In August/September of 2022, Teddy and I did a 13-day road trip through Idaho, Montana, South Dakota, North Dakota, and Wyoming. We spent our second and most of our third day of the trip in the Tetons. It was magical. I’d been to the Tetons before when I was in High School with my dad and brother but most of what we did was scenic overlooks. This trip Teddy and I got to do more exploring of the park and we both absolutely loved our time here. Below you’ll find some of our suggestions on how to spend your time as well as what we want to do on our next visit.
Mormon Row
This is one of the most popular spots for sunrise, and when you get there, it’s clear why. The sun rises behind you and reflects beautiful morning colors over the historic Mormon barns.
Snake River Overlook
This spot was made famous by Ansel Adams and has a beautiful view of the mountains and the Snake River.
Oxbend Bow
Oxbend Bow has a variety of wildlife you can see from the pull-off. We were able to see bald eagles as well as pelicans from this spot.
Schwabacher Landing
This is another beautiful spot for sunrise and happens to be our favorite. While it’s popular among photographers, it also is just so peaceful. When we got there, we were about the 3rd car in the parking lot and arrive about 45 minutes before sunrise. I scouted locations while Teddy setup and we were blessed with the most incredible coloring on the mountains. Highly recommend this spot if you only have 1 morning in the Tetons for sunrise.
Hidden Falls Trail
This is a pretty unique trail. You can either hike a few miles around Jenny lake to get to the trailhead, or you can take a boat to the other side to start. We opted for the boat option and I have never taken a boat to start out a hike before. It’s about 2 miles roundtrip to the falls. If you continue on, you can get to Inspiration Point which gives you a view of the lake. We had initially planned to do this but the trail was so busy we decided not to continue on and head back into town for lunch.
Leigh Lake Trail
This was our favorite hike in the park. If you go the entire way, it’s about 7 miles round trip. We did about 4 miles roundtrip and it was just so magical. There were so many less people than our hike at Hidden Falls that morning. We got to see people on horseback, and kayakers on the lakes, and only passed a few people on the trail. This was one of my favorite spots of our entire 13 day trip.
Colter Bay
This is on the more northern side of the park. We stayed in the cabins here overnight and were able to enjoy views of the forest and lake nearby. It was a basic cabin but had everything we needed for a night’s stay.
Mural Room
If you’re looking for a nicer spot for dinner, check out the Mural Room in the Jackson Lake Lodge. Especially at sunset, you can get beautiful views of the sun setting behind the Tetons and the colors in the sky.
Downtown Jackson
- Cowboy Coffee Co – It may be a long line but I loved their coffee and breakfast sandwiches.
- Million Dollar Cowboy Bar – This is a famous stop. We didn’t go this time since we had dinner
- Farmer’s Market – We were lucky enough to be in town during the market and had so much fun walking around the vendors. We got some Huckleberry Cobbler, cookies, and admired the various pastries, breads, and other foods being sold.
- Cutty’s – A Philly style laid back restaurant where we had lunch when in town.
Next Time
- Paintbrush Canyon or Cascade Canyon (or both)
- Taggart Lake
- Inspiration Point
