One summer day in awe of Grand Teton NP

1 day itinerary

You'll never forget your first look at the Tetons. Their unique shape and striking appearance, rising sharply from the Wyoming floor, are unlike any other mountains in the entire US! Grand Teton National Park is often forgotten about as many concentrate on Yellowstone when it comes to exploring the Rockies. All we can say is - that's a massive mistake... A one day trip to the Tetons during the summer can fit in perfectly with your Yellowstone adventure!

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Without a doubt a long day, but there are so many fantastic viewpoints, beautiful lakes and adrenaline fuelled activities, you just have to start early! If you're travelling south from Yellowstone, you might be a little late for sunrise. But if you're super committed to the early start then head up Signal Mountain as one of the best sunrise options close to your entry of the park. It's just over an hour from West Thumb, but about two hours from West Yellowstone, so try to stay as south in Yellowstone as possible the night before if possible!

For those staying in Grand Teton NP, or nearby such as in Jackson Hole, then an early start won't be "quite" as early! Our pick for sunrise for you is the Mormin Row Historic District, with the Moulton Barns creating a beautiful foreground. It's a popular sunrise and sunset spot with photographers, so you know it'll be beautiful!

After sunrise, tuck into a little bit of trail mix and drive over to Leigh Lake Trailhead and String Lake. This quiet, stunning lake is sheltered by both trees and the mountains, meaning that on calm mornings, the Tetons will be beautifully cast in the mirror reflection! A small hike around the lake will take you over a bridge to the much more significantly sized Jenny Lake. We recommend you turn back around at this point with plenty of things left to explore today. But the most avid hikers may very much enjoy a longer trail - a challenging 10 mile round-trip out-and-back which gets you up close with the mountains over 5 or 6 hours.

From String Lake, head south to Jackson for a brilliant ride cascading down the parks main river. Venturing mostly through neighbouring Bridger-Teton National Forest, class II and III rapids such as The Lunch counter, The Big Kahuna, and even a bubbling underwater waterfall aptly named Champagne, means that the Snake River will certainly thrill! If white water rafting isn't for you though, then you should definitely float on a different section of the river on a relaxed scenic raft instead!

Grab some food in Jackson either before or after your excursion (timings dependent) before returning north into the park. Or our pick - head up the nearby aerial tramway via gondola to get an entirely different perspective of the park, viewing it from Rendevous Mountain! What's even better is that you can get waffles at the top at Corbet's Cabin - dreamy!

Depending on how long you spend at the summit, for the rest of the afternoon, complete what you started this morning by following the rest of Teton Park Road. Take your time, with plenty of viewpoints! There's also some trails which you can pop around if you fancy - Taggert Lake & Bradley Lakes are reasonable length hikes.

Visitors every year end up injured and risk the safety of animals by not respecting their space in an attempt to get the 'perfect picture'. Please make sure to stay at least 100 yards from bears & wolves, and at least 25 yards from all other animals, ideally more. Wild animals are unpredictable & always deserve our respect.

Be particularly aware of bears when in Grand Teton - when on the trails, keep making noise, stay vigilant, and ideally carry bear spray, especially if hiking in back-country areas. If you come across one, keep making noise, and walk back slowly while making sure to always face the bear. Never turn your back or run!

End your day with a couple of special views! Along the main road through the park lies Schwabacher Landing and Snake River Overlook. Both are stunning and will be perfect for sunset! Our personal choice is the latter, as it has a little more parking and wider vistas, to really capture the changing colours! And that brings a close on a special day in one of the nation's most spectacular parks!

If you feel like you want to spend more time in this Wyoming gem then check out our 3 day itinerary! You can also see it for a day during our 5 day Yellowstone itinerary, or visit it on our awesome Continental Divide Road Trip itinerary! The choice is yours!