Mountains, Mornings, and Moments: Our Time in the Tetons

Last week I shared the first half of our May vacation spent in Yellowstone and I pulled together the second half spent in the Grand Tetons to share today. While there are beautiful sites to see at both locations, I do believe there is a different vibe between the two and Grand Tetons just felt less touristy. Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of visitors but less walk up attractions so we felt like we had a little more space to ourselves.

We left Yellowstone after lunch on Saturday to start making our way to Jackson, Wyoming where we were staying. The drive is just stunning and we saw lots of mountain, lake and canyon views along the way. A few times we stopped and just sat for a bit with our binoculars enjoying the views and looking for wildlife.

After a shower and some fresh clothes we walked to downtown Jackson and decided to eat at the Local. We tried the bone marrow appetizer that was so good and then stuffed ourselves with delicious steaks and sides. While there is plenty of nightlife in Jackson, we were wiped out and headed to bed.

Hiking Jenny Lake was on our list and I read that arriving early was ideal. We grabbed coffee and headed out around 6:30am and arrived at the parking lot with plenty of available spots. Hours later when we returned, not only was the lot full but the road going into the lake and then some was back to back cars. We laughed that some people were getting a hike before they ever made it to the hike. So take note, if you want to truly enjoy the scenery before there are too many people get there early.

The Jenny Lake trail takes you to two popular spots, hidden falls and inspiration point. There is a boat you can ride across and miss a portion of the hike as well but it does not start running until a little later. The entire way there are views of the lake and while the hiking isn’t too hard, there are some steep inclines and a few uneven spots on the trail.

We encountered our first up close and personal with two moose as we rounded a corner on our way to inspiration point. They did not seem bothered as this was a highly trafficked area and they were still hanging out when we returned hours later.

The majority of hikers end their hike at inspiration point but you can continue up the mountain for more views deeper into the canyon. We decided to go further and should have known we might be out of our comfort zone when the young couple in front of us stopped to put some traction devices on their shoes! There was a really snowy area where it was clear there had been some sort of avalanche as there were huge trees completelly broken off and downed and we had to climb through to stay on the trail. Did we consider turning around? Yes, but as often happens with us, we see some other hikers who don’t look as athletic as we still feel and it gives us a push! Ha!

I’m so glad we kept pushing on as we did find moose tracks in the snow and then as we came upon a clearinig we found the moose and were able to stop and watch him for a bit. Coming back out was a little slippery but definitely reminded me why working to have a strong core in midlife is really important!

After such a full day on the mountain we were starved and grabbed dinner at Orsetto Italian restaurant. One reason I always take pictures of our food is to remember what we ate because I didn’t take any and I have zero clue! I do know we enjoyed whatever it was.

There is a popular restaurant/bar downtown, the Million Dollar Cowboy, and they host a music fest each memorial day weekend that is free to attend. It was a fun night seeing John Michael Montgomery and then Midland perform.

We personally loved staying in Jackson where we were able to walk everywhere. The weather was perfection and it gave us a chance to relax a little more and not have to worry about finding parking.

Our second morning we headed out for more exploring. Keith was dying to try his hand at fly fishing without a guide and I was ready to just relax a little. These views at the Jackson lake reservoir of the mountains was breathtaking. I couldn’t stop taking pictures because it just kept getting better and better.

After Keith was done trying his luck with fishing, we traveled the Jenny lake road back around and saw a really nice elk in velvet before stopping for a small hike out to Leigh Lake. It was so peaceful and I wish we would have had paddle boards because I might have stayed for hours! We finished the day catching a sunset and looking for wildlife. The views are just spectacular no matter where you are.

We truly had the best time and I was not ready to leave. I definitely could see myself spending the summers in the mountains with cooler temps and low humidity. While staying in more of a hotel setup was perfect for us on this trip, I do think if we return I will opt for someplace with views and a little space to relax. It would also be a plus to have a washer/dryer so we could rewear the layers versus over packing. I would have also loved to have our paddle boards avaialble and spent a little more time actually enjoying the lakes. All of this gives us inspiration to return and bring the family next time!