Grand Teton marks the first time we’ve hit back-to-back National Parks on the trip. Leaving south out of Yellowstone the drive into Teton is fairly easy and has amazing views of the Tetons as you approach the park. There are countless pull-offs to take in the scenery and get great whiffs of the pine that line the road. 

I have to admit it took a little bit to truly appreciate Teton. It’s not that Teton isn’t fantastic and beautiful, because it is. But Yellowstone with its countless geysers,  multi-colored hot springs and deep-cut canyons is just so amazing. It’s like listening to a greatest hits album of your favorite band, then following that up by listening to one of their best releases. It’s almost unfair to compare the two. So you have to enjoy them on their own without comparison.

On our first full day as we drove into Teton we lucked into to seeing a moose eating some willows in a pond(did you know moose dive up to 18′ to get them? Yeah, neither did we.) And thanks to the great zoom on the kids camera, they snapped some really nice pics of the moose in action.

Next, we hiked to Inspiration Point and as a bonus, the trail passes through Hidden Falls along the way.  The hike starts and wraps around the incredibly beautiful Jenny Lake. It continues on wooded trails and cuts through rocky cliffs to the way down to falls. The 6+ mile round trip hike was our longest to-date and the kids were champs! Granted, we had our fair share of “are-we -there-yets” and “when are we going to stop for lunch” but overall they did amazing. When we got back to the base of Jenny Lake the kids braved the cold waters and swam for bit. Nikki and I on the other hand, don’t do cold water and so we took in the view from the comfort of the shores.

Recently we traded Maya’s cruiser for something more trail-worthy so the following day we drove down the road to Teton Village for our first attempt at mountain biking. Each of us had our share of falls as we got used to navigating the trails, but were all in agreement that mountain biking is awesome. Maya won the day as far as style points go.  She had her wicker basket from her old bike put on her new one and shockingly was the only person on the trails who rocked a basket on their bike. When wicker baskets become all the rage in mountain biking accessories, just remember who started the trend.

But the biggest surprise of the day was when Wyatt and I came within a few feet of running into a black bear, with Maya and Nikki skidding up behind us about 20 seconds later. Luckily the bear seemed more freaked out than we were and ran off into the woods after he crossed the bridge he was on. Fortunately both bear and bikers were completely unharmed but I have to admit, getting that close to a bear was awesome.

Lake Vermillion in eastern South Dakota was the last time we had used our standup paddle boards and Nikki and the kids have been itching ever since then to get back out on the water. So on our “final” day we drove back into Grand Teton and headed for Spring Lake. We couldn’t have lucked into better weather. Temps were in the upper 70’s and the skies were full of puffy clouds. Spring Lake, like its neighbor Jenny Lake, is crystal clear and even with the strong breezes it ideal for paddle boarding.

We were supposed to leave the following morning, but on Sunday evening as Wyatt and I were gathering up laundry, a quick storm blew in. A limb fell from a nearby tree and nearly shattered my windshield.  Of course no one in Jackson had a replacement on-hand, so it meant one more day here. But, when life hands you lemons, you make lemonade. We took full advantage of the extra day. We drove back into Teton checked out the Mormon barns that boarder the park and followed that with  a stop at the visitors center so Maya could earn her 8th Junior Ranger badge of the trip. Finally, we headed back to Teton Village for our second afternoon of mountain biking.

With one day under his belt, Wyatt was ready to take on tougher trails. He was with me when we almost hit the black bear on the first day, which was exciting, but not nearly as startling as when we turned a corner and came up on a full grown bull moose.  I think we surprised the moose as much as he surprised us. He was big and had a full-size rack of antlers to match. The moose gained his composure quicker than we did and decided we were of no threat. He went back to munching on some trees and we took that opportunity to slowly head down the rest of the trail. Then on our last run of the day, we came up on the moose again in the same spot. This time I had my phone with me, so our pal obliged us for a quick pic.

Now I sit in a coffee shop as my window is getting replaced. We’ll miss out on one of our scheduled stops but the trade-off for the extra day of adventure was totally worth it.

Onward.