10 Hours in Grand Teton National Park

It was a pretty great time.

I got the opportunity to truck up to Grand Teton National Park after missing out on the chance in 2018 – and man, I am glad I finally got to see it! It’s absolutely stunning, to stay the least. The photos I got here were pretty darn good, and I’m happy that my skills were hardened by two more years!

Mercedes and I drove up early so we were at the Park entrance by around 9:30-10:00am, and that’s the way to do it right now. With coronavirus restrictions still in place as of the end of May, we weren’t able to camp there, so driving in and out was the best way to go.

We arrived at the trailhead after buying a national parks pass, which I one-hundred percent recommend if you think you’ll use it to at least two parks, three times. Living in Utah definitely requires it!

the weather really could not have been better. It was a moderate temperature for most of the day, with the high getting to about 62 degrees, and the low being roughly high 40s, low 50s. Pants and long sleeves are a good idea if you’re hiking in the morning, but make sure to bring layers. I switched to a short sleeve shirt halfway through the morning hike and it was comfortable, weather-wise. If you want more information on this hike, see my blog about the Taggart Lake and Bradley Lake loop!

After the hike, we took a bit of a drive through to recover and also see Tetons from a distance. We stopped at most of the rest stops along the way to get out and see the mountains, and to take pictures, of course. We were on our way to Cunningham Cabin to check it out, and it’s definitely worth it. It’s a small cabin off the beaten path and it’s not as popular as Mormon Row, so it was quiet.

We went in the early afternoon, so the light on the mountains wasn’t great. I did manage to get a couple shots but they weren’t great. The best times, I’m told, are in the morning and at sunset, so I’ll need to go at one of those times in order to capture better photos. And hey, I’m only a couple hours from Tetons anyways, so yeah, why not…next weekend!?

Finally, we were about to leave and decided to drive north, passing tons of bison (but we called them buffalo…because everyone does, right!?). We stopped and stared for a bit, and pretty quickly decided that Yellowstone National Park actually isn’t too far away, so we drove north and found our way through the gates of Yellowstone! We didn’t last too long, since we needed to drive home and it was nearly 7pm, so we grabbed a quick picture, answered the call of nature, and high-heeled it back!

Along the way back, I captured these photos – I’ll let them speak for themselves…

We got back to Bear Lake exhausted, tired, and exhausted. It was a pretty intense day of driving, but totally worth it if you’re close enough!

Until next time, Tetons! And there will be a next time…

Parting shot:

Next blog: Tetons pt. 2 or Salt Lake? It’ll be on or the other, but you’ll have to wait and see.