Out West Adventure || Grand Teton National Park

Our family summer trip out west this summer was a huge success! We absolutely loved our time among the beauty of the national parks and grandeur of the Grand Tetons.  Since we visited this same area as a family two years ago – this year we had the luxury of being less “touristy” and spent more time just soaking in the beauty. I shared some updates during our trip on Instagram and had lots of questions about what we did so I wanted to share a recap with you here. Sounds like lots of you are planning your own trip out west! 

 

 

Turns out I never shared a recap from our trip in 2021 so I am going to do a full series this week with highlights from this year along with our 2021 trip! 

 

1. Grand Teton National Park

2. Jackson Hole, Wyoming

3. Yellowstone National Park

4. Wilson, Wyoming

5. Sun Valley, Idaho

 

 

I highly recommend to not over plan your trip and just have one or two activities each day. We didn’t fill our days with packed itineraries but instead set out on both trips with a list of things we would “like to do” while we were there. In full transparency, some of our closest friends moved to Jackson during the pandemic so the reality is we were happy to just be spending time visiting with them and let them help guide us on our plans.   

 

So let’s jump in on some highlights from the Grand Teton National Park! 

 

 

 

The most obvious thing to do while visiting the area is to visit the Grand Teton National Park. Truly there is nothing better than walking off the airplane upon arrival- you are literally already in the National Park! There is nothing more grand I have seen than the Grand Tetons!  The annual National park pass is $80 and good for all national parks (including Yellowstone). GTNP definitely gets busy in the summer so plan accordingly. We found that it is helpful to head in early to get parking at the more popular destinations. Since we are east coast time, it usually isn’t a problem to get up and go early.  When in the park, I am just overwhelmed with gratitude that this land was preserved over 100 years ago so that it could be enjoyed and remain pristine for all generations. 

 

This year we planned for a day hike at Jenny Lake. Wow! So pretty and really the perfect hike distance for the boys. We hiked out and then took the boat back across the lake. The parking lot was busy but we were able to find a spot and once we were out hiking it didn’t feel busy at all. 

 

 

 

Another GTNP adventure was renting a boat at Jackson Lake. We did this through Signal Mountain Lodge Marina. The views are truly stunning! Here you get an up close look at Mount Moran which is part of the Teton mountain range. The water is chilly, but the company was perfection and we enjoyed this outing both of our visits. 

 

 

Another must-do is to hit Dornan’s. We stop in here for some food anytime we can! It’s just so relaxing and pretty and always the perfect pit stop. The boy’s love their ice cream. We usually grab a quick lunch. There are some yard games to pass the time. And the views are great!