Grand Teton National Park

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The Tetons from Mormon Row
The Tetons from Mormon Row

In the 1890s, ten early settlers built their homesteads along Mormon Row – today, still no more than a gravel road just inside Grand Teton. We’d read that the view of the mountains from here was superb, and so it proved. On our first morning in the park we drove out there – it’s also a popular cycling route. A small collection of pioneer cabins and barns remains which are much photographed: I love the way the roofline of the oldest and most dilapidated echoes the peaks.

Old barn
At Mormon Row
At Mormon Row
At Mormon Row
Deer at Mormon Row

From Mormon Row, we headed to Teton Village, home of Jackson Hole ski resort and thus furnished with various methods of getting up high without actually climbing. We took the aerial tramway up Rendezvous Mountain. The first picture below shows the tram coming back to base – you might have to enlarge it to see the man sitting on top (to the left of the wires). Totally scary! The second photograph is our view back down as we travelled up the mountain. Inside the tram in our case.

Tram coming down
Looking back to Teton Village

Many people got out, checked the viewing platform, and headed back down. Not us! We had three trails to do. The first, Top of the World, was a simple loop of less than a mile round the summit. It was chilly up there – definitely hang-on-to-your-hat weather – but we warmed up afterwards with coffee and waffles in Corbett’s cabin.

Panorama from viewing platform
View of Grand Teton
Top of the World trail
Top of the World trail
Hang onto your hat!
Passing under the aerial tramway
Waffles!

From here, we decided to hike down the 2-mile Cirque Trail to Bridger Restaurant where we could take a gondola back to Teton Village. We had an audience!

Chipmunk
Marmot
Passing under the aerial tramway
Approaching Bridger Restaurant
Bridger Restaurant
Looking back at the peak

You might think this was easy because it was heading downhill, but the last picture in the gallery shows quite a large ridge in front of the peak which we had to climb up and over. You might also think that when we saw Bridger Restaurant coming into sight we would head straight down to its terrace for a refreshing drink. Well, we took another uphill path to reach the 1.5 mile Casper Ridge Loop which turned out to be a real highlight. This adorable marmot posed for ages and the two mule deer didn’t seem shy at all. (I think they are mule deer, and I think they are different – it could just have been the same one following us!)

Casper Ridge Trail
Casper Ridge Trail
Marmot
Mule Deer
Mule deer

Finally, we descended to the café and had that reviving drink before heading back down to Teton Village via the gondola.

John in the gondola
Anabel in the gondola

On our second, and final, day in Grand Teton we took another hiking trail to Bradley and Taggart Lakes. This 6 mile loop had, once again, wonderful views of the Tetons.

View of the Tetons
Climbing between the lakes
First glimpse of Taggart Lake
Taggart Lake panorama
Bradley Lake

After our hike, we took a drive through some of the rest of the park to see as much as we could before leaving the next day. We admired the Cathedral Group:

Cathedral Group
Cathedral Group

And stopped at Jackson Lake by Signal Mountain Lodge. That’s not cloud to the right, but smoke from a large berry fire in the north of the park. This was going to cause us problems the next day….

Jackson Lake
Jackson Lake

Finally, we saw our first herd of bison. Even if they were behind a fence (cunningly omitted from the pictures.)

Bison
Bison
Bison

Our constant refrain held good here too – “we want to stay longer!” – but this was tempered by our excitement that we would be in Yellowstone the next day. Would it live up to expectations? What do you think!

Linked to Jo’s Monday Walks.

USA, Wyoming ,

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  3. Pingback: Jo’s Monday walk : Rocha Delicada | restlessjo

  4. Ambitious hiking, Anabel! We took a train trip to the general area a couple decades ago, but never got to either Yellowstone or Grand Tetons, and I’ve always planned a return trip. You’ve given me a nice introduction. Thanks!

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  6. What incredible mountain views, and I love how much wildlife you were able to spot. This is a part of the country I’ve never had the chance to get to – you make me feel like I definitely have to make a plan to go at some point!

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  7. You’ve captured some wonderful photos here Anabel both of the scenery and the wildlife! I am yet to see a marmot in the wild – we looked for them when we were in Switzerland but they must have all been hiding – this one looks like he/she is posing for the camera!

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  8. Looks a brilliant area. I’m starting to think there must be some kind of strict ban on filming wildlife in the USA for professional productions as it’s always Yellowstone, bison, wolf packs, and the same tiny number of large national parks and animals they film yet looking at other USA bloggers they often show loads of different birds and animals that would be completely unfamiliar to a normal UK TV audience. The smaller species never get shown here, except in Disney films, and huge chunks of wilderness USA never get any coverage at all despite being interesting areas and little known. Always been a puzzle to me that as Yellowstone has been on now practically once or twice a year for as long as I can remember but few other parks ever get a look in- like the Grand Tetons or Mount Rushmore or the Badlands.

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    • Interesting point, and I don’t know the answer. Maybe there is some kind of wilderness protection, or maybe it is that the other areas are too little known as you say – even to Americans. We’ve been travelling North America almost every summer for the last decade and are often greeted with astonishment – “You’ve come all that way to visit HERE? If I ever get out, I’m never coming back.” That was said to me in West Virginia, but I like the out-of-the-way places as much as the big ones. However, it’s probably different living there.

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  11. Wonderful scenery and I appreciate you going to the trouble of walking all those trails for us 🙂 Now I don’t need to! You and hub are very keen on ups and downs aren’t you!

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  12. Your photos are stunning! I would love to visit the Jackson Hole/Grand Tetons area some time, and will have to make sure that happens. But I do have to ask: was that man sitting outside the tram car an employee, or did they allow a tourist to do that? And why in the world would someone want to? Despite the views, I would be nervous enough inside the car!

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  13. Very envious of your fabulous hikes. Simply stunning views and love that you made so many wildlife friends. But what on earth was that man doing?!!!

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  15. Both Grand Teton and Yellowstone are on my list! We got up to Wyoming on our road trip last year, but weren’t able to include those side trips. We did encounter a herd of buffalo on the road, though. We turned off our car engine and patiently waited until they were good and ready to move, which they eventually did.

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  17. Beautiful photos, Anabel. We only saw Grand Teton from distance. We liked it so much that I bought a poster of it, which is still hanging on the wall of our family room. I really appreciate this post so I know where to go when we go there next time. 😉

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  20. I love it all, Anabel! All the photos, the views, the walks, the wildlife, the old settler homes. So very picturesque. I can’t wait to get to the Tetons myself one day. So much to do, so little time. Thanks for sharing your highlights over there. So, the cowboy on his horse behind you two in the gondola… is that a shadow of some kind or part of the glass frame?

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  21. Hi Anabel – looks amazing … and so good that you walked and hiked around as you were able with the time frames and ‘lifts’ … that smoke does look daunting … I await that story .. cheers Hilary

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    • Thanks Hilary – the lifts were very useful in structuring our day. We saw a lot more than we would have otherwise as I certainly wouldn’t have climbed to that height!

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  22. I doubt that Yellowstone could disappoint, Anabel, but what a grand time you had in the mountains! The views are superb 🙂 Got to be done while you’re still young and fit enough to do it and it looks like you made the very most. Many thanks for the link!

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  23. Very lovely pictures and it certainly brings back lots of great memories of our trip there quite a few years ago.

    By the way, I think that heading downhill is much more challenging than climbing. Climbing might tougher on cardio but going down is so hard on the knees!!!

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