Nine Nights in the Grand Tetons

Day 27 - Grant Village Campground to Colter Bay Campground - GRAND TETONS!

• Left: 10:30AM MT
• Arrived Colter Bay Campground Grand Tetons: 12:15PM (Spent 30 minutes in dump station line
• Overall Rating 4/5
• Site O-346: 3/5 
• Gravel pull through, large grass side yard
• Very un-level. Had to use legos & rollers to get level
• No hookups
• Very quiet overnight
• Facilities:
• Bathrooms: 4/5
• Showers: 4/5
• $5 per shower
• Shower curtains instead of doors.
• Great hot water, pressure not too bad. 
• Clean
• Dishwashing station: No, has sink to dump dishwater in but have to wash dishes at site.
• Drinking water: Good!
• Proximity to things to do: 5/5
• Close to lots of hiking & scenic pull outs. Much smaller park than Yellowstone
• Proximity to necessities: 3/5
• 60+ minutes to Jackson, WY
• Dog Amenities: None but large side yard to set up fence
• Road conditions: Wyoming roads are smoother
• Weather: Rain on & off last 3 days. Highs in 50’s, lows in 30’s
• Gas: $5.39! in Grant Village Yellowstone, WY

We took our last free showers at Grant campground after Steve did his Saturday morning run. Then we got all packed, hooked up & headed out to the Grand Teton National Park. We dumped at Grant & that took about 30 minutes waiting for the people ahead of us. We got to Colter Bay Campground by 12:15PM. 

We had site O-346 which is a pull through gravel site & super unlevel. Very similar layout as Cedar Pass Campground where it’s not totally clear where one site begins & where the other one ends. The site does have a good side yard for the pups although it rained on & off all day so we didn’t get anything set up.

We took the dogs for a quick walk then headed to the town of Jackson to get a meal & stock up on groceries. We had a late lunch / early dinner at Hand Fire Pizza in the old Teton theater. We both got a 12” pizza & split an IPA. Both were pretty good. We each took half of our pizzas home.  Afterwards we went to Albertson’s. We ended up spending $150 on groceries. Still cheaper than eating out every meal. 

On our way back to camp we stopped at Schwabacher Landing to check out the famous sunrise location & to take some moody shots of the Tetons over the river. We got back to camp shortly before 7PM. Sammie did a small duty & of course I stepped in it. Got that cleaned up, groceries unpacked & then called it a night. 

Schwabacher Landing

Day 28 - Day 30 - Colter Bay Campground

Sunday:  Up around 6AM. Took an easy day around Colter Bay Village. Made omelets for breakfast since we restocked with all the makings yesterday which were pretty tasty!  Took the dogs for a walk around the loop then went to the Colter Bay Visitor Center for our stamps. We took a walk around the lake before heading back to camp for lunch.  

After lunch we took the Lake trail from our campground loop down to the lake. Saw lots of water fowl. We eventually made our way to the General Store for Huckleberry Cheesecake ice cream. Every general store has a different flavor. Once back at camp Sammie & I hung out outside.

We made soup for dinner than walked back to the lake to watch the sunset. It was pretty cloudy but there was still some good color over the mountains. 

Sunset

Jackson Lake Lowered for the Season

Monday: Again up at 6AM. We walked to lake again to watch the sunrise but it was too foggy. I suspect that may be the case every morning here since the lows are in the 30’s but the lake temp is still pretty warm comparatively so. 

Sunday PM

Monday AM

Back at camp we made oatmeal then took the dogs for another walk before heading out to explore.  It was still foggy at 9AM but it was calling for a sunny day so figured it had to burn off eventually.  Our first stop was Jackson Lake Dam. Still really foggy but got a nice shot over the river opposite of the dam.

Our next stop was Signal Mountain (~7700 ft elevation). Fog was still around driving up but eventually we got high enough that the sun was out. The top afforded some nice views of the Jackson Hole valley & the surrounding mountains.  By the time we drove down the fog was all burned off. 

We then made three quick stops at Mount Moran, Mountain View & Cathedral Mountains. All had lovely views of the Teton range.  Our final stop for the day was String Lake. Here we hiked close to 4 miles along String & Leigh lakes. These are glacier fed lakes & so clear & beautiful.  Along the way we saw two open water swimmers in Leigh Lake. I tested the water temp & it was cold! They had wetsuits on but it still had to be pretty cold for them. The views of the lake & mountains were spectacular and bonus, it smelled like Christmas!  We finished the Jenny Lake loop drive than headed back to camp. When we turned back to camp we could see the line of cars parked along the road at 2PM for Jenny Lake. We will try to go early one morning. 

Leigh Lake

Tuesday: We were on the road before 7AM to Jenny Lake.  Made a quick stop at Willow Flats Overlook to catch the sunrise. The fog was lower today & the tops of the mountains was clear. Nice pink on the mountains just before sunrise. We saw several Elk & one buck.

We then headed to Jenny Lake. Arrived around 7:45AM with plenty of parking spaces. We decided to hike up to Hidden Falls. The hike up to the falls was lovely & peaceful. Just before we arrived the Ferry boats started arriving with loads of people. We stopped at the falls for a couple of minutes then decided to go on a little further to Inspiration Point for some more spectacular views. We took the trail along the lake back to the Visitor center. So many people, LOL. Total hike was about 6.5 miles & 1,000 feet of climbing. Tired legs! 

Hidden Falls

So many people!

I love this tree so much!

We went back to the truck to make PB&J’s then headed to the Visitor Center for our stamps. All of the Teton Visitor Centers are out of the collector coins. I grabbed a coffee at the store & an ornament. The weather was partly sunny in the morning but clouds moved in with a raw chill in the air. 

We got back to camp around 1PM & had to do some Sammie cleaning.  Steve built a fire while I got the camper cleaned up. Being small means it doesn’t take long. Finished my coffee & had some tea by the fire. Around 3PM it started raining so we moved inside. Made some soup & rice since it sounded good which it was. Spent the rest of day in the camper catching up with photos, etc.

Day 31 - Colter Bay Campground To Gros Ventre Campground - GRAND TETONS!

• Left: 9:00AM
• Arrived: 11:15AM
• Overall Rating 4/5
• Site C-143: 3/5 
• Asphalt site. Back in. Side yard faces the road so no privacy
• No hookups, flush toilets
• Very quiet overnight
• Facilities:
• Bathrooms: 4/5
• Showers: NA
• Closest showers are in Jackson
• Dishwashing station: No, has sink to dump dishwater in but have to wash dishes at site.
• Drinking water: Unknown at campground. Refilled gallons at Albertsons.
• Proximity to things to do: 5/5
• Close to lots of hiking & scenic pull outs. Much smaller park than Yellowstone
• Proximity to necessities: 5/5
• ~15 minutes to Jackson, WY
• Dog Amenities: None, not much room for Sammie to walk around either
• Road conditions: Wyoming roads are smoother
• Weather: Rain in morning, sunny in afternoon, high close to 70F
• Gas: NA

Rainy morning so hooking up was wet. We took showers early than got all hooked up. The bull nose hitch is a PITA. It has to be perfectly aligned to get it to latch. Stopped at dump station to dump grey tank & fill up the fresh water tank before leaving. 

We had a couple hours to kill so stopped at Jackson Inn to check it out. They have a great lobby with huge windows which would be a great view if it wasn’t so cloudy. They also had 2 large fireplaces which made it feel cozy. 

Our next stop was the Snake River overlook which made Ansel Adams famous. Another great stop if it wasn’t so cloudy. We arrived at Gros Ventre campground at 11:15AM & were able to get checked in. The site was an asphalt back in site. Side yard faces the road so not much privacy. Beautiful fall color on all the trees.

After getting setup, having lunch & dog walk we drove to the Jackson REI. We both got some nice waterproof gloves which would have been great for mornings like today. We then went to Albertson’s to fill the water gallons & pick up a few groceries. Somehow ended up being $100. On way back to camp we checked out Mormon Row. Unfortunately, the famous barn is under construction but we were still able to see it & walk the row of other homesteads.  We then headed back to camp for dinner & another dog walk before calling it a day.

The Famous Mormon Row Barn

Day 32 - Day 35 - Gros Ventre Campground

Thursday: We were up early to watch sunrise light up the mountains. Went back to camp for omelets then went to Jackson camera store & REI for an exchange. Back at camp, I took a nap & chilled for awhile. Feeling super tired today. Later in afternoon we took our bikes to Gros Ventre trailhead & rode to Moose visitor center & back. Nice bike trail from Jackson to Jenny Lake with beautiful views!  Back at camp we went to the evening Ranger talk which was about local birds.  

Friday: Easy morning at camp. Still tired. Late morning we drove to the Moose Visitor center to get our stamps then road the bike trail to Jenny Lake. Stopped several times along the way to admire the views. Stopped at Jenny Lake boat launch to have lunch along the lake before riding back. Another beautiful sunny day with highs in the low 70’s. On way back we stopped at Dormans for ice cream. That place was busy! Once back at camp got cleaned up & tried to wash hair in kitchen sink. Maybe tomorrow we will get showers. 

Jenny Lake at 12:50PM

Jenny Lake at 1:06PM After the Sun Came out

We hung out at camp the rest of the evening but around 9PM when Steve took Sammie out to pee the neighbors yelled there was a moose in your campsite! And sure enough there was a big ole bull moose right next to the bear box. Scared the crap out of me & I had to run out to get Sammie back in the camper. What a sight to see though!

Saturday: Saturday morning run/walk. Went into Jackson - Steve ran on trail & I walked downtown to the Antler Square. They were setting up what looked to be a big Farmers Market. I met Steve back at the truck & we went to the Jackson Rec center to take showers. Nice showers but expensive at $12/each. Afterwards we went to the Bunnery Restaurant for breakfast. They weren’t serving coffee since Jackson was on a boil water advisory which ended up saving us $12, LOL.  Afterwards, we went to the Farmers Market & picked up a couple of Quiches. We then made another grocery store run for a few supplies & more water but we couldn’t refill our gallon jugs due to the boil advisory. 

Downtown Jackson

We went back to camp for a few hours then drove the full Teton loop with several stops along the way that we hadn’t stopped at yet & a few repeats. Never get tired of these views!  Back at camp for dinner, we split one of the quiches which was really good. Cleaned up & then took dogs for walk before bed.

Ansel Adams View

Church of the Transfiguration

Menor's Ferry

Sunday: It rained a bit overnight & Steve got up at 4AM to put everything away so it wouldn’t get wet. We then slept to almost 7AM. We had another slow morning at camp. Made omelets for breakfast than took dogs for a walk but didn’t get far….MOOSE! The whole family this time, the bull, cow & calf. They were pretty chill in the campground.The bull was most likely the fella that was in our camp a couple of nights ago. Steve got quite a few good pictures.

Bull Moose

Eventually we took the dogs for their walk. I then spent the morning researching our route home & booking a few overnights. Decided to take it slower on the way home. Instead of the usual ~300 miles, we will drive ~200 miles per day. While I was doing the research, Steve took his truck to get washed. 

After lunch we rode our bikes around the campground & pick out a few nice sites for the future. For the record, we really liked sites 37, 68, 88 & 182.  We then walked down to the river behind the campground…Gros Ventre River. Once back at camp we packed everything up that was outside since it is calling for rain overnight. 

We went to the Ranger talk about Grand Teton 101. Fun talk. The ranger engaged the audience with animal pictures & reading famous quotes. Back at camp we had a quick dinner & called it a night. Hard to believe our 9 nights in the Tetons are coming to an end!

Next up: The slow roll home....

Nine Nights in Yellowstone

Yellowstone National Park!

Day 19 & 20 - Bridge Bay Campground Yellowstone!

Friday: I used the flannel blanket for the first time of the trip. The heat works great, nice & quiet with the exception of the knocking noise in the middle of the night. Turning it off then back one seemed to stop it. Not sure what caused that. 

We were on the road by 7:30AM headed to Norris Geyser Basin. Today was the only day Steve let me drive. Yellowstone is so big that you spend hours in the car trying to get to all the major sites. On our way we stopped at Mud Volcano area & walked the boardwalk loop. This area was super smelly but also very interesting. We made a couple other short stops on the way to Norris Basin. We arrived at 9:30AM & got super lucky to get a spot in the main parking lot. We spent two hours walking all the boardwalks. There is so much to take in. When we left we were shocked to see how many cars were parked along the road in the overflow parking. This is a very popular spot.

Our First of Many Stops in Yellowstone

Oh the smell! Mud Volcano Boardwalk

We then drove to Roaring Mountain to have our PB&J sandwiches for lunch. After lunch we drove up to the upper terrace loop of Mammoth but didn’t stay long. We decided to come back the next day so we could get back to the dogs. We got back to camp at 3PM & the dogs did great. We took them for a long walk around the campground then Steve & I walked over to the marina. This campground closes for the season within a few days after our stay so most things were winding down.

Saturday: Low of 26F, frost on the truck! Again we were the road by 7:30AM. We arrived at the Albright visitor center just before they opened at 9AM. We got our stamps then went to Gardiner for breakfast at Yellowstone Perk. First time in Montana. I ordered the Veggie breakfast sandwich which was really good & was able to save half for lunch. 

Definitely pack your patience!

"For the Benefit and Enjoyment of the People"

We made a quick stop at the Roosevelt Arch then went to Mammoth Lower Terrace & walked the roughly 2 mile boardwalk. Not as much to see as Norris but still really cool features.  On our way back to camp, we the the east side of the Great Loop. We got stuck in some construction traffic at the intersection of Lamar Valley for about 20 minutes. I doubt we will do Lamar Valley on this trip. We saw one black bear & several bison.

Photos really don't do it justice!

Back at camp again by 3PM, we walked dogs then took $6 showers at Fishing Village RV park which were totally worth it! We then stopped at the General Store for huckleberry ice cream. It was good but like everything in the park, it was overpriced. We spent what was left of the day at camp.

Day 21 - Bridge Bay Campground to Grant Village Campground Yellowstone

• Left: 10:45AM MT
• Arrived Grant Campground in Yellowstone: 11:25AM MT
• Rating 4/5
• Asphalt sites
• I317 - Back In, no hookups
• Very quiet overnight
• Nice site with lots of pine trees. 
• Solar won’t be great but the site back up to the lake with trail down to the water.
• Lots of sites but ours is in back cul-de-sac. 
• Road conditions: Wyoming roads are smoother
• Weather: Sunny, high upper 60s. Low in the 30s
• Gas: No fill up needed

We had an easy day at camp since checkout wasn’t until 11AM & check in wasn’t until 1PM. The drive would only take us 30 minutes tops. We made pancakes at camp, took the dogs for a walk & slowly packed up. We left camp around 10:15AM then waited in line for the dump station. Once dumped & we had our water refilled, we were on the road by 10:45AM. We got to Grant Village by 11:15AM. Our first stop was the visitor center for stamps & a couple of souvenirs, t-shirt for Steve & sweatshirt for me. Afterwards we had lunch in the parking lot then went to the shower/laundry house to wash all of our clothes. 

We got to camp by 2:15PM. I was’t able to pick our site, it was assigned to us but we got a great one this time! We are in I-317 which is at the back of a cul-de-sac. The sites are still pretty close together but there is decent privacy with all the pine trees. We also have a large site with a trail down the the water. We are happy to be here 6 nights since we are both tired of all the driving!

We took the dogs around the loop & then I took a nap. While Steve was birdwatching & taking photos an elk walked down to the water. Later another elk, possibly the same one, walked right behind our site. Later it walked into our site. Thankfully I had the dogs in the camper but it was quite the sight!  It later walked down the bank & across the water. What an amazing thing to see. Steve got some really good photos. He hung out by the water until sunset taking photos. 

Day 22-26 - Grant Village Campground Yellowstone

Monday: Slept OK, rained overnight & of course we didn’t feel like putting our chairs up so they are wet this morning. We got up & walked the trail to the lake to watch the sunrise then made breakfast back at camp. Taking an easy day today since we want a break from so much driving. 

Sunrise over Yellowstone Lake

Around 10AM we drove over to West Thumb basin. There were so many people there already. It’s really hard to believe this is the shoulder season! We walked around the basin than did the Duck Lake trail which had only 2 other people. Duck Lake was nothing special but nice to get away from the crowds. West Thumb basin was really cool as the thermal features were right up next to Yellowstone Lake. Really beautiful.

Duck Lake

We had lunch at the Grant General Store grill. I had a black bean burger which was good although would have been better if the bun was hot. Afterwards we went back to camp. I took a nap then eventually we went to the showers when they reopened at 3PM. The showers were decent. Hot water & good pressure but the shower house was chilly.  These showers are included with our campsite. 
We spent the rest of the day relaxing at camp.

Tuesday: Today we were up at 6AM & on the road by 7AM to go to Grand Prismatic. It was 24F when we left so there was a very good chance it would be too foggy to see it. On the way we stopped at Old Faithful at 7:25AM and got there just in time to watch it erupt!  We then went to Grand Prismatic & as expected it was fogged in. We walked the boardwalk anyway & got some cool moody shots but couldn’t see the colors.  We then stopped at the overlook but didn’t go since it was still foggy. 

Old Faithful - 7:30AM Crowd

We decided to go back to Old Faithful & on the way we saw a trail to Daisy Geyser. We parked in the Black Sand Basin lot & walked to Daisy. On our way we came up on a bison right along side the trail! Scared the crap out of us! We backed up then went around. We still made it to Daisy in time to see it erupt.  Afterwards we went to Old Faithful Inn to pee & got there just in time to see Old Faithful erupt again! We then grabbed a snack & sat in the cool lobby for awhile.  SO MANY more people at 10:30AM than 7:30AM. Crazy.

Daisy Geyser

Bison Close Encounter

Old Faithful - 10:30AM Crowd

We then headed back to our car & stopped at Daisy to see it erupt again from the other side. Back at our truck we had snacks then walked the Black Sand Basin boardwalk. 5 miles in total. 

We tried to go back to Grand Prismatic but it was insanely busy so we went back to camp. Once back, I had a Sammie mess to clean up. Afterwards, had lunch then headed to do laundry & showers. 

We decided to go back to Grand Prismatic Overlook later in the day. We got there around 6PM & after hiking the mile to the overlook we made it in time before the sun went down behind the mountain. There was still some steam but it was way more visible than the morning.  We got home around sunset. There is so much to see & there is so much driving. 

Grand Prismatic

Wednesday: Up even earlier at 5:30AM & on the road by 6:40AM to Old Faithful. We got there around 7:15AM but the geyser had already erupted. We walked around a bit then went for breakfast at the Old Faithful Inn dining room. We got the buffet but probably should have ordered off the menu. It was meh at best. It’s a real shame that these beautiful, historic inns at National Parks are so mediocre in their food yet charge a fortune for such mediocrity.  Captive audience I suppose. 

Still Steaming

Afterwards, we walked the Upper Geyser loop to Morning Glory Pool. Along the way we saw so many geysers & pools and they all had unique features. We walked back to the Visitor Center & got our stamps then grabbed our lunch to head back to Riverside Geyser. It was estimated to go off between 11:15AM & 12:45PM. It actually went off at 12:48PM but it was worth the wait. It went on for almost 20 minutes. On our way back we saw Castle Geyser erupt.  They are all so different to one another with so many features. So much to see including another bison in the distance.  

Bison in the gypsum

Castle Geyser

Riverside Geyser

Probably the same Bison

Morning Glory

Giant Geyser

We stopped at the General Store to check to see what they had for produce.  They had a few Taylor Farms salad bags for $9.50...no thank you.  We got back to camp again around 3PM. Sammie did good today. We walked the dogs & took showers then hung out at camp the rest of the day. We made bacon & eggs for dinner. 

Thursday: Up at 6AM & on road by 7:30AM to the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. Drive took about 75 minutes to the visitor center. It was a rainy & chilly morning. We got our passports stamped then headed to the North Rim loop. We walked to the Brink of the Lower Falls then followed the trail to Lookout Point & Red Rock Point. We then drove to Inspiration Point before heading back to Canyon Village for lunch. We got there just in time as the rain started coming down. We ate at the Fountain Grill & got a bowl of chili which was perfect for the rainy day. Bonus it was good too! Afterwards, we went to the South Rim to stop at the Upper Falls & Artist Point overlooks. We got back to camp around 3:30PM, another full, exhausting day.  Sammie did good again today. We spent the rest of the day at camp.

Grand Canyon of Yellowstone

Friday: Started raining overnight. I forgot to put up Sammie’s stroller so it is soaked. Rained on & off all day. We didn’t have much planned other than explore the Grant area. We decided to do laundry since the weather was so puny. We got a break in the rain mid afternoon & walked the camp trail to the Grant Village Visitor Center & General Store. Picked up a couple of thank you gifts & got Huckleberry Fudge ice cream before walking back to camp. We spent the rest of the evening on the computers catching up on things before heading to the Grand Tetons in the morning.

Keeping the pups out of the way while we do laundry

Up Next: Nine Nights in the Grand Tetons