Jackson Hole, WY and Grand Teton National Park

[Mon 9/6 thru Wed 9/8 - We'll be spending 4 nights in/near Grand Teton NP. This post covers the first two, while we stayed in Jackson Hole]

The drive from Alpine North to Jackson Hole was quick (30min), easy and pretty - winding alongside the Snake River. We found a great bagel shop, Pearl Street Bagels, for an easy breakfast.

Bagel, coffee and morning sunshine

After breakfast, we headed to the Moose Junction Visitor Center entrance to Grand Teton park. Checked out the very nice visitor center, then changed clothes, unloaded the bikes and started riding along a lovely paved bike path through the park. We rode 8 miles to Jenny Lake, enjoying spectacular mountain views the entire way. We locked the bikes and wandered around the south side of the lake a bit. Our plan for Wed morning was to ride a shuttle boat across the lake to the Cascade Canyon trailhead. Fortunately, we stopped by the boat dock to check hours of operation - after Labor Day they reduce hours and don't open until 10am, too late for our plans. We stopped at the visitor center where a ranger recommended starting at the String Lake trailhead instead - as long as we arrive by 8am to get a parking spot.

Start of the ride to Jenny Lake

We got back on the bikes and started riding the trail back. We stopped about halfway back at the Taggart Lake trailhead and set out on a ~4mi loop, with a decent climb up to a beautiful, wooded lake. We were hot and tired and so decided to take a quick dip. It was icy cold but so refreshing - a great call. We continued on the loop, descending through a beautiful forest and back to the trailhead where we hopped back on the bikes and rode the last 4 miles back to the car. 

Start of Taggart Lake loop

All smiles after a refreshing dip!

Back on the trail - middle peak is Grand Teton

We have 5 consecutive nights of camping coming up in Grand Teton and Yellowstone, so had decided to splurge a little and stay at Huff House Inn in Jackson Hole for a couple nights. We checked in around 5, took a quick shower, then hit the outdoor hot tub, before walking into town to find some dinner. The streets were busy and most places had long waits for a table. We checked a few spots before finding two open bar seats at the highly-rated Snake River Grill - another splurge, but oh-so-good. After dinner, we wandered town a bit before heading back to the inn for a great night of sleep.

Up around 7:45am for a nice breakfast at the inn. Relaxed in our room for a bit before driving out to take in some more sights on an, unfortunately, smokey morning. We headed to Schwabacher Landing - a beautiful, quiet spot along the Snake River, and then to Snake River Overlook, where it was difficult to make out the mountains through the forest fire smoke. 

Smoky Tetons from Schwabacher Landing

We had purchased tickets to ride the gondola at Teton Village on the west side of the mountains and wondered whether it would be worth it in the smoke, but decided to give it a try anyway. We drove the ~30min to the ski resort and took the Bridger Gondola up to about 9,000ft. Karri had read that the restaurant in the roundhouse at the top of the gondola was famous for waffles. We arrived around lunchtime and decided to order a couple slices of pizza and (when in Rome...) the Gateway Waffle - a waffle sandwich made with peanut butter and bacon. Mmmm. I can't believe it took me 55 years to discover this culinary delight!

Bridger Gondola

Carb-loading at 9,000ft (with the smokey Tetons in the distance)!

After lunch, we decided we should probably burn some calories, so headed out on the 2-mile long Casper Ridge loop, with a steep (tough) climb from the roundhouse. There were several viewpoints that would have provided amazing views of the Tetons, but we could barely make them out through the smoke - another sad reminder of the fires burning throughout the west. Despite the smoke, the trail was beautiful and a surprisingly challenging workout. 

Smoke-shrouded Tetons in the distance

We got back to the roundhouse, took the gondola back down and headed to the car. We were anxious to get back to the inn and then take care of a few necessary tasks - laundry, grocery shopping, and a car wash (to get rid of accumulated dead bugs and sap). We finished our chores and got back to our room around 7. Decided to order takeout, Annie's Thai Kitchen (highly recommend), which we enjoyed on the patio with a cocktail.

Thai and manhattans on the patio

Early to bed for an early departure in the morning. We had requested grab-and-go breakfast so we could get an early start and make it to the String Lake trailhead by 8am. Up at 7, checked out and on the road at 7:30 with a long day of hiking ahead of us!