Frommer's National Parks of the American West - Don Laine [207]
Coming out of Moose, turn left (north) on U.S. 26/89/191, which crosses the open flats above the Snake River to Moran Junction. The best views along this road are the Glacier View Turnout and the Snake River Overlook, both of which are right off the road and well marked. At Moran Junction, turn left for a final 5-mile drive back to Jackson Lake Junction, past Oxbow Bend, a great spot for wildlife watching.
If You Have More Time
A 1-day whirlwind tour of Grand Teton is far from ideal. Like Yellowstone, this park demands a visit of 2 days or more. An extended stay allows for some relaxed hiking, picnicking, and sightseeing—you'll gain a greater appreciation for the park and the area's culture and history.
As with the short tour in the previous section, we begin at the northern end of the park. But you could just as easily start exploring from the southern end, near Jackson. From Jackson, it's 13 miles to the Moose Entrance Station, another 7 miles to the Jenny Lake Visitor Center, another 12 miles to the Jackson Lake Junction, and 5 more miles to Colter Bay.
JACKSON LAKE & THE NORTH END OF THE PARK
Many people enter Grand Teton National Park from the north end, emerging from Yellowstone's south entrance with a 7-day park pass that is good for admission to Grand Teton as well. Yellowstone connects to Grand Teton by a wilderness corridor called the John D. Rockefeller, Jr., Memorial Parkway, through which the highway runs for 8 miles, over the Snake River, past meadows sometimes dotted with elk, along the shores of Jackson Lake, and through forests.
On the parkway, not far from Yellowstone, you'll pass the modernized Flagg Ranch Resort (see "Where to Stay," later in this chapter), with gas, restaurants, lodging, and other services. In the winter, this is a busy staging area for the snow-coach and snowmobiling crowd.
Giant Jackson Lake, a huge expanse of water that fills a deep gouge left 10,000 years ago by retreating glaciers, dominates the north end of the park. Though it empties east into the Snake River, curving around in the languid Oxbow Bend—a favorite wildlife-viewing float for canoeists—the water from Jackson Lake eventually turns south and then west through Snake River Canyon and into Idaho. Stream flow from the dam is regulated both for potato farmers downstream in Idaho and for rafters in the canyon, so, for better or ill, we have an irrigation dam in a national park. Elsewhere on the lake, things look quite natural, except when water gets low in the fall.
As the road follows the east shore of the lake from the north, the first development that travelers encounter is Leeks Marina, where boats can launch, gas up, and moor from mid-May to mid-September. There are numerous scenic pullouts along the lake, some good for picnics.
Just south of Leeks is Colter Bay, a busy outpost of park services—a visitor center, a general store, a laundry, two restaurants, a boat launch, boat rentals, and tours. Colter Bay has lots of overnight options, from cabins to old-fashioned tent camps to a trailer park. You can take pleasant short hikes in this area, including a walk around the bay or out to Hermitage Point (see "Day Hikes," below).
The Indian Arts Museum (☎ 307/ 739-3594) at the Colter Bay Visitor Center is worth a visit, though it is not strictly about the Native American cultures of this area. The artifacts are mostly from Plains Indian tribes, but there are also some Navajo items from the Southwest. The collection includes moccasins, pipes, shields, dolls, and war clubs sometimes called "skull crackers." Visiting American Indian artists work in the museum all summer long and sell their wares on-site. Admission is free.
From Colter Bay, the road swerves east and then south again past Jackson Lake Lodge. Numerous trails emanate from here, both to the lakeshore and