Grand Teton National Park

The Most Picturesque Mountains In The Lower 48

Long before we started our full time RV journey, I heard from several RVers that their favorite park was Grand Teton National Park. I knew immediately that this was a park that we would want to explore. I started looking up pictures of this park and was blown away by the absolute majesty of these mountains. Now, when I mention this park, I am always shocked by the number of people who have not heard of it. I don’t know why I am so shocked about that as I was in the same boat just a few short years ago.

Grand Teton National Park is just outside of Jackson Hole, Wyoming. It is located about 30 miles south of Yellowstone. Millions of people visit Yellowstone every year and never take the time to go just a few miles south to Grand Teton. The largest of the peaks is Grand Teton itself and is 13,775 feet tall. These peaks remain snow capped for a large part of the year. The snow capped mountains as the backdrop for the beautiful flowers in the spring and summer make for some absolutely stunning scenery.

Grand Teton National Park is approximately 310,000 acres of gorgeous mountains and alpine lakes. The largest of the lakes if Jackson Lake which takes up almost 40 square miles. But one of the most visited lakes in the park is Jenny Lake. This is Jenny Lake at Grand Teton.

Another of the most popular place at Grand Teton National Park is what is called Mormon Row. Mormon Row is a series of rustic old barns from years ago that have the Tetons as a backdrop behind them. More than likely, even if you have never heard of this national park, you have seen photos of this area! This is the iconic photo area that most people imagine when they think of the Tetons. On our first trip in 2020, we looked and looked for these old barns and couldn’t find them. After we returned, I decided to do a little more research before our next trip to find out exactly where to locate these old barns, so we could get our photo as well! We found out that they were in the location known as Mormon Row and on our next trip in 2021, that was the first place we went upon our arrival. We were finally able to snap our own photo of this iconic location.

Grand Teton National Park is by far one of the most beautiful locations we have seen in the lower 48 states. With that in mind, one of our favorite things to do is to hike and really explore the area. When we went in 2020, we met up with some friends, and since we all had young kids, we decided to take a very easy hike. We chose the Colter Bay Lakeshore Trail. This trail is an easy 2.5 mile hike that goes along the shore of Jackson Lake. There is only 85 feet of elevation gain, so it is an easy trail for people at any level. The trail offers some spectacular views of the lake with the Tetons towering in the background. After the first mile or so, the kids were ready to go for a swim and they all jumped into the refreshing water for a while.




Another easy trail to do is the Schwabacher’s Landing Trail. It is not far from Mormon Row. So, after we finished snapping our barn photos, we made our way to this trail. It is a short half mile trail with less than 10 feet of elevation gain. It has some beautiful areas of wildflowers and moose are often seen in this area. If you are looking for a great starter trail with incredible views, this is the one.

If you’re looking for a bit more challenge. Or, you want to get further into the back country and away from the crowds, we suggest the Cascade Canyon Trail. We have done this trail twice now. The first time we went on a “date” hike without the kids. The second time we took the kids. Bother times were amazing. The Cascade Canyon Trail is listed as a “moderately” hard hike.

To get to this trail, there are 2 options. You can either hike part of the way around Jenny Lake to the trailhead. Or, take a boat across Jenny Lake. We have done this trail twice now and opted for the boat ride both time. It is just over 9 miles round trip. If you take the trail around Jenny Lake to the left, it will add another 2 miles one way to your hike. That will make the 9 mile hike a total of 13 miles. The boat ride was very nice and we got to the Cascade Canyon trailhead refreshed and ready for our hike. This trail has a total elevation gain of over 1,100 feet. So, be ready for a bit of a climb! The Cascade Canyon Trail follows the Cascade Creek up into the mountains. The first half mile of the trail is the hardest. This is when you are walking up over 400 feet in elevation in under half a mile to Inspiration Point. You pass an area called Hidden Falls along the way. This is a beautiful area as well. The falls are appropriately named as you can’t see them. But you can see the spray coming off of the falls in the forest. Once you cross the bridge at Hidden Falls, the quick elevation gain to Inspiration Point really starts. Inspiration Point itself, with an elevation of 7200 feet, is a beautiful hike and a lot of people don’t want to go any further because they are tired for this fast climb. This is where most people stop. But, the other 700 feet of elevation gain on the Cascade Canyon Trail is done over a 4 mile stretch. So, it is MUCH easier than the first half mile to Inspiration Point. After passing Inspiration Point the crowds really start thinning out. You will see less and less people the further you go into the canyon. The further from the crowds, the more wildlife you will see! There is an area a couple miles or so into the trail that opens up and makes the perfect place for a photo. Two animals we had always wanted to see at Grand Teton were bears and moose. The first time we hiked this trail, there was a bear playing in Cascade Creek. He then went up the other side and spent some time eating berries. So we finally got to see our Teton bear! The next time we went, we took our kids and hoped to see a moose. We got our wish! About 2 miles into the trail, we stopped to do a family photo. We were setting up for our photo when we heard a growl. I immediately assumed it was a grizzly and went for the bear spray. Then, across the creek, a male moose emerged from the brush! We started watching this moose, and saw some movement in the bushes behind it. That’s when we saw a mama moose and her baby. Several other people stopped with and watched the moose with us. At this point, our hike was over. We didn’t even finish the trail. We sat there and watched these moose until it was time to head back. It was incredible to see THREE moose right there on the trail.



All in all, Grand Teton is one of our favorite national parks. Every time we have visited we have seen abundant wildlife and beautiful scenery. This is a park that absolutely should be on everyone’s bucket list. If you ever visit Yellowstone, make it a point to make the 30 miles drive south to Grand Teton!