10 Best Things to Do in Grand Teton National Park!

Grand Teton National Park is one of the most scenic and fun places in America. We live four hours away and have explored nearly every nook and cranny of this park over the years. So come join us as we share 10 of our favorite things to see and do in Grand Teton and Jackson Hole. Let's kick things off at the crown jewel of Grand Teton, Jenny Lake. Now there are many wonderful hikes to do in Grand Teton, but Jenny Lake is the best one. We usually like to catch the morning boat shuttle and be one of the first people out on the lake. We love to see Hidden Falls and Inspiration Point. It really is a great way to start off your trip. But I want to talk to you about a really special experience we had when we didn't do our normal thing. One time we took the last boat ride of the day and on the banks of Jenny Lake we saw a moose. It was so picturesque. The sun was setting, there was a moose on the lake, and then we actually saw beavers too. It was so cool and I was so grateful that the boat captain made a little detour so we could enjoy that moose and beavers a little longer. And just in case you're curious about who this Jenny is that the lake was named after, Jenny was a Shoshone woman and she and her husband, Beaver Dick, yep that really was the name he went by, helped the surveyors map the area of Grand Teton. To thank them they each had a lake named after them. Beaver Dick Lake was changed to String Lake sometime in the 1930s for obvious reasons. You can't really say that you've done Grand Teton properly unless you go to Jenny Lake and if you look in the description we have a free downloadable printable for you how to do Jenny Lake. It includes the boat rides and reservations and things to do. Up next is Mormon Row. This is essentially a ghost town. Mormon settlers came into the valley in the 1800s and lived in this little community. Unlike most isolated western homesteads they lived and worked together as a group establishing 27 buildings. Two brothers with the last name of Moulton built neighboring barns right here. One of them also built a pink home which the park is currently restoring. The other brother T.A. Moulton spent 30 years constructing his massive barn. These brothers could never have known that their barns would become a tourist attraction. Today they are some of the most iconic spots to take photos in the park. The rustic old barns with the towering Tetons in the background provide that perfect western image that draws so many people to Jackson Hole. We've seen hardcore photographers stake out their spots at sunrise for that perfect shot as the sun rises on the barn and the Tetons. We also love this area for the wildlife. The big open field is sometimes frequented by bison. We've also seen antelope and hawks here. Nearby are some cabins that were once used as a set for the movie Shane which is a really good movie with the Tetons as a backdrop. The cabins are falling down but for some reason I still like stopping out here imagining what it would have been like to film a movie in this location. Next up is Rafting the Snake River. Honestly this is one of my favorite memories I had as a teen. We had our own raft and we would go to the Snake River almost every year. When it wasn't my turn to raft I loved to walk along the river and watch other people go over the big rapids. Lunch Counter and Big Kahuna were some of my very favorites. If you don't have your own raft that is no big deal. In fact I think it's probably safer to have a guide with you and there are plenty of companies within Jackson Hole that will take you on an excursion. Hundreds of people raft the river every day. If white water does not appeal to you there are actually scenic floats you can take right inside of Grand Teton National Park. That is exactly what our family did two years ago. We booked a dinner sunset float and it was amazing. The meal was okay but what I loved the most were the views of the Tetons while floating the river with the sun setting in the background. What was especially awesome and not guaranteed was that we saw bald eagles up in the trees. It was incredible. We also saw cute little beavers swimming around making dams. It really was one of the most memorable experiences we've ever had at Grand Teton. Up next is to go for a scenic drive. This is easy because every drive in Jackson Hole is scenic as well as every drive going into and out of Jackson Hole. We went on an amazing fall drive during our last visit. We meandered through so many yellow and red trees as well as wetlands and farms. The sun was setting and it just lit up the trees making the yellow colors even brighter. It was seriously one of the most enjoyable drives I've ever done. The locals will probably kill me if I told you where this was so I won't but it is in my Grand Teton travel guide along with several other lovely scenic drives in the area. Next up are overlooks. I will never forget the first time I saw Schwabecker Landing. We got up at the crack of dawn to go see the sunrise and oh my gosh the Appen glow on the Teton mountain range was incredible. I loved how the sun sparkled on the river and the great thing was is it wasn't just cool at sunrise but afterward too. We walked down a little bit to the river and we could see ducks swimming. It was so beautiful. I've seen Oxbow Bend in pictures mostly in doctor's offices but I was surprised how much prettier it was in real life. It's not only just beautiful for your eyes but actually the sounds of the birds chirping and the smell of the wildflowers that grow near it make it even more incredible. These are all really popular spots to visit at sunrise and sunset but I found that I enjoy visiting them in the middle of the day too when the parking lots at some of the popular hikes are full. One viewpoint that especially touches my heart is the Snake River Overlook. In 1942 Ansel Adams took a picture of the Snake River with the Grand Tetons in the background. It was a black and white photo and Grand Teton had only been a national park for 13 years. This photo inspired thousands and eventually millions of people to visit Grand Teton National Park. What I think is especially special is that this picture is right there at the viewpoint and you can see how the view has changed over the years as the trees have grown. Next up is Phelps Lake which is a beautiful lake in the foothills of the Tetons. Phelps is cool because it can be accessed from above or below. We did the hiking trail to the overlook of it and the trail was very pretty. We even saw a little grouse on the way. Seeing it from above provided a great little reward for our family. The hike from below is even nicer though. Phelps was originally part of the national park but the area just below it was privately owned by the Rockefeller family. The Rockefellers were largely responsible for getting Jackson Hole Valley to be included in the national park but they kept a portion for themselves as a private ranch. In 2001 the family donated the land to the park and included a museum dedicated to promoting nature conservation. Today this is called the Rockefeller Preserve. It's a beautiful little area but every time we visit the museum has been closed. Anyway the hike to Phelps goes through this preserve as well as through beautiful aspen trees along and over rivers and through wildflowers before finally arriving at Phelps Lake. Next up is biking in Grand Teton. Did you know that Grand Teton is one of the best national parks to go biking in? There are 70 miles worth of trails and it's just incredible because you're getting to ride through the grass of the meadows with the Tetons in the background and there's even a chance of seeing antelope or bison as you ride it. It really is amazing. We don't ever bring our own bikes we just rent them and there are plenty of places like Teton Village or Jackson but where we like to get ours is at Dornan's right inside Grand Teton National Park. They've got regular bikes but we like to use the e-bikes because we can cover more ground. Next time we visit we're getting a box lunch, riding an e-bike to Taggart Lake and having a picnic. Can't wait. Okay up next we're going to venture outside the park a little bit to a place that I keep mentioning because I like it so much. The National Military Vehicle Museum. This place is insane. It was founded by Dan Starks who bought his first tank in 2012. Since then he's acquired hundreds of other tanks, jeeps, trucks, motorcycles, landing craft and other military vehicles. It's now the biggest collection of military rolling stock in the United States outside of the armed forces themselves. The displays are Smithsonian quality and will walk you through most of the major firearm that fired the first shots at Bunker Hill to the Vietnam War. It includes poignant displays from the Korean War and the jungles of Vietnam with helicopters flying overhead. Of course World War II is the star here with several campaigns represented and there's even Japanese and German tanks. D-Day is honored as well and this year we're going to pay homage by visiting Normandy for the first time. Can't wait. The museum is patriotic and honors our military men and women in a big way. When I posted online that this was the most amazing museum ever, one of our followers told me I must not have been to the Louvre. Well they were right and we are going to the Louvre for the first time this year and I am excited to see the Mona Lisa and the birth of western civilization and all of that. But still, tanks. This museum has tanks. I mean I don't want to sound like an uncultured American even though I am, but I'm taking tanks over the Italian woman. Next up is to visit Dornan's. I can best describe this place as a rustic mini mall with food, shops, rentals, and gas. Now hear me out, this actually is a cool place. It was a homestead in 1922 and grandfathered into Grand Teton National Park when it became a park in 1929. We've come here several times for rentals like kayaks and bikes and the food always smelled incredible. So last time we went to Grand Teton we followed our nose and got food at the Pizza and Pasta Company. Matt enjoyed the grand pizza with ham, bacon, pineapple, and sweet chili sauce and I went for something pure Italian, the burrata affogato, which is basically bruschetta with pitas. We got to eat it on the top deck which is for adults only and it had amazing views. Not only could we see the Teton mountain range, but we actually saw a moose. It was so exciting. If you're visiting on a Monday night around 6 p.m. they have a tradition called the Hootenanny where amateur musicians can come and sing two songs. It is so fun to sit outside at this informal setting, look at the mountains, and just listen to the acoustic music. It really is a wonderful experience. Up next is Teton Village. This is the home of the Jackson Hole Ski Resort. During the summer it has so many fun activities. Mountain bikers can take the ski lifts to the top, then cruise down the mountain. Our kids have done the trampolines and climbing walls and we've played disc golf here as well. Last time we took the tram to the top of the mountain. This thing is known as Big Red and is the longest and most expensive ski lift ever constructed in the United States. It takes nine minutes to rise over 4,000 feet to the summit of Rendezvous Mountain. It has a nice recording to listen to on the way up. Cheryl even said it felt like a Disney ride, but I think that's a little crazy. This is better than a Disney ride. I'll take the Tetons over Splash Mountain any day and it's much cheaper. This reminded me so much of the Zugspitzbahn in Austria and Germany. Both of them are just amazing experiences. The views of Jackson Hole from the top are insane. Looking down on the wide open valley provides an appreciation for how unique this area really is with its big flat valley floor next to the seemingly vertical Tetons. I loved looking across at Grand Teton Peak from the side as well. While we were up there, we ate some delicious waffles from Corbett's Cabin. We got hot chocolate and a Nutella waffle sandwich, which really hit the spot at this high of elevation. Up next is the town of Jackson, Wyoming, the gateway to Grand Teton National Park. Jackson itself is so cool that we gave it its own top 10 video. So if you want to see the 10 best things to do in Jackson, click on the top image on your screen. If you're visiting Grand Teton in Jackson and want help planning your trip, click on the bottom image on your screen. Thanks for watching.