Grand Teton National Park

Coulter Bay

On a wet Thursday morning we headed south for the short drive to Grand Teton NP. There is a considerable drop in elevation on the drive and to our surprise all of a sudden autumn was in full swing. We pulled into the Colter Bay campground and found a spot, thankfully the campgrounds in Grand Teton rarely fill up, unlike it’s northern NP neighbor That afternoon the rain eased enough to allow a walk around the Lakeshore Trail. We enjoyed the stunning autumn colours and ever changing views of the Teton Range of mountains.

Bit of journal writing

No shortage of wildlife

Cheeky fox

The weather improved the next day, so it was time for a longer walk out to Heron Pond and Swan Lake. As we were getting ready to leave our camp spot a red fox very casually walked through our camp. At Heron Pond we sat and watched three squirrels playing, chasing each other up and down a number of trees. We enjoyed clearer views of the mountains, anticipating the clear weather forecast for the next day.

Even cheekier chipmunks

Cheeky monkey

Still in grizzly country with (unused) bear spray.

Grand Teton

Day three we drove south to Jenny Lake. On the way we were continuously stunned by the autumn colours and mountain views. At Jenny Lake we jumped on a boat for the short ride across to the other side and walked the most popular trail in the park to Inspiration Point. It’s only a mile and 500ft elevation gain to the point, easy with current fitness levels. We continued up Cascade Canyon, leaving 90% of the crowd behind as typically most people never venture more than a mile anywhere on foot in NPs. The canyon has Grand Teton (13,770ft) on the south side and Mount St John (11,430ft) on the north side. We went four miles up the canyon, enjoying one of the finest walks yet. The walk is in the top 16 in our NP guide book, we have now done 9 of these.

Rob is getting artistic

Gorgeous Symi - happy to be getting a ride

Small house in Morman Row - old dwellings - nice view!

That evening we camped at Gros Ventre campground surrounded by Cottonwood trees in their full autumn colour. Fiona had a lovely chat with her parents on facetime while sitting watching the trees in the evening light. It amazes us how on this trip we have been able to sit in the middle of a national park and chat. It is a far cry from travelling years ago when a phone call home could take a couple of hours and cost a small fortune.

The next morning we drove the short distance to Jackson, Wyoming. Evidently there are famous people who have their homes here.