Grand Teton Yellowstone

Rocky Mountains has somewhat become an annual pilgrimage for us now. We have been witnessing the same mountain range for the last three years. It started with visiting Glacier National Park (NP) in Montana in 2021. Then it was Rocky Mountain NP in Colorado in 2022. After that it was Banff & Jasper NP up in Canada. In 2024, we continued the tradition by visiting Grand Teton & Yellowstone NP in Northwestern Wyoming.

We wrapped the bookings in March and managed to get some sweet deals. In hindsight, the best decision was picking where to fly in to and out of. In order to avoid the mundane drive from Salt Lake City to Jackson, we decided it was worth splurging on a direct flight to Jackson Hole. On our way back, we flew out of Bozeman, MT. When it came to the actual prices, it was in fact quite reasonable at about ~$500. It was super convenient that both the flights were from EWR.

Our flight to Jackson Hole was an evening one around 6PM and landing there around 9PM, just in time to catch the sunset. Jackson Hole has the unique distinction of being the only airport inside a national park in the US. The landing approach was nothing short of breathtaking. With the Grand Teton range towering over the West side of airport, we were able to catch the last glimpse of the sun above the mountain range. Being next to the mountain, the approach was quite turbulent as expected. Being a small airport, the walk out of the plane was down a spiraling ramp where the snow capped mountains were welcoming us with the backdrop of a twilight sky.

We picked up our rental car, grabbed a Domino’s pizza and checked in to a small inn just outside Jackson. On Day 2, we checked out to actually start our trip. Picked up bear spray rental on the way. First stop was visiting the Visitor center near Moose. It was somewhat new and featured good info about the region. From there, the next stop was Taggart Lake Loop. At the end of the day, we checked in to Signal Mountain Lodge. The lodge is on a lakefront and featured multiple separate cabins. Ours was one of them and it was cozy and warm (a bit too much at times).

Next morning, we got up early to catch sunrise at Oxbow bend. Post breakfast, we headed for Cascade Canyon Trail. The Jenny Lake Boat Shuttle cuts the roundtrip across the lake. From there we started hiking to Inspiration Point. Once you hit the point, you can continue further to step into Cascade Canyon. It is a 9.2 mile out-and-back trail, great for spotting wildlife. We didn’t go all the way and turned back at a certain point as I started getting sunburnt in even modest sun thanks to the altitude.

Next day, we checked out of Signal Mountain lodge. Before leaving Grand Teton, we cycled for a couple of hours in Moose. There is a great biking trail starting in Moose along the Teton Park Rd which goes all the way to Jenny Lake. After this workout, we started heading towards Yellowstone. On the way, we had lunch at Leek’s Pizzeria which is in a beautiful marina spot on Jackson Lake. The Thai Pizza was unique!

The drive up to Yellowstone starts getting eerie with a changing landscape. It starts to feel that you’re stepping into an altogether different kind of planet. One where something is brewing under your feet, about to boil over. We stayed in West Yellowstone, MT, a town in the middle of nowhere solely catering to the tourists thronging the park every summer. Over next couple of days, we covered all the routine spots with Old Faithful, Biscuit Geyser Basin (which incidentally had an explosion in a couple of months), Norris Geyser Basin, and Gardiner. There was a some snow sprinkling on the way back from Gardiner to West Yellowstone. I found Gardiner prettier but West Yellowstone is more convenient relative to all the famous spots. 

Our final spot was the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone where a Grizzly and her cub greeted us (from a safe distance). My throat didn’t appreciate the air in Yellowstone, spewing out all kinds of gases. I ended up visiting one of the more scenic clinics in Mammoth thanks to a sore throat. The drive from Gardiner to Bozeman didn’t disappoint either. The final task was dropping off the bear spray rental at the drop-off location in Bozeman. We stayed for the night in Bozeman and flew back to EWR the next day.

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