Grand Teton National Park — Jess's Adventures

The guide

Grand Teton

Wyoming, USA

The Teton Range rising above the Snake River

The Teton Range from the Snake River Overlook — the same view Ansel Adams photographed in 1942. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

Getting there

Grand Teton sits in northwestern Wyoming, right on Yellowstone's southern border — the two parks are made for one trip. The Jackson Hole Airport is the only commercial airport in America located inside a national park, so you can land with the Tetons filling your window. The town of Jackson is a short drive south of the park, and the scenic drive north through Grand Teton leads on to Yellowstone's South Entrance.

Famous for

The Teton Range rises straight out of the valley of Jackson Hole with no foothills — one of the most dramatic mountain profiles in North America. The Grand Teton itself reaches 13,775 feet. The park pairs those peaks with wildlife-rich valleys: moose in the ponds, pronghorn on the sagebrush flats, and elk migrating through. It was established in 1929 to protect the range, and expanded in 1950 to include the valley lands.

Jenny Lake from above with the Teton Range behind

Jenny Lake, the park's most-visited hiking destination, with the Cathedral Group behind. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

Where to stay & eat

Jackson Lake Lodge — the classic in-park lodge with huge picture windows facing the Tetons.
Jenny Lake Lodge — a quieter, cabin-style stay near the lake trailheads.
Colter Bay Village — cabins, a marina and the visitor centre on the shore of Jackson Lake; a relaxed family base.
The town of Jackson — just south of the park with the most restaurants, from steakhouses to taco trucks.

What to do

A moose standing in Grand Teton National Park

A moose in the park. Moose Ponds, near Jenny Lake, is one of the most reliable places to see them in the water. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

Jenny Lake shuttle boat & Inspiration Point — the boat runs every 10–15 minutes to the west shore; from there it's half a mile to Hidden Falls and a mile up to Inspiration Point, with Cascade Canyon opening beyond.
Moose Ponds — a two-mile round-trip stroll from the Jenny Lake loop where moose are frequently seen standing in the shallow ponds.
Mormon Row & the Moulton Barns — the 1890s homesteads of Mormon settlers from Idaho; the T.A. Moulton Barn is often called the most photographed barn in America.
Oxbow Bend — a calm bend of the Snake River where Mount Moran reflects on still mornings; arrive early for the glassy water and the moose.
Snake River Overlook — stand where Ansel Adams made his famous 1942 photograph of the Tetons and the Snake River.
Antelope Flats — sagebrush flats where pronghorn, bison and elk move along one of the longest land migration routes in the country, the Path of the Pronghorn.

A pronghorn buck in Grand Teton National Park

A pronghorn buck. Herds cross Antelope Flats on the ancient Path of the Pronghorn migration. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

Jess's favourite

Sunrise at Oxbow Bend, then breakfast

Get there before the sun does. When Mount Moran catches the first light and the river goes to glass, even the moose seem to pause. As a zookeeper, my favourite moments are the quiet ones — and this is the quietest, most generous view in any park I've ever visited. Then drive into Jackson for the biggest breakfast you can find. You've earned it.

Morning reflections on Jenny Lake. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

Good to know: This is grizzly and black bear country — carry bear spray, make noise on trails, and stay 100 yards from bears and wolves, 25 yards from everything else. Summer is the busy season; some facilities close by mid-fall. In winter, thousands of elk gather at the National Elk Refuge just north of Jackson. Photos: Wikimedia Commons (public domain / CC licensed).

Parks change: roads, reservations and opening dates in these guides were checked at the time of writing — always check nps.gov before you go.

Read Jess's journal ↓

Jess's journal

Grand Teton: moose, mountains, and Dad's stories

Summer, nine years ago

Dad used to tell me the Tetons were the mountains that didn't bother with foothills — they just stood straight up out of the valley, like they were showing off. He wasn't wrong. The first morning I drove in from Jackson, the sun hit the Grand and I actually gasped at the wheel. Thirteen thousand, seven hundred and seventy-five feet of granite, and not a single hill in front of it.

The boat across Jenny Lake

We took the little shuttle boat across Jenny Lake to the west shore — a five-minute crossing that saves about two miles of walking each way. From the dock it's half a mile to Hidden Falls, then a steeper mile up to Inspiration Point. Standing there with Jenny Lake spread out 400 feet below and Cascade Canyon opening at my back, I finally understood why Dad called this place "the Alps with nobody in them." A marmot whistled at us the whole way down. I whistled back. It didn't seem impressed.

The moose that owned the pond

The rangers at the visitor centre said Moose Ponds was the best bet for a moose, and they were not exaggerating. A big bull stood belly-deep in the water, pulling up plants and letting the water stream off his chin, completely unbothered by our row of gaping humans. Back home I spend my days reading moose behaviour for welfare assessments; watching this one in wild water, doing exactly what moose have done for thousands of years, made all that paperwork feel a little holy.

Antelope Flats at golden hour

On the last evening we drove the flats where the pronghorn run — the Path of the Pronghorn, one of the longest land migrations in the country. Dad had a story about pronghorn being so fast they'd outrun their own shadows, and standing there watching a small herd bounce across the sagebrush, I laughed the same way I used to as a kid. The old Moulton Barn stood against the mountains the whole time, weathered and patient, like it was posing for everyone.

Standing where Ansel Adams stood

At the Snake River Overlook I found the spot where Ansel Adams took his famous 1942 photograph of the Tetons and the river. The trees have grown up a bit since his day, but the mountains haven't moved. I took one photo — just one — because it felt rude to take more. Some views deserve your eyes more than your camera.

Animals spotted

Wild sightings are never guaranteed — our honest three-day tally: a bull moose at Moose Ponds (twice!), pronghorn on Antelope Flats, bison near Mormon Row, an elk cow and calf, a bald eagle over Oxbow Bend, and marmots absolutely everywhere. No bears this trip — they keep their own schedule.

Story seed

Pinafor races a pronghorn across the meadow — and loses spectacularly. But the pronghorn, who's used to being the fastest thing alive, has never once been asked to play. A story about what speed is actually for.

Barnaby's note

"Jess, you stood where a great artist stood and chose to look with your eyes instead of your lens — that tells me everything about how you've grown. The mountains don't perform, my dear, they simply are, and you learned to simply be with them. Bring that stillness home with you. The zoo, the animals, your keepers — they'll all feel it."

— Barnaby

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