What to do When Visiting Grand Teton National Park
Now, I know most people forget to remember that Wyoming is apart of the U.S., but once you visit Grand Teton National Park, you will definitely remember Wyoming! Grand Teton National Park was established in February of 1929 and spans a total of 310,000 acres, about 485 square miles. It encompasses MANY mountains to hike, backcountry ski, snowshoe, cross-country ski, lakes, and more that you can find here.
The park is located in Teton County, near Jackson, Wyoming. Kelly and Wilson, Wyoming are also close by towns. In addition, the Jackson Hole Airport is about 8 minutes from the park, about 40 minutes from the Jackson Hole Ski Resort, and about a hour and a half from Grand Targhee Ski Resort. The capital of Wyoming, Cheyenne is about six and a half hours from Grand Teton National Park. In addition, Grand Teton National Park to Yellowstone is about 3 hours away. So, you could also take a day trip into Yellowstone too while staying in the Tetons. I say all this, so you can have some reference into where the Tetons are located.
In addition, in this post, you will learn about Grand Teton National Park camping, lodging, things to do in the summer vs. winter, and so much more, so let’s get started!
This post is all about Grand Teton National Park.
Grand Teton National Park:
Park Fees & Entrance
Okay, before we start with anything, I wanted to let you know about the park entrance fees. For a private vehicle it costs, $35 per car (for 7 days), $30 for a motorcycle (for 7 days), and $20 for a hiker/biker (for 7 days, 16 years of age and older). You can choose to buy an annual pass for $70, if you will be there for awhile, or live near the area (this website will give you more information about the fees).
Or you could buy a lifetime pass card, that is good for over 2000 federally operated parks all across America. The easiest way to purchase this pass is in person, at one of the National Parks across America. This pass covers your entrance fees for any park under that pass (over 2,000 parks are included). For parking, you cannot park overnight, and their are free spaces for 30-90 minutes if you are picking up hikers (or anyone), and the general entrance fee pays for parking.
Grand Teton National Park Camping
There is a lot of camping/campgrounds throughout the park, however, you will need to make reservations in advance to camp, which you can make through this website. You can plan up to six months in advance, and the campgrounds do offer portable water, picnic tables, and metal bear boxes. You cannot stay more than 14 days or 7 days at Jenny Lake Lake campground. In addition, you cannot park along the road, at overlooks, no doubling parking, or parking overnight at parking ares. You can find more information about Grand Teton National Park camping here, and more campgrounds within the park here.
In addition, as a park, Grand Teton does offer a lot of backcountry camping as well. You do need a permit and reservation if backcountry camping, thus you will have to plan your trip in advance before camping. You will also need to bring bear appropriate canister, which you can get for the park, free of charge.
{Related Post : Guide to Different Ski Resorts in the US}
Grand Teton National Park Lodging
Alright, if you do not want to camp, then there are plenty other lodging/hotel options in or near Grand Teton National Park. Within the park, they do offer MANY different styles of rooms, such as, cabins, cottages, apartments, and more. Some notable places to stay at within the park are, Jackson Lake Lodge, Jenny Lake Lodge, Signal Mountain Lodge, and MANY more that you can find here.
Now, if you wish to stay in a more central location, and just want to spend a day in the park, some great places to stay are, Teton Village (about 40 minutes from park), Jackson Hole (about 40 minutes from park), Driggs, Idaho (a little over an hour away), Dubois, Wyoming (a little over an hour away), Kelly, Wyoming (about 20 minutes away), and Wilson, Wyoming (about 30 minutes away). Determining where you want to stay, all depends on what you plan on doing. If you are just planning on hiking, then I would recommend camping or staying at one of the lodges within the park. However, if you wish to ski at other places, then I would stay at a more central location, like one of the cities listed above or take a day trip to Grand Teton National Park.
Grand Teton National Park Summer : Hiking
Now, once you’re in the park, one activity I highly recommend doing, is obviously, hiking. The Tetons, have some of the most remarkable and memorable mountains in the world. Some popular trails to do here are, the Aspen Ridge Trail, Christian Pond Trail, Death Canyon (Static Peak Divide Junction), Flagg Canyon Trail, Garnet Canyon Trail, Grand View Point Trail, Colter Bay Hermitage Point Trail, Hidden Falls, Inspiration Point, Lake Creek, and Lake Solitude Trail. More popular trails to hike, can be found here.
Some easier to moderate trails found in the Grand Tetons are, Taggart Lake Loop, Bradley Lake Trail, String Lake Trail, Leigh Lake Trail, Moose Ponds Trail, Phelps Lake Overlook, Schwabacher’s Landing Trail, and Black Tail Butte Peak Trail. Again, more trails can be found here.
Some harder trails found in the Tetons are, Table Mountain Trail, Lake of the Craigs Trail, Teewinot Mountain Trail, Bearpaw and Trapper Lake Trail, Cascade Canyon to Hurricane Pass Trail, Static Peak, Death Canyon Loop, Paintbrush Canyon, Buck Mountain Summit, and Mount Hunt Divide. Again, more difficult hiking trails can be found here.
{Related Post : Best Lakes on the East Coast}
Grand Teton National Park Summer : Canyoning
Okay, another fun outdoor activity to do is, canyoning. Canyoning is basically, climbing up a mountain, then sliding, jumping, swimming, or rappelling down different canyons (here is a link to a video, describing it). Also, some great places to do this throughout the state of Wyoming are, here and here as well.
Alright, another great activity you can do here, is rock climbing and bouldering. Here you will find mountain conditions, safety and general rules to follow while climbing. Also, here is a website with great places you can go to for climbing.
Also, let’s not forget about the water sports you can do, such as, kayaking, boating, and white water rafting. This website will let you know about specific regulations and permits you need to follow for boating/kayaking in the Grand Tetons. Also, here you can find great places to white water raft. In addition, you can find great kayaking and outdoor gear in general, here.
Two more great activities to do while here, are fishing and fly fishing. You will need a fishing license to complete these activities from the state of Wyoming, which can be purchased in the park at the Colter Bay Marina, Signal Mountain Lodge, or Dornans Fly Shop. This website will provide you with more information about licenses, rules, and regulations. Also, here is a great website for fishing gear with some pretty good discounts.
Another great activity, is biking. Here is the national park website, which will let you know about different rules and regulations for biking. Also, here you will find different bike paths (you will have to scroll further down to see these), and where to rent bikes while you’re visiting.
Grand Teton National Park Winter
Here you will find a list of all activities accessible in Grand Teton National Park. Hiking and skiing are not on this list, but still available to do. In addition, here is a list of other nearby attractions.
Thus, our last and final activity to do at Grand Teton (during the winter) is to SKI! I recommend skiing at Jackson Hole, if you want a true challenge and gnarly terrain. Also, the ski resort is only about 5 minutes away from Grand Teton. Snow King and Grand Targhee are also two great and gnarly ski resorts close by. You can also do LOADS of backcountry skiing at the Grand Tetons, here is a link to some great tours. Also, here is a link to some great discounts on ski/snowboard gear.
And that wraps our travel guide to Grand Teton National Park. I hope you found some things you can do while seeing this magnificent park. If you wish to lookup more within the park, you can find a Grand Teton National Park map, here. In the meantime, comment below your favorite national park, and what attractions are your favorite, thanks for reading, and get outside!
This post was all about Grand Teton National Park camping, lodging, things to do in the summer vs. winter, and so much more, so let’s get started!
Recommend Posts:
