DAY 5 OF 10 OF OUR EPIC SUMMER JOURNEY

JACKSON HOLE AND GRAND TETON NATIONAL PARK!!

DAY 5 - From Thayne to Jackson Hole on to Grand Teton National Park and finally to Island Park, Idaho

After breakfast in Thayne, we headed to Jackson Hole, to do some shopping and have lunch before trekking to the Tetons. It was a little over an hour away and the entire drive there was absolutely gorgeous!!

I LOVED that for the better part of the ride, there were winding rivers right beside us. Once we got into Jackson Hole, we stopped at Hoback Market for a few things and found a couple of friends!

After grabbing a few essentials, we were off to downtown Jackson. What a GREAT town! While, yes, it's a bit "touristy"... it's also a little bit rugged with a ton of creative energy. There's also a lot of everything there: a gorgeous park, restaurants, breweries, galleries, boutiques and of course... there's the live webcam at the Town Square Park and the south-west elk antler arch.

Actually, I had no idea about the webcam until someone commented on one of my social media pics... but I thought that was pretty cool! I didn't get the comment until much later, or we would've gone back to have them screenshot a picture of us waving from under it. If any of you head to Jackson Hole anytime soon, don't forget about it!

Entrance to the Town Square park.

In total, there are 4 elk horn arches. This one is located at the south-west entrance of the Town Square park. Each arch is built entirely of antlers that are shed each spring by the hundreds of elk in Jackson Hole's National Elk Refuge and each contains more than 2,000 antlers. Local tradition is for Jackson's Boy Scout troops to harvest the antlers each year, which are then auctioned off at ElkFest to bidders from around the world. A portion of proceeds benefit the National Elk Refuge.

The Million Dollar Cowboy Bar: A true Jackson landmark!

Roadhouse Brewing Company & Pub Shop

Jackson Mercantile Shop

Great taxidermy and lots of other gifts and souvenirs. This was SUCH a cool shop!

Lunch at Jackson Drug {Original Soda Fountain} was absolutely delicious! They had classic burgers and shakes... other yummy munchies... ice cream... local craft beer... good prices... friendly staff. It was fantastic and we loved it!

After lunch, it was off to Grand Teton National Park! The Park consists of over 310,000 acres, including the breathtaking 40-mile-long Teton Range. I'm pretty sure that from now on when I think of the word "mountains" these are the ones that will come to mind. You would be hard-pressed to find any that are more beautiful. In fact, a website named the Grand Tetons the "America's Most Beautiful Mountain". Let me tell you... those mountain ranges were TRULY majestic!

Grand Teton Map. We pretty much spent the day visiting the sites on the right side of the Park.

In a word, this place is STUNNING. There's everything here. Lush green valleys, flora and fauna, meadows, crystal clear lakes and celestial snow-capped mountain peaks. Quite truthfully... I've only seen scenes like this in the movies. It was awe-inspiring. And it's a destination that you MUST visit, as there are no amount of pictures that can do such a setting any sort of justice.

The "Grand Tetons" got their name from French trappers. The three peaks known as the South, Middle and Grand Teton were called, "Les Tros Tetons" (translates to large teats) or "The Three Beasts". Later, they were shorted to the Tetons.

Picture Postcard Perfect!

After spending several minutes at one of the viewpoints (on this SO scenic drive!!), we headed on to Mormon Row.

In the 1890s, leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (ie., Mormons) sent parties to establish new communities and expand their population. These homesteaders clustered their farms to share labor and community. Mormon Row Historic District was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1997.

Potty break! (Just kidding!!)

Being raised in rural Union Grove and watching my grandfather build them as a child, I'm a sucker for old barns and I instantly fell in love with the Moulton Barns! An overwhelming sentiment came over me of feeling at "home".

My best friends and I always joke about building a tiny town where we can all live and grow old together. Instead of Mormon Row, we would call it "Bestie Row". When I look at these photos and reminisce while walking this property... it makes me want to go out and do exactly that!

John Moulton Barn

John and Bartha Moulton's house

T.A. Moulton Barn

Seriously... who WOULDN'T want this backyard view?!

"And so I go where the green grass grows. The weeds are high and the sun hangs low. Look to the sky and I say, Hello. Like it's the very first time. It doesn't matter how long it's been. I can talk to God like he's my best friend. Take my heart, lay it down right there... In a Dirt Road Prayer." ~ Lauren Alaina

Spending time here made me feel like I was being revived. It made me miss living down a mile-long dirt road in the country. Or maybe I found my long-missed life element by being here. At any rate, after savoring some summer sunshine at Mormon Row, we decided to stroll around Jenny Lake for a bit. Words can't even begin to describe how I felt like my heart would pop out at all this beauty that God created!

 

 

This would've been the perfect place to go horseback riding or a short ride on the shuttle boats. It was a beautiful day and we couldn't have asked for more perfect weather! After we explored Jenny Lake for a bit, we drove to Oxbow Bend.

Jackson Lake Damn

They say that without a doubt, Oxbow Bend is the most photographed place in the Park and it's easy to see why. The Snake River that weaves its way through the landscape with Mount Moran's reflection on its water is the most recognizable image of Grand Tetons throughout the world. Well... maybe next to Old Faithful! Again... absolutely STUNNING!!

After spending an amazing day in the Tetons, we made way to our AirBNB in Island Park, ID through the southwest side of Yellowstone's figure 8 (which was about 3 hours away).

As far as do-overs go, I don't really think there are any. Outside of not taking some sort of "excursion"... we were able to really enjoy the day. 

My advice: You can definitely see the Tetons in a single day if you're just taking a scenic drive and only stopping at a few places, but I suggest spending 2 days to trek the Tetons. Take a float trip down the Snake River... or a horseback ride... or a simple ferry boat ride. Or hike the Cascade Canyon to Lake Solitude... take the tram to the top of Rendezvous Mountain... visit Jackson Lake Lodge for lunch. There are plenty of adventures that await!

** And get up early for your excursions! We didn't see a lot of wildlife there (ie., deer, buffalo, elk, etc.) and since we arrived around lunch and were only spending 1 day, that was probably why. Either way... the time that we spent there was spectacular!! 

Accommodations: AirBNB in Island Park, ID. Because our next 2 days were going to be spent at Yellowstone, we decided to stay outside of the park and this place was only about 30 minutes away from the West Entrance. Number one, hotels book up SO far in advance in the parks... but number two, they are quite expensive. Accommodation costs (whether hotel rooms or AirBNB) literally triple during the summer months. That was definitely something we considered with our large group and as I've mentioned in a previous post, we wanted to all try to stay together in one location as much as possible. This place actually fit all 9 of us pretty comfortably. The only downfall was that there was only 1 bathroom. During booking, we only noticed that there was no AC, so that was a bit of a surprise... but as it turns out, it got pretty chilly in the evenings, so we didn't need AC at all. The restroom on the other hand...  ;)  

What I learned: I learned that nature is a wise and profound teacher. Being in the Tetons struck a song chord in my heart... it was just a huge "AHA!" moment! There are no photos... no paintings... no illustrations... absolutely nothing that could ever give justice to the magnificent grandeur and endless beauty of Grand Teton National Park ~ other than simply standing right smack dab in the middle of it.

"The Teton Mountains are, to my way of thinking, quite the grandest and most spectacular mountains I have ever seen. When viewed over the vast expanse of sagebrush which covers the valley, or with Jackson Lake and the marshes in the foreground, they present a picture of ever-changing beauty which is to me, beyond compare." ~ John D. Rockefeller, Jr. in a letter to Mr. and Mrs. Frederick Osborn, date August 13, 1953.

Cheers, y'all!!

xoxo



(See Day 1, Day 2 {P1}, Day 2 {P2}, Day 3 {P1} Day 3{P2}, Day 3{P3} and Day 4 {P1})