Why not? That was our thought when we learned how close Grand Teton National Park is to Yellowstone. Only a few miles apart, it seemed a shame not to visit when we were so close, so we spent a day and a half viewing the famous mountains.
We left Yellowstone by the southern entrance, entering Grand Teton at the northern in the afternoon, and the change in scenery was amazing: Jackson Lake and the peaks of the Teton Range stretching above, with few foothills. We ate a late lunch/early supper at Jackson Lake Lodge, looking out the large picture windows while we ate.
The 5-mile, 20-minute car ride up Signal Mountain was worth it for the spectacular views, but it was the first and only time the whole trip that the elevation made me feel a bit woozy. By the time we were down the mountain, it was sometime after 5 p.m. and we still had about a 90-minute drive to our Airbnb in Driggs, Idaho.
What a drive! The route took us through Teton Pass and its 10 percent grades. When we took the route the next morning, I think we were literally driving through the clouds. I felt sorry for our little rented Nissan Sentra.
Our first stop the next day was Mormon Row/Mouton Barn for a few photos in the morning light. Then we met one of Paul's best friends (who lives hours away in Wyoming but happened to be at Grand Teton on vacation at the same time) at the Leigh Lake trailhead. We picnicked with him and two of his children and watched the kids wade in what I believe was String Lake. The kids got soaked, but luckily I had spare clothes in the car!
We took a peek at Jenny Lake and drove around a bit admiring the scenery. The sky had gone gray with periodic rain much of the afternoon, and we ended the day with a drive through Jackson on our way back to Driggs. A beautiful 36 hours that would have been a shame to miss.
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| Jackson, Wyoming |
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