Trip 1, Day 6: Grand Teton National Park

We started the day in the Grand Teton National Park with a hike at Jenny Lake from the visitor center to Hidden Falls. Much of the trail runs along the lake, providing fabulous views of the area and the crystal-clear lake. With the water completely still early in the morning, it provided a beautiful reflection of the scenery. At this time of year, there were significant sections of the trail that were still snow covered, with the snow being several feet deep in some areas. We did not run into any wildlife, but saw evidence of elk and claw prints from bears in the snow.

The trail to Hidden Falls was about 2.5 miles and the view of the falls was spectacular! We were fortunate that the day of our hike was the first day the ferries were running from near the visitor center to a boat ramp about a half-mile from Hidden Falls, so we took advantage of the ferry to shorten the hike as well as enjoy the view from the lake itself.

We spent much of the rest of the day driving a loop through the park, to include going up Signal Mountain, with spectacular views of the mountains, Jackson Lake, and the valley (Jackson Hole) from the top.

We were fortunate to have good weather most of the time (although cold in the morning, it usually warmed up nicely), but as the photos show, rain clouds moved in later in the afternoon, so we took advantage of the opportunity to drive to Victor, Idaho, about 40 minutes away, to visit the Grand Teton Brewing Company. Worth the drive for the beer as much as for the beautiful scenery on the winding mountain road to get there!