Yellowstone & Grand Teton

3 Days, 2 National Parks, 1 Bear.

Day 1

We began the 4 hour drive from Salt Lake City to Rexburg, Idaho midday on Sunday. We wanted to break up the drive a bit and stop along the way in the new states we are traveling through for the first time.

We found a SpringHill Suites in Rexburg where we could earn points through and have breakfast included in our cost which was important to us. The stay was comfortable, very nice service, and we drove around the area a bit to just see the new surroundings. There was a water bottle fill up for us to prepare for our hikes the next day. There wasn’t much in the area but we did go to a casual sports bar to watch a soccer game!

We called it an early night because we have another 2 hours to drive to the entrance of the park.

Day 2

Yellowstone opens at 8:00 a.m. daily. Where we stayed in Idaho, we were about 90 minutes from the West Yellowstone park entrance. We got on the road early and began the last leg of the drive!

We purchased our park pass ahead of time because we bought the America the Beautiful Pass which is an annual pass that allows entrance to most national parks. The pass pays for itself if you plan to go to more than two parks in the year so this was well worth the purchase. There was about a 20 minute backup at the park’s west entrance with vehicles trying to get in around 9:30 a.m.

Our first day at Yellowstone we decided to explore the southern part of the park exploring the hot springs and geysers. On the way, we saw hundreds of bison at the opening of the park and it was quite amazing to see.

Just up the road from Norris Geyser Basin in the Midway Geyser Basin is the aptly named Grand Prismatic Spring, the largest hot spring in the United States and third largest in the world. Super popular area, so go early in order to find parking or you will have to circle for a bit. The first part is a viewing area where you walk along the boardwalks level with the springs and it’s an absolute must.

Hiking beyond the boardwalk to get the best view is also important. Leave the parking lot and go to the Fairy Falls parking lot about 5 minutes down the road and use this trail to see the amazing overlook.

We recommend continuing to hike after the overlook to get to Fairy Falls. It is a 5 mile out and back easy hike but with a nice waterfall reward. We passed a few bison on the way and got a little too close for comfort!

Following the Fairy Falls hike, we continued to Old Faithful. Old Faithful erupts every 35 to 120 minutes for approximately 1 1/2 to five minutes. Ask at the park entrance about timing so that you don’t miss it. There are ample walking trails in the area that you can do to pass the time as well as a hidden overlook that you can spot on the Old Faithful loop.

At this point in our trip it had been raining for a couple of hours and we were pretty wet and tired so we decided to drive back to our lodging for the night which was Bar N Ranch just outside of the West Yellowstone entrance. It took a little under an hour to get there upon leaving Old Faithful which is standard based off how long it takes to get through the park.

We stayed in a private cabin which was a unique experience! The cabin had a wood burning fireplace with a mini fridge and tub. The location is technically in Montana and they offer rooms in the lodge, private cabins, or you can stay in the tent experiences as apart of Under Canvas. The Bar N Ranch and Under Canvas are apart of the same ownership group and therefore utilize the same lodge and dining facilities. Experience a rustic Montana ranch vacation with exceptional lodging accommodations and scenery. The 200 acre property is located about six miles from the west entrance of Yellowstone National Park. The experience is a traditional western guest ranch in the natural wonders of southwest Montana. The amenities are charming with complimentary s’mores for each guest at the wood burning fire pits or gas fire pits on the deck based off the weather. We ate dinner at the restaurant on the property and had a great meal with even better service.

Overall, we enjoyed our experience here as it was unique to our trip but we probably wouldn’t stay here again as it was a bit overpriced for accommodations that were certainly not that of a hotel. I suppose you are paying for the experience here but there is a zero cancellation policy at the price of an expensive hotel. The bathroom was so small that my husband and I couldn’t be in it at the same time as one another but it worked for what we needed for the night.

Day 3

We woke up rather early and got bagels to go from the on-site dining service and complimentary tea in the lodge. The lodge was our favorite part of this property as it was so cozy and warm with boardgames and a piano for people to enjoy throughout their stay.

We got to the park entrance in about 10 minutes which was a huge advantage of staying here. Once in the park, we had another hour drive to Canyon Village where our planned hikes were out of. We stopped at the visitor center before beginning our hike to regroup and get ready. This visitor center is known for being the best in the park and your phone actually works here which is very rare throughout the park.

We drove to Inspiration Point to begin the North Rim Trail along the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. This trail says it’s 6.4 miles but if you go to each of the scenic overlooks, it is more like 8 miles in total. It is an out and back trail and rather easy with barely any elevation gain throughout the journey. The views are simply remarkable and are something you will not see anywhere else in your lifetime. There are a lot of tourists at the overlooks but along the trail it was fairly empty which was really nice to have that quiet as we hiked.

From Canyon Village, we drove south through Yellowstone to begin our journey to Grand Teton National Park. There are many amazing views and overlooks throughout this drive populated primarily with roaming bison. We did see a moose as we were about to exit the park!

There are about 5-10 miles of roads between the two parks with no primary entrance calling out the arrival at Grand Teton. This confused us a bit as we pulled into the Colter Bay parking lot for an end of the day hike. Here, there is a a rest stop that allowed us to regroup following our 2 hour drive and we proceeded to walk to the Colter Bay Lakeshore Trail.

Unfortunately, Colter Bay was fully dried up which was alarming and not a scenic route. As you proceed to the Jackson Lake side, you do get some amazing views of the mountains and lake here! The beach is made up of rocks but the bluebird skies against the water and mountain range were breathtaking.

Another hour south, we arrived at our adorable bed and breakfast, The Alpine House. We booked this reservation through our Chase Rewards points and reading great reviews. This is located in Jackson Hole, Wyoming and was one of the cutest places we have ever stayed. It was a quiet area with a very low key vibe while being right at the center of town to walk to the restaurants and bars in the evening. While low key, it is not cheap by any means but this place really was worth the price in comparison to our previous evening. The lobby was a comfortable sitting room with freshly baked cookies daily and a coffee/tea bar setup at every point of the day. There is a lovely seating area with a ski room to leave your skis and utilize the fridge and freezer if necessary. After the long drive, a cookie and a nice hot shower was more than ideal.

We walked into town for a late dinner and was told by the receptionist to go to the Silver Dollar Bar which is inside the Wort Hotel for a fun atmosphere but also a good meal. We were able to get a seat immediately and served rather quickly which was what we needed. There was a live band playing for entertainment which was an unexpected treat! Apparently, there is always live music in the evenings even on weekdays.

Day 4

We both slept fantastic in our new spot and woke up to the smell of bacon. We wandered downstairs in our comfortable clothes (basically pajamas) around 8:30AM and there were a few other guests seated at individual tables with an opening to see into the kitchen where the chef prepared breakfast in the morning for guests! This feature was included in our stay. There were individual menus at each of our tables that showed the daily specials which ranged from french toast to a standard egg breakfast. You are able to walk to the kitchen window and fill a bowl of fruit as well as yogurt and granola. There are assorted pastries and baked goods as well as freshly squeezed orange juice. The spread was fantastic truly and we both enjoyed pancakes, eggs, and bacon this morning before our biggest hike of the trip.

We went up to the room and packed up our bags, filled our waters and headed out to the Jenny Lake visitor center. On the way to this starting point, we actually took a wrong turn and went a bit too far but this mistake proved to be the best moment of the trip. As we were driving down the side road to the trail, the car in front of us stopped short. Now this happened a few times throughout the past few days usually to see some bison crossing through but this time it was a BEAR! A brown grizzly bear to be exact. We were waiting for this moment throughout the entire trip and we are so thankful we got to see the bear from the comfort of our car rather than on foot! An amazing moment.

We arrived at the visitor center and the parking lot was packed full at around 10AM. We circled a bit and found a spot after someone left and then proceeded into the center to ask the rangers a few questions. They were extremely helpful telling us how to get to the trail starting point, what to be prepared for weather wise, and to ensure we had bear spray close to our fingertips.

In order to get to this trailhead, you need to take a small shuttle boat ride across Jenny Lake to get to the base of the mountains. We chose to do the Cascade Canyon Trail as it was the most highly rated trail in Grand Teton National Park. The shuttle boat does get busy with people waiting to get on and we had to wait a few rounds to get on one. It is a quick 5 minute trip tops to get to the other side but it is very scenic and beautiful to soak in.

Now the first part of the hike is probably the hardest in my opinion, it is the biggest elevation gain right away to get up to where you will do most of the hiking. It gets easier as you go but you begin to make your way up to Inspiration Point and then the real hike begins. The view here is incredible and it is where most of the people on the boat will stop at; barely any continue on from here but we saw a few people as we went. There is no traffic on the trail thats for sure.

We saw some amazing views along with beavers, foxes, gophers, but never a bear. A few people told us they saw one but we did not cross paths. As we continued towards the turning point, the elevation does go a bit higher and we actually saw snow on the ground in June when we reached the end. We then turned back and basically double timed it back we moved so fast now that we knew the terrain. This hike was the highlight of the trip, definitely the hardest and most tiring, but the views were something you definitely do not see in your backyard and ones that you will never forget. We did have to wait in line for a bit at the boat shuttle stop because of how popular the first Inspiration Point hike is but it wasn’t too bad!

At this point, we are exhausted and hungry, but in a good way! We head back to the Alpine House, grab a cup of tea and quickly shower and head to our dinner reservation at Orsetto Italian Bar which was a bit further into Jackson Hole and had a cute outdoor patio where we sat and had an outstanding homemade pasta meal, much needed after working up such an appetite.

As we ate our meal, we continued to see people go in and out of this ice cream place next door so we saved room for dessert and headed over after our dinner. The ice cream place was packed and was a very popular spot in the area. The Wild Huckleberry is apparently what they are famous for and I tried it… and regretted it haha. It was unique to say the least and our ice creams were the most expensive cones we have ever had, and that’s saying something from living in Boston.

The Boston Celtics were playing in the NBA Finals so we went over to the Roadhouse Pub & Eatery to watch the first half which was a great location with a selection of local beers and snacks. We got some souvenirs from Lee’s Tees and continued back over to the Silver Dollar Bar to finish the game. It was a great, fun, and casual atmosphere.

We headed back to the Alpine House and had another great sleep and morning breakfast of French Toast with fresh berries. We couldn’t recommend it enough in terms of our stay.

After 30 miles of hikes in 3 days, we headed back to Salt Lake. The drive from Jackson Hole we underestimated because of the lower speed limit but it was scenic at times. After two stops, it took about 6 hours to get back to our house but we were absolutely thrilled with the memories made and the 3 new states we explored!