The Ultimate guide to Grand Teton National Park & Jackson Wyoming

Grand Teton National Park

This iconic national park is one of the most popular parks in the entire country. Bringing in close to 2 million visitors every year, the Tetons are well known for their unparalleled views and stunning wildlife scenery. There is truly no where like it on earth and is an experience I would recommend to anyone who is considering it. Grand Teton National Park can easily accommodate any type of traveler, with a multitude of things to do during each season. The hikes are some of the most popular in the entire country, but there are magazine worthy views that are only steps away from parking lots and visitors centers as well. If you want a national park that has every thing from a busy downtown, natural hot springs, world known hikes, bison and moose viewing, iconic bars, and some of the prettiest views you will ever see, Grand Teton National Park needs to be next on your bucket list.

What time of the year should I go? – Preparing for the park

If you’re preparing for your trip to Grand Teton National Park the first thing I recommend is being prepared for any change of weather. We specifically chose our trip around the less busy season of the year and went in May. We definitely don’t regret our decision but we also knew to prepare for any sort of weather. May is a very unpredictable month in which days can range from 30 degrees to the mid 60’s. We were extremely lucky in the fact that within our trip we experienced chilly nights, and cold mornings, but by early lunchtime we were sweating and had to shed some layers. (Bring sunscreen even if it’s 30 degrees out I got sunburnt in early May). You also need to consider what you are coming to the park for. Are you someone who is coming for the scenic views? Are you coming for the more strenuous hikes? Are you solely here for food and downtown Jackson Hole? These all play a key part in choosing how you prepare for your vacation. Personally we came for some small hikes as well as the beautiful scenic drives nearby.

The leisurely vacationer

If you are more of a leisurely vacationer, you could truly come at any time of the year. But May and October would ideally be what would fit your needs best. May and October are considered more of the off season months. This means, usually, this time of the year all roads are normally accessible at this point, and you can take the scenic drives no matter the weather. It also isn’t too hot or cold during these months to enjoy getting out and taking a short hike or two, or meander around some of the beautiful scenic spots. A few things to consider when coming in an off season month would be a possibility of some things being closed throughout the park such as restaurants. There also was a slight shortage in staff in a few of the restaurants we went to due to less need this time of year, but sometimes this did result in a few service related issues. Personally we went in May and absolutely adored it, the only things we missed out on that we truly wish we could’ve been there for was hiking to Delta Lake, boating across Jenny Lake, and seeing a moose that still had it’s antlers. All of these things weren’t possible due to there still being lots of snow, ice, and the specific time of year.

The more adventurous tourist

If you’re someone who would love to see and do more throughout your vacation especially with hikes, your preferred time of year would likely be June-September. These months are the hottest months of the year and provide the ability to swim at some of the hikes, and wear comfortable attire throughout your stay without having to worry about weather changes. The summer months are definitely more busy so you do have to take into consideration it will likely be more crowded and wait times for things in town will increase. However, there are so many things to do here in the summer like horseback riding at Heart 6 Ranch, visiting the natural Astoria mineral hot springs, or taking a dip at the glacial Delta lake.

Prefer the cold tourist

Now if you’re up for a chilly vacation, Jackson Hole provides the absolute best spot for a winter getaway. Please keep in mind it isn’t just chilly, some winter months it easily gets well below 0 degrees Fahrenheit. If you’re willing to stick out the cold though there are some incredible ways to enjoy the freeze. Jackson Hole has world class skiing that is supported by an abundant snowfall each year of sometimes 465 inches or more. Additionally you can go dog sledding at Jackson Hole Iditarod Sled Dog Tours, take a dip in Astoria Hot Springs, lace up your ice skates at Town Square or Snow King Event Center, or even take a sleigh ride at the National Elk Refuge. If this is your vacation of choice you should consider flying in to Jackson Hole Airport to avoid slick road conditions on your way in, as well as potential road closures.

Top 10 things to see in Grand Teton National Park (and nearby)

1. Mormon Row: located in the southeast part of GTNP sits the beautiful historic district that hosts iconic views of the Teton range. This is one of the most photographed spots in Grand Teton National Park, and makes for the perfect spot to catch a sunrise. The most notable barn to catch the view is at John Moulton barn.

2. Schwabacher Landing: this was one of my absolute favorite spots. Giving you a breathtaking view of the Teton range, that also reflects off of the Snake River that runs trough it. It’s a popular area to spot wildlife and is extremely accessibly for walking or just parking and viewing. I would highly recommend catching a sunrise here as well.

3. Antelope Flats Road: This is prime location for spotting Bison. This spot has a convenient pull off area that has huge flat fields on both sides, giving you beautiful views of the mountains on either side. Bison tend to cross the road frequently in this area as well and we were able to get some incredible shots.

4. Jenny Lake: Located near the Colter Bay Area sits this enormous glacial lake. This spot is very popular especially in the Summer months when you can take a boat ride across the lake, swim in the crystal clear water, or kayak. The lake sits directly up against the mountains and provides a view capturing just how large the mountains truly are. One of the most popular things to do here is catch a boat ride to the other side of the lake and hike to Hidden Falls or Inspiration Point.

5. Jackson Lake Dam: A notable spot for a view directly of the Tetons. There is a whole area you can walk along the dam and sight see and take photos. This is also a beautiful spot for a picnic or afternoon snack.

6. Cunningham Cabin: Known as the early homesteading cabin from the 1800’s, which started as J Pierce Cunningham’s home and was later sold to the Snake River Land Company to become a national recreation area for park expansion. This is also a well known spot for wildlife and a short drive from Antelope Flats.

7. Colter Bay Village: This area has a ton of hiking opportunities, visitors centers, and is also known recently as a primary site where a Sow and her cubs have been spotted throughout the day. With 360 degree views of the enormous Jackson Lake, this area is easy to hike with little elevation and the ability to walk along the lake. The trail I recommend is called the Lakeshore Trail located right behind the Colter Bay Visitor Center.

8. String & Leigh lake: These 2 trails are close together and can be completed by one combined trail. We were only able to access String lake due to the snow but String Lake is a 2 minute walk from the parking lot. There are plenty of places to directly access the water and would be the absolute perfect swimming spot in the Summer months.

9. The Million Dollar Cowboy Bar: Located in the center of downtown Jackson, sits the famous cowboy bar, where your seats are horse saddles, you can experience live music, and line dance all night long. Artists like Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Hank Williams Jr, and many more have performed at this spot. The atmosphere this place provides is unlike any place I’ve visited before. The decor is stunning and you truly feel like you’re in the Wild West when you step in to this bar.

10. Yellowstone: Although this national park may not have been on your bucket list for this trip, it’s only a 1 & 1/2 hour drive from downtown Jackson. You enter the Yellowstone South entrance by driving through Grand Teton National Park so keep in mind you will have to buy the park pass for GTNP as well as Yellowstone National Park. We spent our last day here since it was the first day the South Entrance opened for the season and didn’t want to miss the opportunity. If you’re able, I recommend carving a full day out for this, but if you’re only wanting to see certain areas of the park, we entered the park at 8:30AM and drove out by 3PM. During this time we were able to see Old Faithful, Grand Prismatic Springs, Gibbon Falls, and Upper Falls (also known as the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone). If you’re able to spend more time here I highly recommend going towards the North entrance and seeing Mammoth Springs, then over towards the North East entrance and viewing Lamar Valley which is well known for the best for animal spotting.

5 day itinerary

All of these things listed above were completed during our 5 day visit to the park. I would recommend making a general itinerary including things that are near each other for each day. For example some of these places in the park are an hour away from each other so we categorized the places we wanted to go that were near each other and sectioned them off by day. I will list a short itinerary below with example of how you could complete your agenda.

DAY 1:

• Explore downtown
• Eat somewhere downtown
• Check in to your hotel
• Spend the afternoon at Astoria Mineral Hot Springs

DAY 2:

• Snakeriver Brewing Company
• Get pictures with the famous Antler arches downtown
• Snake River Overlook
• Colter Bay Village (Lakeshore Trail)
• Jackson Lake Dam
• Jenny Lake

DAY 3: (You could substitute this day for a day hiking Delta lake after your sunrise at Mormon Row)

• Sunrise at Mormon Row
• Schwabacher Landing (animals here in early morning hours)
• Teton Point Turnout
• Moose Wilson Road (Moose spotting)
• Million Dollar Cowboy Bar

DAY 4:

• Sunrise at Schwabachers landing
• Kelly Warm Springs
• Cunningham Cabin
• Antelope Flats Road
• Oxbow Bend
• String and Leigh lake
• End the day getting a Huckleberry milkshake from Haagen-Dazs

DAY 5:

• Yellowstone
• (if you want an alternate, go horseback riding at Heart 6 Ranch, and spend your evening at Granite or Astoria Hot Springs)

You truly cannot go wrong with what you choose to do in the Tetons. Every place you go is incredibly scenic and it’s easy to make an entire day just out of driving the Grand Teton National Park loop. It’s also easy to mix and match the above options to your preference as well.

Where to eat?

I will preface by saying I don’t have a ton of recommendations of places to eat. We failed to properly research food options before we went and had quite a hard time finding places to eat that were worth the amount of money you pay for it. I highly recommend looking in to this prior to your visit. Below I’m going to list places we ate and what we thought of them, as well as other places that were recommended to us, but that we were not able to try in time.

• The Bunnery: we ate breakfast here the first day 5/10. The service was great but I personally don’t think the food was worth what you paid.
• Snakebird River Roasting Company: we got coffee here almost every day it was so good. It’s a bit pricey for coffee but almost everything is pricey in Jackson and to us it was worth the price. (an alternative for coffee would be Persephone or Cowboy Coffee Company)
• Sidewinders: This was a typical American Grill style food but there was a variety of food and everything was delicious. 10/10
• Big Hole BBQ: The sides were great, but the BBQ was extremely overdone. The service was wonderful and the environment was fun, but overall 6/10.
• Jackson Drug: I would have ate here every day had we found this sooner. 20/10. The service was incredible, the owners farm raise all the meat, and the food was the best we had our entire trip. You have to try the Bison Burger, add bacon and huckleberry jam. Don’t forget to also try their huckleberry milkshake.
• Silver Dollar Bar: We really wanted to like this place. We may have went on a bad day but the service was not good at all, and the food was also not good at all. If you like carrots in your meatloaf you’ll love it though. We paid close to $70 for meatloaf with 1 side, and a sandwich with 1 beer. 3/10.

Other places we did not go but would have liked to check out:

• The Virginian
• The Bistro
• Yeah Buddy Pizza
• The White Buffalo Club
• Gun Barrel Steak and Game House

Where To Stay:

Like I stated before mostly everything in Jackson Wyoming is on the more expensive side and only increases during the busier Summer months. That being said we stayed during the “off season” in May, at the Antler Inn. We paid roughly $1100 for this for 5 nights. Overall I really enjoyed our stay here especially since it was directly downtown and you could easily walk from Antler Inn to anywhere downtown. The only complaint I have was our A/C did not cool our room down even at the coldest setting so I would consider that if you are staying in the warmer months. However, the staff were incredible and came in each day with new towels and bedding. I would personally stay here again, but there are more expensive options in the downtown area as well. If you’re looking for more comfort along with the ability to stay downtown there are more expensive options such as Snow King Resort , The Lodge at Jackson Hole, Rustic Inn Creekside Resort, or The Virginian Lodge. All of these places have incredible reviews and are within walking distance of downtown.

In hindsite, there are a few things I would have done differently about this trip. I would have absolutely planned for a trip in October so that I could experience every hike without snow, as well as visit some of the more popular restaurants that were closed while we were there, we would’ve also loved to have seen a moose with a full rack (we were there shortly after they had already shedded). Planning for what days you would like to do what is essential to be able to fit everything in that you want to see in do while you’re there. I would recommend research the small details to prevent yourself future trouble such as if restaurants are closed on certain days, road closures, and how long it takes to accomplish things such as hikes or driving distance between stops. Over all, there is no “wrong way” to complete your trip. Every single sight, hike, and scenic spot is breathtaking. Grand Teton National Park will have you wanting to come back for years to come. We met so many kind strangers on this trip that have been coming to the Tetons for years and said it’s impossible to see and explore everything in 1 trip. You can come back for years and years and experience something new every time. My favorite part of the trip was the scenic drives and the amount of friendly people we met. I recommend going in with an open mind, a general itinerary, and plenty of road trip snacks and you’re bound to have the trip of a lifetime. As always leave it better than you found it and enjoy exploring one of the most popular national parks in the country!