Click to print or save for a quick reference when you’re planning your trip to Grand Teton National Park.

By Kendra Leah, @Writing2Day

No matter what your fitness level, there are many hikes to be enjoyed in Grand Teton National Park. Best of all, you do not have to be a mountain climber to enjoy the beautiful vistas, canyons, and waterfalls in the park.

Be Prepared
Weather can and does change rapidly in the mountains. Take along extra clothing when hiking into the higher elevations, wear sunscreen, and take plenty of water and high energy snacks. If you are planning a long hike, start in the morning and keep your eye on the time. You do not want to be caught on the trail after dark.

Be Bear Aware
You will notice these signs everywhere in the park. Take them seriously. At certain times of the year, some trails may be closed due to increased bear activity. Park rangers put on bear safety presentations which you should consider attending. Whenever you are hiking in the park always take along bear spray, know how to use it, have it immediately available, and talk or make noise while you hike. Never hike alone.

Lakeshore Trail Hike at Colter Bay, Jackson Lake
This flat, 2.0 mile loop trail follows the shoreline along a peninsula in Colter Bay. You will enjoy beautiful views of Mount Moran across Jackson Lake and reflections in Colter Bay. The trail begins on a paved service road near the boat docks at the Colter Bay Marina.

Heron Pond and Swan Lake Hike
If you enjoy waterfowl, wildlife, and water lily covered ponds, this hike is for you. Look for trumpeter swans, beaver, moose, and bears. This relatively flat hike starts at Colter Bay Village and is a 3.0 mile loop.

Willow Flats Shuttle or Loop Hike
When snow still covers the mountain trails in the spring, the Willow Flats area west of Jackson Lake will be snow free and ready for hiking. The willows and marshes are prime habitat for a variety of wildlife. Look for moose, sandhill cranes, beaver, bears, and other wildlife. The area is, as the name suggests, flat and it can get rather warm trekking through the flats and open meadows due to the lack of shade trees so you may want to choose a cooler day for this hike. (more…)

Click to print or save as a quick reference for planning your trip to Grand Teton National Park.

Kendra Leah, @Writing2Day

I have truly lost track of how many times I have vacationed in Grand Teton National Park. I think it might be six? As we climb towards Togwotee Pass after leaving Dubois and entering the Shoshone National Forest, I am on the edge of my seat with each new bend in the road thinking this will be the one that finally reveals the Tetons in all their majesty.

It is a wondrous site to behold. It never fails that I find myself wondering what it must have been like to be a fur trapper or explorer who had just climbed this far only to see the massive Tetons looming before them across the valley floor of Jackson Hole. I think I would have decided this is where the journey ends and taken out a claim at the base of the Tetons.

I have vacationed many places throughout my lifetime but I always have to fight with myself not to return to Grand Teton National Park. If it wasn’t so far away from family and friends, I very well may have moved here by now. Fair warning – Grand Teton National Park is a hard place to leave. But a vacation here is the trip of a lifetime. (more…)