r/GrandTetonNatlPark

Recently took my first trip to the Tetons and despite tons of planning around many different areas, I missed any mention of the Jackson Lake Lodge. Stopped in for a coffee one afternoon while passing by and was absolutely blown away as soon as I walked up the stairs into the lobby.

Amazing first trip to Grand Teton NP last week. The colors and wildlife were incredible!

Drove by a small wedding going on at the mountain view turnout and had to get a photo.

Did String Lake Trailhead to Lake Solitude via Hidden Falls, Inspiration Point, and up Cascade Canyon in July. Solo.

Went in expecting it to be busy and it was very quiet in the morning — I was the only person at both Hidden Falls and Inspiration Point, saw the first people (trail runners) about a mile up Cascade Canyon.

My save-worthy notes:

• Started at 6AM. String Lake lot was already filling. Luckily I got dropped off.
• Skipped the boat shuttle both ways. Walking the shoreline adds ~4 miles total.
• Total was ~18 miles with the shoreline walk, ~3,033 ft gain. Last 2.7 miles gained ~1200 ft at altitude - that part took the longest. Total time was around 8 hours.
• Saw 5 moose total, all in Cascade Canyon. No bears, but did see wet paw prints from cascade creek up the Hidden Falls spur, carry bear spray, give them space.
• Hidden Falls + Inspiration Point are usually the busiest section. Past that, crowds in Cascade Canyon thin out fast.
• Lake Solitude is incredibly beautiful.
• It is absolutely worth doing from any starting point.

Happy to answer logistics if you're planning it — boat vs. walk, water, turnaround times, etc..

Here's a little different look at the Tetons, from the trail to Emma Matilda lake. I'd welcome suggestions on the best hikes that don't require extreme training, as I didn't think we used our time to maximum advantage. We did the full circuit of Jenny lake but it was terribly crowded on a sunny Saturday even in late September. We did partial hikes of Phelps Lake and Emma Matilda Lake. All very scenic but we saw virtually no wildlife. Some people we ran into said that to see wildlife they get to the trailhead at 645. One pro tip we're surprised more people didn't use -- Dornan's rents e-bikes that you can take to Jenny Lake and avoid the parking hassle -- about 30-40 minutes ride. Great views from the bike trail.

Shot this from the beach by the Signal Mountain Boat Launch

A little trivia for the experienced Tetoniers. Name the lakes in pics 1 and 2.

Made my way to Schwabacher Landing at sunrise to catch the reflection of the sun on the mountains. Had my 35mm in hand and snapped this pic. I’m sure they got some incredible shots

What amazed me most was how abruptly the Tetons rose from the valley. I’m used to seeing foothills gradually build toward a mountain range.

With the lake in the foreground, I could appreciate how expansive the whole view was. My photos show a portion of it, but they don’t fully convey the scale of the mountain range.