Grand Teton National Park - Colter Bay Campground

[Covering Wed 9/8 thru Fri morning 9/10]

We arrived at the String Lake trailhead parking lot a few minutes after 8am and, as the ranger had predicted, we got one of the last available parking spots. It was about 38 degrees and slightly overcast as we hit the trail for the hike around the north end of Jenny Lake, eventually picking up the Cascade Canyon Trail to Lake Solitude. It's roughly 9 miles from the parking lot to Lake Solitude - and mostly uphill. We had decided we'd go as far as we felt we could handle and, if necessary, turn back before the lake. Yeah, right... We're doing the whole thing!

String Lake trailhead, 8:30am, 38 degrees; start of a long day of hiking

The first portion of the hike was beautiful, with great views of the morning light on Jenny Lake. We hardly saw another hiker and were on the alert for animal sightings, with my trusty canister of bear spray latched to my pack! We got to the Cascade Trailhead, next to the boat landing, just before 9am. Would have been at least an hour later - and hit the trail with 30+ other people - if we had taken the boat. Right choice, even though it added 3.5 total miles to the hike.

Sun coming up over Jenny Lake

We hiked to Hidden Falls, then continued on to Inspiration Point, before setting out on the Cascade Canyon Trail. From the start, we both felt it was one of the more beautiful trails we've hiked, as we passed through dense forests, open meadows, giant boulder fields and more, alongside a number of streams and rivers, all in the morning shadow of Grand Teton. After about 4 miles (total), we saw a moose about 40 yards off the trail, munching on the tall grass. He was rather inconsiderate in that he never turned around to pose for a photo, though we do have several nice shots of his butt!

Inspiration Point

Moose butt

After about 6 miles of gentle uphill, we passed a junction where we turned slightly north and started to climb more aggressively. I have to say, the last 2 miles up to the lake were a slog, but we pressed on - and were we glad we did! Lake Solitude sits at the basin of a slide area, with a rocky slope on one side and a delightful meadow on the other. The lake is fed from glacier melt that streams down the rocks. 

Getting close to the top

Lake Solitude

We walked part-way around the meadow side until we found a quiet spot to sit, take our boots off and relax. We both eventually worked up the nerve for a quick take-your-breath-away plunge in the freezing water. It felt so good, especially after the 9mi uphill hike. We dried in the sun over peanut butter and honey sandwiches, then packed up and started the journey back down. 

The initial, steeper descent was tough but the trail got easier once it leveled off a bit. We made great time - partly due to gravity and partly due to our desire to get off our feet. We got back to the parking lot shortly after 5pm - 9 hours and 18 miles after starting out - exhausted and exhilarated from another amazing adventure. We took a quick dip in String Lake to cool off and wash off some of the trail dust before heading to our campsite at Colter Bay. 

We had hoped for cell coverage in the campsite (something that's been difficult to come by) but had no signal, so we drove a few miles back down the road to Jackson Lake Lodge (and its 3 bars of Verizon coverage) to dial into my weekly Zoom call with my siblings! We said goodbye after about 25 minutes, drove back to camp, quickly got setup, made dinner, started a fire and enjoyed a lovely fireside dinner of chicken and rice with black beans and corn. So good. In bed around 10. We both slept very well.

Thursday we decided to take it easier, driving through the park to some of the sites we had missed or passed - Oxbow Bend, Snake River Overlook, Cunningham Cabin, and a stroll along Jenny Lake. 

Grand Teton from Oxbow Bend

Snake River Overlook - where Ansel Adams' snapped his famous Teton photo

Leisurely walk along Jenny Lake

Early afternoon, we stopped at Signal Mountain Lodge where we took a walk along the edge of the the lake/reservoir, which was about 35ft below its normal depth. It was sunny and hot, so we found a spot for a quick swim to cool off before heading back. 

Shore of Jackson Lake near Signal Mountain Lodge

Next stop was Jackson Lake Lodge, where we decided to grab a cocktail on their outdoor patio and surf the 3 bars of cell signal (me working on the blog, Karri sorting through photos). The place started to fill up with folks coming to watch the sunset so we decided to stick around and have dinner (and another cocktail) and enjoy the view. 

Sunset over the Tetons from Jackson Lake Lodge

15min drive back to camp for a campfire before heading to bed around 10. Up early for the drive to Yellowstone. Expect very infrequent cell coverage for the next several days, so may be even slower to post our next update.

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!