Frommer's National Parks of the American West - Don Laine [206]
As fall approaches and temperatures remain mild but begin to cool, you'll want an additional layer of clothing. The first heavy snows typically fall by November 1 and continue through March or April.
Winter is a glorious season here, though it's not for everyone—it can get very cold. But the air is crystalline, the snow is powdery, and the skiing is fantastic. You'll need long johns, heavy shirts, vests and coats, warm gloves, and thick socks to combat daytime temperatures hovering in single digits and sub-zero overnights. If you drive in the park's vicinity in the winter, always carry sleeping bags, extra food, flashlights, and other safety gear.
If you're planning on visiting Yellowstone as well as Grand Teton and are considering making your trip to the parks before the middle of June, think about beginning your exploration in Grand Teton before working north to Yellowstone. Elevations here are slightly lower and snow melts earlier, so less water accumulates on trails, and temperatures are more moderate.
ROAD OPENINGS
Teton Park Road opens to conventional vehicles and RVs around May 1. The Moose-Wilson Road opens to vehicles at about the same time. Roads close to vehicles on November 1 and open for snowmobiles in mid-December, though they never close for nonmotorized use.
If You Have Only 1 Day
A 1-day trip around this park is not unreasonable, given its size. You can complete a loop that encompasses many major attractions without having to retrace your steps. Although this 1-day itinerary assumes you are entering Grand Teton from the north, possibly after visiting Yellowstone, you could just as easily begin your itinerary in Jackson, 13 miles south of the Moose Entrance Station.
Begin at the south entrance of Yellowstone National Park, driving through the John D. Rockefeller, Jr., Memorial Parkway on U.S. 89/181/287 past the Flagg Ranch Information Station. As you drive south, you'll find yourself skirting the northern shore of Jackson Lake, with a view of Mount Moran to the west and, farther south, the towering Cathedral Group.
Colter Bay Village on the northeast shore of Jackson Lake is one of the park's busiest spots. Several popular hiking trails start here. If you turn right at Colter Bay Junction and go another half-mile, you'll be at the Colter Bay Visitor Center (☎ 307/739-3594); stop here if you wish to take in the interesting Indian Arts Museum.
The Lakeshore Trail begins at the marina entrance and runs along the harbor for an easy 2-mile round-trip. It's level, paved, shady, and wheelchair accessible, offering you your best opportunity for a hike in this area if you don't have much time. The Douglas firs and pine trees here are greener and healthier than the lodgepole pines you see at higher elevations in Yellowstone.
A few minutes' drive south of Colter Bay, you'll pass Jackson Lake Lodge and then Jackson Lake Junction, where a right turn puts you on Teton Park Road, the beginning of a 43-mile loop tour. You'll be driving parallel to the mountain range and its 13,770-foot centerpiece, Grand Teton. You'll see lakes, created by glaciers thousands of years ago, bordering a sagebrush valley inhabited by pronghorn and elk.
Just 5 miles down the road along Jackson Lake, a left-hand (east) turn will take you up Signal Mountain, where you'll have a 360-degree view of the valley. You might want to grab a quick lunch at Signal Mountain Lodge, a friendly lakeside eatery with a beautiful view. Then continue south on Teton Park Road to South Jenny Lake. If you have time, go to the other side (it's a 2-mile hike) and make the short climb to Hidden Falls. Otherwise, your best bet for a day hike in this area is the Moose Ponds Trail (see "Day Hikes," below).
When you leave South Jenny Lake, you'll drive a flat, sagebrush stretch to Moose, the southernmost