If you’re a lover of the outdoors, you’ve heard of Jackson Hole, Wyoming and the Grand Tetons. It’s a place where the old west isn’t that old and the mountain ranges call you home. There aren’t many people, but any lack is made up for with mountains, streams, wildlife, and the joy of a quiet country road.
I was staying within a few hours’ drive, so I took a day to explore Jackson Hole and the Grand Teton National Park. Coming from the desert, where I’ve spent the previous six weeks among red dirt and rock and dry weather and hot, hot, hot sun, I was stunned and pleased with the greenness of Wyoming. There is rain and the rivers are flowing rapidly, and everything is lush and blooming and just as green as can be. I don’t feel like I’d seen anything green in ages. And if I had, it sure wasn’t this color green.
Why Jackson Hole is Famous
Jackson Hole is famous because of its unique beauty, national park, and small-town life. Snake River runs through everything; it’s so full it’s nearly bursting at the seams. I’m glad to see water again after months in the southwest, where little of it exists. I also passed other big lakes, with boats, swimmers, and campers enjoying life. There is a lot of fly fishing going on, and it’s much more fun to watch than other types of fishing.
To get to Jackson Hole, I drove down long stretches of highway filled with green grass, farms and flowers on either side. Log trucks carrying the trunks of massive trees drove in front of me as the sun beat down. It was warm and sunny with low humidity in the high 70s. In other words: perfect.
As I drove, marveling at potato fields as I passed through Idaho. It’s mid-July and everything is lush like Wyoming invented the word “lush.”
Along the mountain passes, there were cars, and RVs pulled over on the side. A sure sign of hikers. Speaking of signs, I started to see many that said, “BEWARE,” you’re entering bear country. That gives me pause. A lone hiker should fear bears; I do, but not enough to stay out of these glorious woods.
As I approached Jackson Hole, the traffic started to slow. Then crawl before coming to a near standstill.
Inside the town of Jackson Hole
It is a cute city, but it’s overtaken by us tourists and our compulsive drive to own more T-shirts and novelty jewelry, stickers and keychains. Once a place starts selling fudge, it’s all over. I kid – a bit. I arrived on the weekend,
Small businesses lined the main roadway on either side. People walked in thick droves down the sidewalks. The entire town was jammed packed. I drove around for 30 minutes, looking for a place to park. Despite there being many, many options for parking on the street and in large lots, everything was packed and I had to stalk other drivers hoping someone would pull out.
Eventually, I got a spot near the Town Square where they’ve created the famous arches made of Elk antlers. After waiting for a series of families to take pictures, it was my turn. I stood underneath them, and someone took a picture of me.
“Seems to be the thing to do, huh?” the lady said as she handed back my camera through the crowd, gathering in wait for me to move.
“Yep. Seems like.”
Shopping and Eating Near Main Street
I walked around a bit in and out of the many, many shops filled with souvenirs and memorabilia. There are also a fair number of galleries and expensive jewelry stores. If it weren’t for t-shirts that read, “Jackson Hole,” how would anyone know you’ve been there? A picture with the antlers, of course!
There were so many people on the streets it was like being at a music festival without any music. If I had more time, I’d have delved deeper into the town to find the things that the locals value. But there isn’t much sprawl and everything seems to be centered around the downtown.
After looking for a while for a place that had seating, I had lunch at a place called The Bistro. It was an upscale little restaurant, and I got fancy grilled cheese and a coffee for $25. I can hear my mother’s “pfft!” now.
The good thing about Jackson Hole is that there are many places to shop and eat, and just looking around could take half a day. If you have patience, you’ll surely find something you’ll love.
Grand Teton National Park
Within half an hour drive of Jackson Hole is Grand Teton National Park. You’ll recognize the jagged shark tooth mountains right away. The Tetons are grand, and majestic and made all the pictures I’d seen of them seem inadequate. The tallest point is just under 14,000 feet and it is a snowcapped wonder of grey rock that looks like shark teeth biting into the sky.
I got a park map and drove down the main road enjoying the view. On one side of the road are the mountains and on the other side is a big open plain where elk and buffalo roam, though I didn’t see any on this trip.
Jenny Lake in Grand Teton
I wanted to get a hike in, so I headed straight for Jenny Lake. I wasn’t the only one with this idea. Vehicles lined both sides of the road for a mile before and after the turnoff into the parking lot for the lake.
It’s tough to find places without people sometimes. But the national parks have become where people spend their time, me included.
Jenny Lake is so famous it has its own visitor’s center, a big general store and three large parking lots. All these things were jammed-packed. I drove around another 20+ minutes looking for a parking spot. While stalking other drivers who might be leaving, I reminisced about the years before national parks became so popular and they were wide-open and empty.
Finally, I found a parking spot, dodged all the crowds, and headed for the trail. The scent of pine permeated everything, and any hassle I might have had to get here was forgotten.
Bear Beware
There are signs everywhere warning about bears and how to ward off an attack. I was nervous, but dying by a bear attack would be a cool way to go, at least, and that’s all I can think about unless I want to stay out of the woods.
Once I was on the trail, though, there was little need for worry. There were so many people; I never went more than three minutes without passing another hiker or groups of hikers. Still, whenever I was alone for a minute, I started clapping and saying, “hello there, bear,” lest I sneak up on one. My luck tends towards bizarrely unfortunate sometimes, so better safe than sorry!
Hidden Falls Trail
The Hidden Falls trail meandered its way alongside Jenny Lake most of the time, with a view of the Teton range in the distance. The scent of pine trees and wildflowers was thick in the air, the sound of lapping waves the only sound between the hikers’ voices.
The trail was pretty easy, or moderate as they say, there were some uphill climbs, but they were met with plenty of long stretches to make them manageable and enjoyable. It is three miles in and three miles out, and I made it in just over an hour and out in less time as I rushed a good portion of the downhill.
The trail is filled with huckleberries and what looks like raspberries about to ripen, and some other berry I couldn’t identify. For the record, bears love berries, so I’m sure that trail is a favorite : D
All the Water in the World
After about an hour, when I was low on water and about to give up, there was the sound of a waterfall.
At the waterfall, I discovered why there were so many cars in the parking lot. The people were on this trail! Rock and logs set out like stadium seating, and dozens of people sat there resting and enjoying the waterfall. It was as crowded as Niagara Falls.
Waterfalls and Poor Planning
The waterfall, for its part, was big and beautiful, falling hundreds of feet into the thundering river below. People clambered everywhere, and after a few minutes of rest, I grew tired of the crowd and nearly jogged the trail back out to the general store, where I bought a huge Gatorade.
The drive home, like the drive there, was probably the highlight of it all. I had all the green pines, mountains and flowing rivers all to myself. Driving this area is definitely the way to go. There’s a small airport in Jackson Hole, but then you’d miss the spectacular drive.
If you visit, you should go during the week or late in the afternoon or evening to avoid the worst of the crowds and enjoy a great little town and spectacular national park.
Read about other hiking I’ve done recently here.
2 Comments