r/GrandTetonNatlPark

Don’t fly into JH, fly into SLC and drive the 5 hours up to Jackson!

Flights are cheaper and rental cars are way cheaper. Plus it’s a scenic drive, and there are various routes so you can go a different way driving back to SLC. I mentioned this to someone recently on this Reddit and they said they were gonna save like $1,000!

Obviously the downside is the inconvenience and travel time. But after paying through the nose for a couple years going from MA to a dude ranch near Jackson, we switched and never looked back.

Hi all!!

Planning to be there all next week and wondering if any of the lower elevation climbs will be dry? Looking at symmetry spire and albright as options.

We will have ski touring gear and climbing gear with us but with the weather looks like maybe will be too warm to safely ski? What are some other options?

I am flying into Salt Lake City and renting a car to drive up to GTNP. We will visit Jackson.

What route do you recommend for the drive to make it scenic and enjoyable?

Hi there! Planning on being in Grand Tetons in from May 8 to May 10th and since it is super early in the season wanted to pick all your brains about “must-do’s” in terms of hikes, wildlife spotting, activities and stay options.

Here are the things I am considering:-

1. Toggard Lake hike
2. Jenny Lake /String Lake (although the boat tour will be closed and the road to Jenny lake currently shows as "Travel Impacted" so not sure what that means)
3. Oxbow bend
4. Moose Wilson Road (wildlife)

Would love to maximize views, wildlife viewing and easier hikes. Excited to hear your recommendations!

Have a trip planned for the first week of June. What can I expect weather wise? How will the trails be, I plan on hitting cascade canyon and Taggart/Bradley lake. Anything specific I should be packing?

Hi everyone, I just wanted to reach out as someone from the east coast with very little access to National Parks. The concept of the reservation camping permit system is a little outside my comprehension, and in truth the available resources I'm seeing aren't really making it much easier.

I want to find availability for each of the major hiking loops, but the permit availability page is yielding information I don't quite understand. I know roughly when I'd like to attend and pretty much what I want to do (the longest trip I can manage), but the "Starting Zone" selections are a little obtuse to me. I'm perusing the maps that the NPS has to see if I can find the listed locations and in a couple cases I know what they're referencing (at least kind of, what exactly does "Jackson Lake" mean? The whole thing?) but if I'm trying to do a specific multi night hike I don't really know what starting zone I should be selecting and how many of these permits I need to be reserving. One for each date I'm out there?

I've found some resources online about the other stuff I need to be keeping in mind before going, but it's pretty obvious to me the most important thing is securing a permit before I go out there because I want to make the most of the very rare opportunity I'll have to travel this far west and actually backcountry camp. My plan was to do this for late May (yes you have permission to yell at me about this being impossible at this stage) but I just want to know how to parse this to figure out whether it is indeed impossible and then how I should change my plans if needed.

Thanks guys!

I'll be in the park for 2 nights. I'm only able to get a Colter Bay cabin for the first night, and then for the second night, it looks like a Signal Mountain cabin (without view) would cost close to the same as staying in Jackson.(Signal Mountain is not available for two consecutive nights.). I'll be heading back home, which is South, after the second night, which made staying in Jackson seem practical, if it weren't for the cost. Which option would you choose if you were in my shoes? TIA- I really appreciate this community. Planning this trip has been complicated!

Edited to add- a 3rd option is Headwaters- it has both nights available, and there is even a “deluxe” cabin available that overlooks the Snake River Valley.

I (56F) will be visiting Yellowstone and GTNP with my husband (60) and two adult sons. Unfortunately, none of us are in great shape so I'm not sure how long of a hike we can feasibly do. As I decide how to divide the time between the two parks, my questions is- is GTNP not a great park to visit if you can't do long hikes?

-What would be the best plan to maximize our stay during this period of time without a car?

-My friend and I are under 21 so we can’t rent a car. I know hitchhiking is an option but It’s not safe and reliable to count on hitchhiking everywhere we go right?

How are the public transportation and busses like? Worst case we can find taxi and Ubers, but how available are they?

We are heading to Grand Teton at the end of June this year. For our hiking day we want to do Cascade Canyon up to Lake Solitude. Had a couple questions I was hoping you fine folks could help out with.

1. Is finding parking at Jenny Lake relatively easy or would you recommend getting there extremely early? We want to start the hike early anyways but double checking on when the parking usually fills up.

2. Do you recommend taking the ferry across Jenny Lake or add that to the hike? If so, should we take it on the way there or the way back?

3. Is the hike usually doable end of June? What sort of gear would you recommend if there is still snowpack?

4. Is “floating” on the lake allowable, assuming it’s not still frozen? I’ve always wanted to bring a blow up tube and float around on an alpine lake so figured I could take the opportunity. 😊

Appreciate the help!

Any locals want to chime in about the recent snow? How long you think it’ll be on the roads? Just drove in from Minnesota and in town outside of Jackson. Wondering if it would be fine to drive down there tomorrow?