Grand Teton National Park… Beyond Grand
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Welcome to Grand Teton National Park
The transition in landscape from Yellowstone National Park to Grand Teton is dramatic. From geysers and fumaroles, we entered an alpine wonderland with forests, expansive sagebrush flats, wet, lush meadows, and innumerable lakes and ponds. The Teton Range is considered one of the youngest mountain ranges in the world… rugged, ragged, and majestic.
According to the US Park Service site, “Grand Teton National Park took decades to establish. Congress created the original park in 1929 to protect the Teton Range and several lakes at the foot of the mountains. In 1943, Franklin D. Roosevelt declared additional land in the valley to be Jackson Hole National Monument. In 1949, John D. Rockefeller, Jr. donated the land he purchased to the government to be included in the national park. Finally, in 1950, Congress combined the original park, the national monument, and the Rockefeller lands to establish present-day Grand Teton National Park. In 1972, Congress established the John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Memorial Parkway, which connects Yellowstone and Grand Teton.”
Once again, we were required to have reservations. We lucked out, however, and were able to get last-minute reservations for two nights just a few days in advance at the Colter Bay Village Campground. We arrived late at our site on a cold, raw, rainy afternoon. The sun came out only long enough for us to cook something on the propane stove. I wore my parka to cook, then we scampered (well, it wasn’t exactly a scamper, but… ) back into the warmth of Blanche to eat dinner. Only the scurry of chipmunks and squirrels seemed oblivious to the weather as they chattered and dashed about looking to fill their winter’s larder.
We read, we wrote, and realized we had cell coverage good enough to watch a movie! What a luxury! David spent a bit of time working out the rest of our itinerary which includes more national parks along the way. Hooray! When we checked outside at 8 pm, the temperature was around freezing and it was snowing again. We’re beginning to think it might be time to get serious about heading back south.
Colter Bay Campground is nice enough with a picnic table, fire ring, and an unheated toilet block with flush toilets, very cold water (brrr!), and an anemic hand dryer for $50/night - $25 with senior pass. The sites are not level which was a bit of an issue as we don’t carry leveler blocks, but we managed.
The campground is within walking distance of Colter Bay Village which is a pretty elaborate complex. We walked to the village the next morning to check out the facilities which include shops, restaurants, the Visitor Center, a small, but surprisingly well-stocked grocery store, a laundromat, and hot showers. Things weren’t cheap, but everything was available.
We checked out the Visitor Center, picked up some trail maps, then took a walk down to the Leeks Marina and onto the Lakeshore Trail for views of Jackson Lake, then headed out in Blanche to explore the park.
View of Jackson Lake from the Lakeshore Trail
The sun played hide and seek all day and photo opps were few and far between due to the clouds. We drove the Jenny Lake Loop and were not impressed. It was crowded with lots of slow-moving traffic and limited views. We walked along the lake shore for a couple of miles and finally headed back to Coulter Bay. We took advantage of the hot showers ($5.00/pp/10 minutes), cooked dinner, and retired into Blanche for a quiet evening.
We were up early, but in spite of our best intentions couldn’t get going till after 0800. It was cold, raw and overcast once again (34F/ 1C). We had lots of chores to attend to. We checked out of the campground and while I did two loads of laundry ($8.50/load/wash & dry) at the laundromat, David gassed up Blanche and filled the diesel heater tank. We checked out GasBuddy before filling up and surprisingly, the gas at Coulter Bay was cheaper than the gas in Jackson Hole. He also managed to find two of the flakiest, most scrumptious turnovers for breakfast. Chores complete, appetite satisfied, we headed out to continue our exploration of the park.
At the Jackson Dam, we were surprised to see American white pelicans flying overhead and floating on the water.
As we drove, the sky began to clear. Long overdue blue skies prevailed. The overlooks and pull-outs along the route provided lots of opportunities for breathtaking vistas enhanced by the autumn colors.
Mount Moran with autumn colors
The Willow Flats Overlook in particular offered stunning views of Grand Teton, so very dramatic as the flat, high country prairie abruptly changed to rugged peaks. Signs pointed out that the glaciers on Grand Teton and the nearby mountains were slowly diminishing.
Willow Flats Overlook - David climbed the hill opposite the overlook to get the best shots.
What a difference a day makes. With clear, sunny skies the views were absolutely spectacular. The Snake River, named for its serpentine course, runs through the park. We stopped at the oxbow of the Snake for photos.
The oxbow of the Snake River
Though the mountains stole the show, we were impressed by the late-blooming wildflowers, especially musk thistle and tansy, and the simple beauty of the traditional buck rail fences.
Neon pink Musk thistle
Tansy hugging a traditional western buck rail fence
The Tetons have always inspired artists. Thomas Moran painted watercolors and oils in the late 19th century.
Among other places, Moran’s works are displayed at the MET, the Smithsonians, as well at the White House.
Ansel Adams was hired by the National Park Service in the early 1940s to photograph the beauty and splendor of the park.
Ansel Adams was commissioned by the National Park Service to photograph the splendor of the Tetons.
We continued on to Mormon Row, where a small group of Mormons settled in the late 1890s. According to the NPS, the settlement is “significant for its history, vernacular architecture, and landscape architecture from 1908 to 1950.”
Folks in period costumes gave demonstrations and answered questions about life in the settlement.
We walked past the historic houses and farm buildings. Two picturesque barns with a backdrop of the Tetons are the most photogenic in the complex. The Andy Chambers homestead is one of the most historic. “Chambers claimed land in 1912 and secured the title under the Homestead Act by building a log cabin and stable and clearing ground to grow grain, a backbreaking chore in the rocky soil.”
Andy Chambers’ iconic gable-with-shed style Barn
A dirt road took us past the Moulton Homestead. The ‘pink’ house looks rather out of place, but there’s a good story behind it. “While John’s wife, Bartha was in the hospital, John wanted to do something special to commemorate her homecoming. He knew that she had wanted to repaint the house, and due to a small mix-up, chose the salmon pink color. When Bartha came home, she despised the color but so loved the sentiment behind it, that it was never changed.”
John Moulton’s barn, unlike the pink house, is a beauty.
Moulton’s Barn
There was much more to see and do in the park, but time, as always, was slipping away from us. We headed out of the park and stopped briefly in Jackson Hole to admire the iconic antler arches in the town park. Like Aspen and Vail, Jackson Hole is crowded and expensive. High-end stores interspersed with ‘western saloons’, restaurants, and souvenir shops dominated the commercial offerings. We stopped for an ice cream cone and gave it a pass upon discovering a small cone was $7.15.
An antler arch adorns each of four entrances to Jackson Hole’s town square
We did get a kick out of the bronze statues of famous people that line one of the town’s boardwalks.
We headed out on US-189, a scenic byway, heading for Rock Springs where a Walmart parking lot would suffice for the night’s stay.
Next stop? Craig, Colorado for a quick visit with David’s sister, Karen, and then on to Moab, Utah and a full moon at Arches National Park.