Snapshot Planning Your Visit When we visited the park We visited the he park in early June, and we had sunny perfect weather. This was a park that we were mostly just driving through as we headed from Yellowstone to Colorado. The short distance from Yellowstone, makes it an easy place to stop and take in some views of the Tetons and Jackson Lake.  weather-us.com Things to Consider 1. The first thing to know is, the main road in the park takes you along Hwy 89, running north and south. 2. Grand Teton National Park has its own fees, different from Yellowstone. 3. This would be an ideal place to do some back country hiking, the park feels very wild compared to Yellowstone. 4. Jenny Lake Village area is extremely busy, so plan accordingly for parking and time spent there. 5. Jackson, WY would be a great place to stay and experience some true "Western Activities." 6. Teton Pass collapsed a fews days before we went, and made it extremely difficult to get to the park from the west on Hwy 22.  How to Get There If you are coming from Yellowstone, you leave from the south entrance by Grant Village. You continue heading about seven miles south on Hwy 89. You follow this road through most of the park when heading south. If you are coming from Jackson, WY you need to head north on Hwy 89. This will take you through most of the park until your each Yellowstone National Park. If you are coming from the east, you follow Hwy 26 from Casper, WY. There are several small towns between Casper and Grand Tetons, however it is a lot of open country. It is about a five hour drive from Casper. Additional Maps provided by the Park Where to Stay Inside the Park Climbers Ranch This camp is a rustic option for someone looking to be close to nature. Guests need to provide their own bedding, food, while staying in co-ed rooms and shared common areas. The camp is open from June to early September. It costs $35 a night to stay here, and is located just south of Jenny Lake. Colter Bay Cabins Colter Bay is located centrally a long the Jackson Lake shoreline. There are many amenities located in this part of the park. You will be able to fish, kayak, hike, and other outdoor activities at Colter Bay. The cabins available here are a flashback to summer camp in one or two bedroom cabins with their own private bath. This is a more affordable lodging option compared to the Lodges in the park, ranging in price from $287-$388. Headwaters Lodge These cabin rooms are available as a double queen or king room, ranging from $390-$455 a night. The lodge is located just north of the park entrance before you get to Yellowstone. If you are planning on visiting both parks, this location is great. Jackson Lake Lodge Located centrally in the park looking over Jackson Lake, and across at the Tetons, this lodge will offer a beautiful setting for your stay. The rooms range from standard double rooms to suites ($500+). Jenny Lake Lodge A high-end lodge with many amenities within a popular part of the park. There are a range of cabins and sizes of cabins that will range in price from $400 and up. Signal Mountain Lodge Located near the north entrance of the park, the lodge would be an ideal location if you plan to visit both the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone. The lodge is located along Jackson Lake shoreline and open from May to October. There are options of traditional rooms, to bungalows, and one or two bedroom cabins (between $300-$550). Triangle X Dude Ranch If you are looking for a memorable vacation, this might be the place for you and your family. They have different packages that are 4-6 days long and offer a variety of activities based on skills. They offer horseback riding, fishing, float trips, campfires, animal viewing, all with historic cabins to stay in. They ranch offers trips from May through October. Camping Colter Bay RV Park, Tent Village, and Campground Colter Bay has the most buildings, lodging, and activities in the park. It is centrally located in the park and easy to access on HWY 89 or at the junction for Hwy 26. Here there is a separate campground, RV Park, and tent cabins available to rent. The tent village has 66 non electric tent cabins to rent for $104 a night. The campground has 171 sites and costs $16 a night to rent a site. The RV Park has 112 sites and costs $117 a night to rent electric sites. The facilities are open between May and October. Gros Ventre Campground This 279-site campground is $57-$77 to rent a site. The campground is open April through October and has electric sites available for RVs. There are flush toilets here, among other amenities. This is the southern most campground in the park, closest to Jackson, WY. Headwaters Campground This campground offers 171 sites for rent, ranging from tent sites, RV sites, and cabins. The cost to rent a site is between $60-$117 a night. This campground is located just two miles south of Yellowstone and five miles north of Grand Teton. It is a good middle ground if you plan to visit both parks. Jenny Lake Campground This small 61-site tent only campground is located on the east shores of Jenny Lake. It costs $56 a night to rent a site here, and there is limited space for vehicles. The campground is open June through October. Lizard Creek Campground This 60-site campground is located about halfway between Yellowstone and Colter Bay. It costs $50 a night to rent a rustic site. The campsite is open June through September. This is a great location if you want to visit both parks. Signal Mountain Campground This 81-site campground costs $55-$79 a night for a site. There are standard sites and electric sites available. This campground is located on the northern lakeshores of Jackson Lake. The campground is open May through October. Outside the Park Jackson, WY is the only town that is close and offers a great deal of lodging options. This town offers the most amenities and activities in the area. You can do some shopping, exploring, hiking, skiing, coasters, horseback riding, and more Western activities.   What We Did We headed through Grand Tetons after leaving the south entrance of Yellowstone and heading to Colorado. Driving up to the park was better in real life than any of the images I tried to capture. It is worth the drive, even if you aren't planning to stay! We stopped a couple places, but didn't stay long with the driving ahead of us. The first place we stopped was Jackson Lake Overlook. We got some beautiful images of the lake and Tetons in the background. We drove through the Colter Bay area to see the lake and visitor center. After walking a bit, we decide to head to Jenny Lake and see this iconic area. We found out quickly, that this has to be one of the most popular areas in the park. There is a small visitor center here, with beautiful stores and food options. The hike to the lake is about five minutes, but the trail does continue around the Lakeshore. On the opposite side of the lake is Hidden Falls and Inspiration Point. Both of these look like hikes worthy of your time. If time allows, you can also schedule a boat tour on Jenny Lake. The one thing I wish we would have been able to do is explore more of Jackson, WY and the Mormon Row in the park. These areas look to have a lot of interesting history about them, and I would love to learn more. Where this fit in our Road Trip This was the first place we went after Yellowstone Park and Idaho. We were just driving through the park, with a couple of stops, before making our way to Grand Junction, CO. We underestimated how much we would like this park, and really want to return to Jackson, WY to spend some additional time exploring the area. We would also like to see it in the winter. NPS App and All Trails Maps I highly recommend using the National Park Service (NPS) App, as well as the All Trails App for hiking. There is limited service in the park, so planning ahead is helpful. These two apps allow you to download sights, maps, and trails so that you can access information anywhere. The NPS app also links to the full National Parks Website, with a plethora of information.
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