimated time she'll go off.
Our timing was fortunate. We found a good seat and after waiting about 20 minutes we saw the great geyser explode.
We also stopped by the rustic Old Faithful Inn which first opened in 1904. It is said to be the largest log structure in the world.
After that it was time to head to the Canyon area where we had campground reservations for the next 2 nights.
Along the way we stopped at Mud Volcano and drove through Hayden Valley where we saw lots of bison.
We took a brief detour to watch a pelican that was just hanging out in a raging river.
The mud volcano area.
The bison go wherever they want.
Hayden Valley.
Then, we arrived at one of the trademark locations of the park, the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone.
No matter how much you read or see when researching your trip to Yellowstone, nothing prepares you for the magnificent view when you are standing there. The canyon is massive and pictures just can't really do it justice.
We walked out to Artist Point, hiked Uncle Tom's Trail down to the Lower Falls, and saw some male Elk grazing near the area.
As evening approached we headed to our new camp. Emily was still rebounding from the altitude change and she wasn't hungry, so after checking in and setting up camp she hit the tent. I went to Canyon Lodge for a beer and some sliders – which were very good – then crashed myself.
The Canyon campground is centrally-located with amenities so it's a good place to have a base while you're visiting Yellowstone. It's not exactly backcountry style, as there are a lot of other tents around, but at least the sites are not right on top of each other. Overall we liked it, however, our site did slope ever so gently which meant you tended to slide a bit on the pad during the night. I still slept like a baby as tired as I was.
Day three:
We got up at the crack of dawn and began our drive toward Lamar Valley. Emily was finally feeling 100% after hitting the bag early for two nights.
Watching the sunlight come into the sky as we drove with no traffic toward Lamar Valley will always be one of the most vivid memories of the trip for me. Even in July, there are times when you can feel you have the entire park to yourself.
As we got into the valley, we had to stop several times as herds of bison crossed the road. In Yellowstone, these are affectionately known as "bison jams".
At one point, we came across a group of parked cars and saw people gathered on the river bank. When we parked and joined the group we saw something pretty amazing.
Two grizzly bears took turns feasting on a bison carcass. One ate for a while and then lumbered back across the valley toward the tree line with a huge chunk of meat hanging from his mouth. On cue, the other bear approached and started eating.
Meanwhile, two gray wolves were hanging around waiting for an opportunity to get at the meat. One was brave enough to actually get very close and the grizzly would just move his big rump around as if to say, “I don't think so, pal."
We also saw two bald eagles, an osprey, elk and of course more bison. At some point we saw a pronghorn sheep as well. We were certainly glad we brought binoculars.
You hear a lot about Lamar Valley and the "Serengeti of North America" and for us, it certainly lived up to the billing. We felt extremely lucky we were able to see as much as we did that morning.
Here one of the wolves is following the first grizzly across the valley floor, hoping to get some scraps if the bear drops any.
For scale, note our rental car parked on the road in the bottom right of the picture.
Sometimes you'd have to stop and wait for the bison to make up their mind about where to go.
Are you going to drive through that? I think not.
After several hours of animal spotting, we headed toward our next hike, but not before seeing this black bear up on a wooded hillside on the way.
We had lunch and hiked the Yellowstone River Picnic Area trail which is about a mile east of Tower Junction. The weather was great with blue skies.
The hike has an initial climb that's fairly steep but short. It then levels off to a moderate hike the rest of the way. The trail follows a ridge along the canyon and is quite scenic. We were hoping to spot some bighorn sheep as they are known to frequent this area but we didn't.
We did see some kind of old carcass on the trail.
After the hike we moved south and stopped off to see the 132-ft Tower Fall.
We were both feeling good and energized so it was time to make our way down to Mount Washburn. It's about 4 miles north of Canyon junction at the Dunraven Pass trailhead. This was a tougher hike but still not too bad for the average trailblazer.
As we walked on this wide, forest trail, the weather changed. The sky clouded up and it started raining lightly and, as we approached the top, the rain turned to hail! We were very happy to have packed our raingear and extra layers since the higher we went the more the wind kicked up and the colder it got. But the panoramic views at the 10,234 ft peak were amazing. We could even see the Tetons in the distance. And luckily, there was an enclosed fire lookout at the top (with pit toilets) where you can warm up and rest for a bit as well.
We ended the day back at Canyon Lodge for dinner.
Also, it was time for a much-needed shower which you have to pay for at Canyon campground but the facilities are clean and the water was nice and hot. At only a few bucks it was worth it. Then we slept.
Day four:
Our last day in Yellowstone.
It got very cold that night and we woke up at dawn to light snow. We had to get moving so we could make it to the Mammoth area up north in time for a Ranger-led hike.
Once again, it was just very cool to make that drive with basically no one on the main road and there was just enough snow in the trees to give it that winter wonderland feel. We never would've expected that in July.
We saw a lot of Elk on the way and a caught a glimpse of a couple of young ones play-fighting.
We had time to stop for breakfast at a picnic area and then do the Upper Terrace drive of the Mammoth Hot Springs.
Mammoth is one of the largest hot spring areas in Yellowstone and definitely one of the most unique places to visit. The boiling water and strange rock formations give it an other-wordly feel.
Just before 8am we drove to the parking area for the Bunsen Peak Trailhead, about 4.5 miles south of Mammoth, to start our Ranger led, 7-mile, Scenic Snow Pass hike. The Park Ranger was a young guy named Matt from South Dakota and the group was about 10 people.
This was another great experience as we hiked through meadows, forests filled with aspens and douglas-firs, up through the “Snow Pass” and into the boulders of the “Hoodoos”. There were lots of amazing views of mountains all around.
Matt was extremely knowledgable about the history, geology, wildlife and pretty much all things Yellowstone that came up during the trek. We stopped for lunch on the trail and as usual, once the sun came out, it warmed up nicely. We highly recommend trying a Ranger hike in Yellowstone and you can read about them here.
After the hike we drove to Mammoth Village and toured the Albright Visitor Center and Museum. This is the Park Headquarters and one of the most developed places in Yellowstone. Speaking of development, an interesting fact about Yellowstone is that roads and facilities make up less than three percent of the park. The rest is wilderness.
We also walked around the Lower Terrace.
Since we were close we drove to the North Entrance in Gardiner, Montana to see the Roosevelt Arch and take some pictures. We thought about heading back to Mammoth and walking up the surrounding hills in order to see some higher elevation views of the Terraces, but we were getting tired, so we decided to head south out of Yellowstone towards the Tetons where we were staying for the night.
We did manage to stop and walk through the Artists' Paint Pots area before leaving. This is an easy boardwalk stroll that winds through small geysers, hot pools and steaming vents. At the top of the hill there's a continuously gurgling mud pot.
Finally it was on to Flagg Ranch campground at the northern edge of Grant Teton National Park and the second part of our trip.
After setting up camp we treated ourselves to an excellent dinner at the Flagg Ranch Lodge. As an aside, I recommend the Pasta Alfredo with Chicken. Maybe it doesn't scream “Wyoming”, but it was outstanding. This was a nice campground. However, aside from dinner, it was a just a quick stopover to rest on our way to Grand Teton.
Day five:
We woke up early again and drove South into Grand Teton National Park toward Jenny Lake campground. This is a great tents-only campground and as far as lodging this was our only “wild card” on the trip as there are no reservations. It's first come first serve.
We stopped for a picnic breakfast with a breathtaking view of the Tetons and also stopped to attempt to photograph a moose meandering in a distant lowland area. He snuck into the brush before we could get a good shot though.
We arrived at Jenny Lake slightly after 8am and luckily we were able to find a site and set up camp. As with all the campgrounds we stayed at, the bear regulations are strict. Each site has a bear box to store food, and we were told the Rangers will give you a citation if they see any bear-attracting issues with your camp.
We took the boat ride across Jenny Lake to the Cascade Canyon Trailhead. Once again the weather was perfect with blue skies that had burned off the morning chill. The trailhead is right at the dock when you get off the boat.
You hike up a somewhat steep mile or so to Hidden Falls and Inspiration Point and the views are awe-inspiring. It's easy to see why this is one of the most popular hikes in either park. The crowd was another way to tell. This was definitely the most crowded hike of our trip.
Inspiration Point.
A lot of people seem to stop at this point, but if you keep going the trail levels off and opens up into the canyon, and the crowd thins out.
This was where we stopped for lunch.
Once we reached the junction of the North / South Fork we decided to go another mile or so up toward Hurricane Pass. With the extension this was easily our longest hike of the trip at about 10 miles. The whole trek took about 7 hours and the views were spectacular. This was probably my personal favorite hike of the trip.
Once in the canyon, there are incredibly huge mountains all around, pristine alpine lakes, and waterfalls tumbling down from up high where the snow melts. I've never been to the Alps, but I've seen pictures, and that's what this area looked like to me.
We saw a lot of backpackers coming and going on the trail and vowed that on our next trip we would join them and head all the way up to Lake Solitude. Despite the crowd on the first part of the trail, this one was well worth the effort.
We also saw a huge moose resting in a grassy area about 25 yards off the trail. Apparently they like low, swampy areas near water to hang out in. Moose sightings on this trail are common.
Back at the awe-inspiring vistas of Inspiration Point.
Back at the campsite we cooked dinner on the fire.
When it got dark we decided to drive out to the main road for one of the things I was most looking forward to: Viewing the night sky.
We parked at a pullout and turned everything off, got out and just leaned against the car staring up. No traffic. No lights. No sound. Just you and millions of stars in the big Wyoming sky. You could actually see the dust of the Milky Way. I have not had a lot of opportunities to see a night sky like that so it was definitely a highlight of the trip.
Day six:
We slept in, finally, then made our way out of camp about 10:00 am and had a picnic breakfast in front of Grand Teton on the main road. We drove over to Mormon Row and took some pictures. There were lots of bison and we had our first sighting of them actually running which is pretty wild to see. Emily spotted a fox running around in the meadow, and we did a short hike on some unmarked trail as well.
Big Sky country. The stillness of Wyoming.
We took the narrow Moose Wilson Road up to Teton Village and saw two more moose along the way.
We had lunch and a beer on the Alpenhof Lodge patio before taking the Jackson Hole tram up to the top. The tram goes over 4,000 vertical feet and takes about 9 minutes. You get awesome views of the surrounding mountains and what must be incredible slopes to ski or snowboard in Winter.
Our plan was to hike at least a portion of the Rendezvous Mountain Trail. We did a couple of miles but the trail had thick snow in spots and Emily had worn her sandals instead of boots unfortunately.
We had a bit of an adventure losing the trail while trying to maneuver around the snow and had to climb a few steep rocky areas to get back to where we needed to be. No big deal. And there were amazing panoramic views down into the valleys and of the surrounding peaks.
This is one of the many fancy ski resorts in Teton Village. We're going to have to plan a Winter trip.
We took the tram down and drove back to Jackson to check-in at the Ranch Inn. The “roughing it” portion of our trip was over. Back to civilization, hot showers, and a warm bed. I wasn't complaining.
The hotel was great and we had a big spacious room and a balcony with a view. The front desk staff were helpful with recommending places to eat and things to do. We walked around town a bit before having an excellent dinner at Burke's Chop House.
Day seven:
This was our final day and the most flexible we had on the schedule.
We reserved a 2-hour horseback ride with Mill Iron Ranch for the morning. This was another outstanding experience. Our guide was a bonafide cowboy and he took a small group of us on trailhorses up into the mountains for some amazing views.
Emily is an experienced rider but my time on horseback has been limited. I don't think I quite commanded the total respect of my horse, “Doc”, but he did a fine job hauling my generous frame up and down that mountain.
We also enjoyed a good band at The Wort Hotel's Silver Dollar Bar and just walked around town, taking pictures and shopping for the obligatory souvenirs.
That night we had dinner at Snake River Brewing which had a lively atmosphere. The wild game chili and buffalo burgers were superb.
It was a solid finish to an awesome trip. We really feel like we had the best of all worlds on this vacation. Camping and hiking the great outdoors of both parks and then spending the last couple of days back in the comfort and civilization of Jackson Hole, which has a unique culture and appeal of its own.
The entire week was an amazing journey and one that neither of us will ever forget. We have vowed to return to the beautiful state of Wyoming someday.
