Grand Tetons, Jackson, and Idaho Falls
After our full day in Yellowstone, we were back on the road again (cue Willie Nelson). We headed south to Grand Teton National Park.
We made a few stops for pictures but our first real stop was at the Jackson Lake Lodge. This is a must-stop. Once you enter the lodge head up the stairs to the massive windows. The view is breathtaking. We decided to grab a cup of coffee from the lobby (delicious, made to order) and then headed outside to take in an easy hike/walk.
Lunch Tree Hill is an easy walk with spectacular views of the Teton Range. This really put into perspective the grandeur of this place. It is said in 1929, John D. Rockefeller Jr. and his wife, along with park architect and planner Horace Albright, enjoyed a picnic lunch on this hill. Inspired by the breathtaking views, Rockefeller became motivated to support the conservation of the area, which eventually led to the establishment of Grand Teton National Park. One look at you'll understand why.
Our next major stop was the 2 overlooks on the Signal Mountain Summit Road. This is a windy, narrow road but it takes you to not one, but two beautiful panoramic views of the Teton Range, Jackson Hole, and the surrounding landscape.
One thing that was on my bucket list in GTNP was to take the ferry boat across Jenny Lake. The parking lot was incredibly crowded. We circled the lot for at least 45 minutes before getting a spot. Our patience was running then. By the time we got to the Lake we were all hungry and frustrated and we took it out on each other. We argued. We eventually worked it out and got in line to take the ferry across.
The ferry can be a roundtrip or one-way ride. Because of our time constraints we chose the round trip fare. There are 3 boats shuttling visitors. We waited about 30 minutes before we were able to ride over. Once we docked, we understood why we couldn't find a parking spot. Everyone was on the other side of the lake, hiking to Inspiration Point. This, without a doubt, was our most crowded place of our entire trip.
The hike was good. The trail was pretty wet and muddy in spots due to the melting snow. There were a few slippery, icy spots as well. On this trip, we finally laid eyes on a moose. Both of them that we saw were laying down and didn't have that huge rack that you envision when you think of a moose. But it was still incredibly cool to see.
We made our way to the first landing and the view was beautiful. April was a bit scared to keep going to the summit of Inspiration Point so we stopped at the first landing and made our way back to the boat dock. Our wait in line was about an hour or so...but it was pleasant. We chatted with the people around us, discussed dinner options, snacked on some trail mix.
The boat ride is about 8 minutes or so and it was an enjoyable ride. It provides a unique perspective of the Teton Range, and gives the opportunity to take in the dramatic scenery from the water. It’s an excellent opportunity for photography and relaxation.
Once we got back to the car (around 4:30), we decided to go ahead and make our way to Jackson. So, as you can see, our time in GTNP was pretty short (maybe 8 hours or so) but it was wonderful. We also enjoyed our short time in Jackson. We quickly found a restaurant and devoured our meals and did a little souvenir shopping. One thing we noted was that Jackson is very expensive. I can only imagine the hotels, lodges, and rentals are also on the high budget side as well.
Once we left Jackson, we made our way to Idaho......specifically, Idaho Falls.
It was a lovely drive between Jackson and Idaho Falls. The Palisades Reservoir was beautiful. We stopped at several of the convenience stores along the way looking for unique souvenirs for our trip trivia game on Facebook.
Once we arrived in Idaho Falls, we easily found our hotel and stayed in for the night. It had been a long but amazing day.
Our trip was quickly coming to an end.....while we were feeling sad that it was almost over, we were starting to get a bit homesick. We were missing out dogs and our pillows.
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