Grand Teton National Park

Ah, back in the mountains! Well, the only mountains for pretty much as far as the eye can see... but mountains they are! The Tetons are kinda hard to miss. They stick up like jagged icicles, rising above the surrounding countryside. Definitely beautiful mountains! The peaks that make up the Tetons are all very close together, which makes visiting them much easier. Also, the Snake River meanders through the park which we took full advantage of!

There are many hiking options in the Grand Teton NP, but we were itching to get out the kayak and do some floating so instead of stopping and hiking just a small portion of the park, we decided to float about 15 miles of the Snake River, starting just below the Jackson Lake Dam, and ending at Deadman's Bar. Most of this stretch of the river is fast moving but flat with little or no white water. There are a few minor rapids towards the end, but we figured by that time we would be experts so it shouldn't be a problem... or something like that.

We dropped off the kayaks at the starting point, then Paul drove the pickup down to the pullout and hitchiked back to Julie... and the kayaks. We set off with much... well not much paddling, but much floating! The river is fairly fast moving so even when we didn't paddle it still felt like we were being super productive. Early on in the course of the river we saw a white pelican and several other unidentified birds. And some fisherman. They seem to like rivers for some reason.

About 5 miles into the trip the Tetons came into view, and we started taking pictures! We also started paddling shortly thereafter as we realized that the Tetons were right between us and the sun, which meant sundown was significantly earlier than we had anticipated. Also it was starting to get windy and cold... and hungry. The last 3rd of the river was a bit more enthusiastic the the begging and our expertise was put to the test. Lets just say we passed with, well, colors. We got to the pullout just as the sun was dipping behind the mountains! But not before we saw a bald eagle flying around searching for its dinner.

We packed up the boat and headed east, with a beautiful sunset behind, and thunderstorms ahead in the distance. Next up, a short stop in Nebraska.

Personnel:
We stopped in at a visitor's center on our way into the park and got some guidance from the rangers there while we were purchasing the first of 2 required boat permits (fortunately you can't get them at the same place so you get the opportunity to see more of the park...) The rangers were very helpful and seemed to know the park and river quite well. Like all the rangers so far in the NPs they were very helpful and professional.

Climate/weather:
The weather was a little bit cool for floating the river, it was better hiking weather, but we wanted to float, so we did. There was a bit of sprinkling before we set out, but most of the trip was scattered clouds and cool. As we were leaving there was some awesome thunderstorm activity around us as well. If you are planning to float it might be good to choose a warmer day as there were sections that were shady and cold, especially after we got wet in the rapids.

Facilities/signage:
We came in a back entrance from the town of Moose instead of the main entrance from Jackson, and the entrance sign wasn't amazing, but once we were in the park on the main roads the signage was high quality. The bathrooms were stocked, and even had hand sanitizer at both the boat pullouts we stopped at.

Floating experience:
Since we didn't hike, we will be doing the floating experience instead for this section. The river is cool, clear, and fast moving. The parts we were on were fairly tame, with little to no white water (any whitecaps could be avoided with some strategic paddling) but still opportunities for some fun current play. If you choose to float this section you will definitely get a good overview of the park's diversity. Everything from mountain views, to forested areas to grassy plains could be seen from the kayak. Unless you are wanting a more aggressive experience I highly recommend this portion of the river. Expect it to take about 3 hours unless you want to paddle the whole way.

Driving experience:
The driving experience was all about the views of the Tetons. They dominate the western view of the park and there are many pullouts that allow for great picture opportunities. If you head north past the Moran junction you will have to go through a 2nd park entrance and watercraft check (assuming you have a watercraft). There are also wildlife like buffalo and pronghorn that can often be seen from the road. In fact, we saw a heard of buffalo, which the people in Yellowstone would have absolutely stopped traffic for. We also saw a bear! Sadly we didn't have time to park and get pictures before he decided to descend from his tree perch because he had somewhere better to be. Aww :(.

Camping options:
There are of course campgrounds in the park that you can pay for. We, being retired, have very little income, so we decided to stay for free at a curbside location in the town of Ashton. On the other side of the park we drove to Nebraska (through 2 awesome thunderstroms!) and found a gravel lot outside a motel. And we slept.

Hammockability:
We passed a lot of potential hammock locations, and a lot of potential bear habitat... sooo... there's that. Hammock at your own risk!

Scenery:
The Tetons really are majestic looking mountains. They are beautiful, and because they are surrounded by a lot open space their stark mountain-ness is set off in an amazing way. Also, the river provides so many picturesque views not only of the mountain, but of the other habitats in the park as well.

Nearby food:
There are several food locations in the park, as well as the town of Jackson Hole just to the south towards the towns of Moose and WILSON!!! (Paul may be a little bit biased...)

The Tetons are definitely beautiful. I would say if I were to go back I would do the river float trip again. It offered such a good overview of the park beauty in a way that was fun and low stress (worth the $25 for permits I feel). Even though it was a bit cool it wasn't uncomfortable, I would recommend it to anyone who is headed there!

Next stop, Wind Cave NP in South Dakota (with a brief stop in Nebraska...)