I think we break our own record for covering so many national parks (in USA) crossing 4 states (Utah. Wyoming, Idaho and Montana) in a week ,well more like 9 days but still 4 is a lot, A lot of driving, walking and sight seeing. Not to boost but i am really impress with myself, this trip was really well planned and mixing those 4 national parks in one holiday was daring but we enjoyed it.
What we did was flew to Salt Lake City from New York, from there we rented a car and drove up north to Grand Teton and Yellow stone then went back to Salt Lake City rest for a night then drove out down south to Arches and Canyonland then back to Salt Lake City and flew back home. Impressive itinerary right??
We rented a Toyota corolla, we always rent the cheapest we could find. From the Salt Lake City Airport we took car rental shuttle bus to the office which took about 10 minutes. got our car and headed straight to the nearest Walmart to get supplies for the next few days. Bought 3 gal of water, spams, omg Spam did u know they have many flavors???? oh well that is another story for another post. noodles, fruits and some snacks. Then we head back to our hotel and settle for the night.
The next morning we start our adventure. Distance from Salt Lake City to Grand Teton takes about 5 hours drive.
on our way there are a few scenic byway, this was somewhere in Idaho, There was a few places of interest like the Idaho Potato Museum but we didn't stopped we had a tight schedule to follow
beautiful view
continues with our journey
after 1 or 2 hours we reached Teton Pass hiking trail
we are getting near. We were unlucky because there were smokes blowing from Washington state and from California to this area so it's was a little hazy but nonetheless the view is still impressive
we then had our lunch at Teton Village, while waiting for check-in at 3pm.
We went to a Swiss restaurant food was just average but price is reasonable. Boon had schnitzel was under season but still ok, my smoked trout sandwich was disappointing
after lunch we walked around the village, there was farmers market
Tram ride
it ain't cheap
saw the nice about the smoke....well more reason not going up the mountain, it view up there will be hazy
a small general store
to get coffee and other supplies, i don't know the prices cause there was not pricing. But price for coffee is ok though
this is the FREE gondola but it's only FREE from 4:30pm to 9pm, it don't go as high as the Tram but it's free. The gondola it's actually cater for a fine dine restaurant up hill
just next to it's a bike park
take a lift up hill with your bike and ride down hill
alot of activities for family, adult and kids
there was a concert that night when we were there, Reggae concert
the only bear here u can get near to...hehe
our hotel, called The Hostel, it's pricey but in Teton Village it's the cheapest we could find.
We decided to stay in Teton Village because it's just a mile away from the national park.
The Hostel was not too bad, they have alot of games!
after check in we headed to Grand Teton woo hoo!!!
From Teton Village we drove up 1 mile to the entrance there was dirt road another mile then
along the way we saw a moose, eating like no body's business while all the tourist was taking picture from a distance and there were also rangers. We were so excited, 1st time seeing a moose in it's natural habitat.
Picture was a but out of focus, well i took this picture while the car was moving though
Craig Thomas Discovery and Visitor Center
another entrance.
Entrance fee $30, we have our annual national park pass......totally worth it!!! also on 26 August is national park day so all national park is FREE!!
it was quite smokey but still very beautiful
this was day 2, slightly better
day 3 almost no more smoke, thank god we stayed 2 nights here
continues with our day 1
the one Boon is pointing well slightly to the right, that is the famous Grand Teton
one of the must visit is Jenny lake
this bug here makes noise when it flies....i just love nature
Jenny Lake
water is crystal clear
some hiking trail along the lake
there are also boat ride, kayak for rent or launch your own boat
boat house
the boat takes you to see hidden falls or like us too cheap to tkae the boat we hike there
takes about 1.5 hours one way
there are signs everywhere, those who spotted wild animals, wrote on this sign when and where they spotted what
the 1st day we just walked around Jenny Lake, wanted to make it to Hidden falls but it was getting dark and in bear country we don't want to risk it
nature up close
was so beautiful sunset
the other wild life we saw besides the moose earlier..hehe
after Jenny lake we headed back to our hotel and cooked noodle for dinner....hehe it was yummy, cool weather with steamy hot tom yum noodle with spam and eggs while listening to the reggae songs from the concert nearby
sunset view from our hotel
we were so happy to see that the sky cleared up
Teton Village
day 2 we see Moose again around the same area after the dirt road, but this time it was a female and a baby moose........soooo cute
i know i took many shots of this angle....but who can resist....it;s just too beautiful
panorama, love the blue sky, green from the pine trees and the burnt umber earth....nature's art is the best period!
day 2 we decided to do the whole loop, it's not really that big takes about half day, so we went straight to Jackson Lake (which is up north) and on the way we stopped by the Jackson Lake Dam
still abit smokey
according to the ranger at the visitor center that around this area there is alot of wild animals, so coming here we had high expectation but end up seeing not one animal not even a squirrel
but nice scenery though
and wild flowers
on the left is the Grand Teton and the mountains on the right is Mount Moran, together they make up 40mile long Teton Range
it is said that the landscape continues to change, Geoscientists predicts future earthquake up to a 7,5 magnitude
next we went to Colter Bay Village, far north of the loop
There are a few hiking trails here ranging from 1 hour hike the easiest to 5 hours which is the Hermitage Point.
since we have decided to do the Hidden falls trail back in Jenny Lake, we decided to just walked around the lake and enjoy the view
and we found just the spot
my polarizer ...hehe
random wild flower
next we drove back down south east of the loop to Cunningham Cabin, historic site
rabbit hole? i think this is where Alice fall in and found wonderland...jeng jeng jeng
that is the cabin, in the 1888 Mr J.P. Cunningham built his cabin in the Appalachian style, commonly called Double-pen. He lived here until 1895 and it later became a smith and barn
it's really simple and small, from this layout i really don't know where is the toilet
but he had the best view from his cabin
at the Snake River overview
Boon acting cool
slightly over lunch time we are back to Craight Tomas Discover and Visitor Center,
we visited yet another historic district
Menors Ferry
there is a tour
Menor's ferry general store. Bill Menor settle on the Snake River in 1892, he then built his cabin one room at a time. His brother, Holiday, settled on the other side of the Snake Rover, During the next decade, he built his cabin one room at a time. His brother, Holiday, settled on the other side of the Snake River and operated a limekiln.
Bill painted the general store with whitewash from Holiday’s limekiln. In the early 1900s, the store and ferry drew homesteaders and dudes alike, ordering supplies and crossing the river. Bill also operated a smokehouse and blacksmith shop, raised vegetables supplying produce to the local dude ranches, and served as postmaster. In 1918, he sold his homestead and ferry operation to Maud Noble. Today, period furnishings fill the cabin, and the storekeeper still sells period goods to visitors who venture to the store.Grand Teton Association manages the store; open seven days a week during the peak summer season. Bill Menor traveled from Ohio to Montana before settling in 1892 on the Snake River
his store and ferry drew people, ordering supplies, he lived in his store, a modest living
and crossing the river. today the ferry is only a replica
Bill also operated a smokehouse and blacksmith shop, raised vegetables, supplying produce to the locals and served as postmaster. He is good businessman. in 1918 he sold his homestead and ferry operation and today Gran Teton Association manges the store
this might be the smoke house or toilet i'm not too sure...hehe
his barn
this is Moud Noble's cabin the...the guy who bough Bill's homestead and ferry operation
there is also a church nearby
on our way back to Jenny lake from Menors Ferry,
we though we saw deer but it was pronghorn, there were a few of them
here's one up close, afternoon snack
According to the Grand Teton brochure, Pronghorns live here in summer but migrate southeast to the upper Green River Basin to avoid deep winter snow
this time we didn't parked our car at JEnny Lake but the stop before, Lupine Meadows entrance and parked at the boat launch site of Jenny Lake. It's nearer here to the Hidden falls by 20 minutes but still u need 1.5 hours one way
boat launch area
we were not equip with bear spray, but we were fortunate we didn't come face to face with a bear on this trail
the spray is sold everywhere, souvenir shops, visitor centers
and if you are really really afraid there is a group hike to the Hidden falls too
they gather in front of the visitor center in Jenny Lake Daily at 8:30am
there were many people along the trail so it's pretty safe
i saw alot of wild berries along the way
i think it was huckleberry, Bear's favorite berry
no sign of bear but we saw a Pine Marten hunting Deer Mice, it was awesome. The Pine Marten was really fast and caught a mice then went on his way home ignoring us
the trail is relatively easy to walk
only few challenging parts but still manageable, even for seniors
getting close after 1 hour hike
as we progress nearer and nearer the last half and hour hike was tiring. it was just none stop up hill
suitable hiking shoes are required, alot of fallen rock and some road a blocked
almost there can see the hidden fall
Boon listen to the sound of nature
that is the Hidden falls, it's just a normal fall, not really that impressive,
if u asked if it's worth the hike? well the hike, the view along the way was beautiful, the animals we saw was fun so i would say, worth it. But if i took the $15 boat ride here then it's not worth it.
If you have limited time it's ok to skipped it or just take the boat if u really want to see it
squirrel busing collecting pines
random wild flower
there was a Moose pond along they way we wanted to skipped it but someone told us they saw a moose there
thank god we went though we were really tired at that point
we got to see the moose up close eating aquatic plants.
They can dive up to 18 feet deep and stay underwater up to a minute to feed
another one from far.
we were so happy, couldn't believed we could be so lucky
it was almost 5 when we finished hiking, i was still upset that i have not seen a bear yet. I know i know this thinking is going to get me in trouble but i really want to see a bear
so we went to Laurence s. Rockefeller Preserve, where they said bears like to hang out there
the Visitor center was close
we were struggling weather or not to do a trail down to Phelps Lake which is about 1.4 mile, Boon was worried and we don't have bear spray. As we were about to give up and head on back to our car a lady came and we asked if she is going to Phelps Lake. She said yet and good new She got bear spray and a knife.... we quickly asked if we could tag along with her. She said ok and i was happy!!!
just 5 minutes into the wild we saw bear poop...oh boy we are near
no bear yet but we saw squirrel enjoying its pine
Boon lead the way with a stone in hand for 'just in case', i was in the middle and the lady protect from behind
the trail was nice and easy, we saw a big bird nest....eagles perhaps?
we heard bear growling and was so scared, i think i didn't blink for the whole trail after that growling sound
after and hour plus of walking and walking we arrived Phelps Lake uneventful and not being eaten by bear. we enjoyed the view for 10 minutes and had some snacks feeling slightly disappointed we headed back, together with the lady she didn't want to walk back alone too....as we were the last group in
as we were approaching the preserve's visitor center
there it was Black bear!!!!
when we were there, there were already a bunch of people surrounding it from a distance with big cameras. There bear was just ignoring us and enjoy eating berries
there were alot of huckleberry trees in that area, i guess that is how they lure the bear to this area
i was so happy..... it's a small black bear, thank god. no bear spray was used.....well you don't just spray, bear spray when u see bears just when u feel your life is in danger. We stayed for about 10 minutes observing the bear. I was at awe the whole time while keeping my distance of course
at the end of the day we were so tired but happy, today alone we walked more then 30,000 steps!!! Amazing.
Headed back to our hotel
and that night we were too tired and too hungry to cook, we ate at restaurant i forgot the name, in Teton Village food was good and prices was reasonable. I had the Idaho rainbow trout, love it and Boon had burger which can't go wrong in US
So far Moose, Checked
Bear Checked
Pine Marten Checked
we still have Bison and Elk in my check list
next to Yellowstone
~ adios ~
