Discover the Beauty of Grand Teton National Park

The sun hasn't even woken up yet, but we're on the road with a hot coffee in hand and the heating blanket on in the Jeep. We camped an hour out from the National Park because 1) There wasn't available campsites for our trip, and 2) The rates were beyond our budget. So, we're up super early, driving an hour from Dubois, WY and chasing the sunrise. There's a pullout area at Oxbow Bend Turnout, where you can see the Grand Tetons in all their majesty as the sun graces the face of mountain range and the glacier at the peak. You can't miss it because there will also be a ton of other people with their cameras and hot coffees in hand, too. 

I want to share some of the beautiful sights you need to see while visiting the Grand Teton National Park, plus how to see wildlife and some helpful tips for you to have your best experience at the park. 

You can watch the video, or continue reading below: 

Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming: https://www.nps.gov/grte/index.htm

Places You Don't Want to Miss:

• Sunrise viewing at Oxbow Bend Turnout
• Signal Mountain (easy drive up to the top!)
• Jenny Lake: Visitor Center, Ferry, and Hikes
• Craig Thomas Discovery and Visitor Center
• National Museum of Wildlife Art
• Drive loop of Mormon Row Historic District and Antelope Flats Road (the iconic Mormon Barn with the Grand Teton mountains behind it).

How & Where to See Wildlife: 

• Bison can be seen grazing in the open fields along one of the main roads (the 191)
• Moose can be seen in this park, but not commonly seen in the Yellowstone park. We saw Moose along the driving loop of Mormon Row and during a hike at Jenny Lake. Mostly, they were seen in the forested areas.
• Elk and deer, we saw while we drove up to Signal Mountain.
• At about 12am Midnight (almost like clockwork), we could hear the male Elk bugling when we stopped at Oxbow Bend Turnout. 
• We also saw adorable chipmunks at most of the stops we made.
• Bears are also possible here (look up the famous Grizzly bear and her cubs, Grizzly 399). 
• Most of the famous megafauna was seen just driving along the roads; making this experience accessible to everyone, regardless of your fitness level or physical limitations. 

Helpful Tips to Experiencing the Park: 

• Pick up or request a seasonal guide when you're checking in at the Ranger Station. It has important updates, great articles to read in your down time, and useful info on activities, hikes, lodging, and more.
• Download the National Parks app: It'll have up to date alerts, self-guided tour info, and more. Plus, it has a cool feature to make your recent trip photos into digital postcards. ***There's limited access to WiFi in the park (which I enjoyed as a digital break), so you'll need to download the info from the App when you're at the Visitor Center.
• Visiting the Craig Thomas Discovery and Visitor Center is a MUST! You'll find interesting info about the wildlife, culture, and natural and geological features of the park. It's also a great resource to find where the best wildlife viewing areas are, where to go for iconic photographs, and everything you'll need to have your best experience at the Grand Teton National Park.

How We Got There: 

• We took a lovely roadtrip with our teardrop camper and parked it at the KOA in Dubois, WY. But there are campsites and lodging available within the park and close by. 
• Fly into the Jackson Hole Airport and the small city is located just south of the park. 
• Camping is popular, so it's best to reserve your spots sooner rather than later. Some campgrounds were booking a year in advance, and when we visited, we could have found a few available campsites, however it would have been for a night or two. It was easier for us to park our teardrop camper for the 2 weeks and drive around the National Parks without it. It's easier to find parking and some scenic roads don't allow trailers and campers (with good reason! I'll share that info when I share our Yellowstone trip).
• We researched the National Parks by watching a lot of YouTube channels, but the one that was the most helpful was "We're in the Rockies" @wereintherockies. They have a lot of experience and visit the parks frequently. Plus they had useful itineraries and educational audio files. 

Available Artwork: 

I have a variety of prints and merchandise from the trip available in the Shop. Thank you for supporting a woman-owned small business! I'm so grateful when people buy the prints and merchandise because it supports my efforts to share wildlife and experiences in this world with all of you.