From Salt Lake City, we headed to Grand Teton National Park, the highlight of our trip. We spent a week at Colter Bay Village RV Park which is in the middle of Grand Teton National Park on Jackson Lake. We had a great RV site close to the lake in a wooded area. From there we were able to make day trips to the city of Jackson, Yellowstone, and tour Grand Teton NP.
The gorgeous mountain range to the west of the park is the Teton Range. The tallest of the peaks is named Grand Teton with other sister Tetons flanking it. The national park is named after the one peak, the Grand Teton.
Directly south of Grand Teton National Park is Jackson, Wy. I was confused about Jackson Hole and Jackson, so I asked. Jackson Hole is the larger surrounding valley and includes the southern part of Grand Teton National Park. Jackson, Wy is a city in Jackson Hole, and there is a tourist/business district in Jackson (that we visited).
Yellowstone borders Grand Teton NP and is directly north. These are often called sister parks. We took a long day and visited Yellowstone, returning to our favorite sites from our visit a year ago, including: (of course) Old Faithful, the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone (my favorite), Yellowstone Lake, Artists' Paintpots, and dinner again at the Old Faithful Lodge looking out at Old Faithful. We were pleasantly surprise entering Yellowstone from the south that it was still covered with snow. It was a beautiful drive seeing the snow, streams/rivers, and waterfalls glistening in the white snow. (The Yellowstone pictures are in a separate post.)
We spent another day just touring Grand Teton NP. Viewing the mountain range from various viewpoints was repetitive but there were also various sites of old remnants that help give an understand of how the valley was used in 1800's and early 1900's. The Snake River crosses through Yellowstone and down the length of Grand Teton NP on its way out through Jackson, crosses Idaho, and eventually joins the Columbia River on its way to the Pacific Ocean.
A short walk from our RV site at Colter Bay on Jackson Lake in Grand Teton NP. |
Elk grazing |
Mount Moran reflecting in the Snake River. |
Cunnigham Cabin, a landowner and rancher. |
An ancient artifact! |
My attempt to copy Ansel Adams' famous photo of Grand Teton and the Teton Range with the Snake River.
The trees have grown taller since Ansel's photo. Mine is obviously better. |
The Grand Teton (tallest peak) and the sister Tetons. |
The Snake River. How are we going to cross it??? |
The early settlers around 1892 had to cross it on Menor's Ferry, towed across the river on a cable. |
Jenny Lake at the base of the Teton Mountains. |
Annual Jackson antler and horn sale weekend. |
The park at downtown Jackson, known for its antler arches at each corner. |