Our Grand Tetons Travel Guide is ideal for first-time park visitors who want to make the most out of their experience. This travel guide includes planning tips, scenic drives & hikes, photo opportunities, and our favorite hidden gem. Grand Teton National Park is a mountain range in Wyoming, 1 hour south of Yellowstone National Park. It is part of the Rocky Mountains and is known for its scenic views and wildlife.
Grand Tetons
Overview & Map
Planning Tips Overview
- Best Time of Year to Visit:
- Peak Season: July & August (largest crowds, weather is warm enough to camp)
- Still wear layers (~80ºF during the day and ~30ºF at night)
- April-May & Sept-Oct (colder weather, fewer crowds)
- Peak Season: July & August (largest crowds, weather is warm enough to camp)
- How to Get There:
- Jackson Hole Airport (in the Park)
- Idaho Falls Regional Airport (2 hour Drive)
- Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport (3.5 hour Drive)
- Road Trip
- Local Transportation:
- Rent a Car near the airport. You’ll want/need a car to fully experience Grand Tetons
- Grand Teton is easy to navigate without a guide.
- Where to Stay:
- 6 Campgrounds with great amenities, mostly First Come First Serve
- The Park has lodging and there are some additional places to stay in Jackson
- Navigation:
- Download an offline Google Map before you go. You won’t have cell service in the Park. (How to)
- “Follow” our Grand Teton Travel Guide Google Map. This will save our recommended stops directly onto your Google Maps App
- How to Download and Save Google Maps
Grand Teton Travel Guide Map
Clicking on “Save Google Map” will automatically save it to your Google Maps (If you are signed in)
Download the Gypsy Grand Tetons and Yellowstone Audio Driving Tour App: This audio tour app explains the uniqueness of how the mountain range was formed, park history, geological features, and lesser known stops. It connects to your phone’s GPS and automatically plays location specific information as you drive around the park.
Grand Teton Things To Do
Time: 2-3 Days
Scenic Drive – Grand Teton Loop
- Popular Photographed Locations
- Inspiration Point Trail
- Hidden Falls
- Delta Lake Hike
- Other Popular Hikes
- Inspiration Point Trail
- Drive Moose Wilson Road – Scenic Drive
- Air Tram to “Top of the World
- Hike to Deck at Piste
- Teton Village
1. Scenic Drive – Grand Teton Loop:
The area around Grand Tetons is gorgeous. So as simple as it sounds, driving around the main loop is an activity in itself. There are multiple pull-offs along the way that allow you to enjoy the various perspectives of this beautiful mountain range. There is also plenty of animal life to enjoy such as bears, moose, elk, deer, and foxes.
Popular Photographed Locations
There are 5 main photographed locations along this loop. These locations are presented below in clockwise order, starting in the north, and the views can be seen in the below image carousel. We’ve also labeled these points on our Grand Tetons Travel Guide Google Map.
- Jackson Lake Dam
- Oxbow Bend
- Snake River Overlook
- Schwabacher’s Landing
- Mormon Row – Moulton Barns
5 Popular Photographed Locations
2. Scenic Hikes:
Grand Teton is full of scenic hikes ranging in complexity. Below are our two favorite hikes and some other very popular hiking trails in the park. The National Park Service has additional information about all the maintained Grand Teton Hiking Trails
Inspiration Point Trail
Distance: 1.8 Miles
Elevation Gain: 410 ft.
Route Type: Out & Back
Starting Point: Jenny Lake Boat Shuttle Launch Point (Google Map Location)
This is a family-friendly short hike that has two main features worth seeing, Inspiration Point and Hidden Falls. The Jenny Lake Boat Shuttle has made this hike more accessible as it eliminates the 2-mile hike (each way) around the lake. The cost is $18 round trip or $10 each way. Shuttles run every 10-15 minutes throughout the day. For us, the cost was well worth it to save on the time and energy of walking around! Check out their website for updated costs and schedule details: Jenny Lake Boat Shuttle.
The trail is well marked and heavily trafficked, especially when the shuttle arrives. Here is the link to the AllTrails Hike if you want to see the hike outlined.
A continuation of the Inspiration Point Trail is Cascade Canyon Trail. This is a popular moderate hike that is 9.7 miles out and back with a 1,100′ elevation gain.
Hidden Falls
Inspiration Point
Hidden Falls
Delta Lake Hike
Distance: 9.0 miles (4.5 miles to Delta Lake)
Elevation Gain: 2,329 ft
Route Type: Out & Back
Delta Lake is glacier fed which gives it that picturesque turquoise color and keeps the water temperature frigid cold! This is a difficult hike that is 9 miles out and back with a 2,300 ft. elevation increase! This was a challenge for us, as we are not expert hikers, but reaching the oasis of Delta Lake was worth the effort.
This was our favorite hike in Grand Tetons (maybe of all time). About 1 mile of the hike is unmaintained by the park, so navigating it can be tricky. Because of this complexity, we created a separate post that includes Delta Like Hike Details and tips & tricks to make the hike safer and more fun!
Delta Lake
Other Popular Hikes
- Taggart Lake Trail
- Cascade Canyon Trail (Continuation of Inspiration Point Trail)
- String Lake Trail
- Phelps Lake Trail
3. Day Trip to Jackson Hole:
Drive Moose Wilson Road – Scenic Drive
This is the main road to Jackson Hole from Grand Tetons and also a scenic drive! There is a higher likelihood of seeing animals along this drive (only time we saw a moose!). We also enjoyed listening to the Gypsy Grand Tetons Audio Driving Tour along this drive.
Aerial Tram to “Top of the World”
The Aerial Tram (~$32/person) is the best way to climb a mountain! (~4,000′ elevation gain) You get mountain top views and photos without having to exert any energy (photos below). We loved the views from on “Top of the World” so much that we decided to hike down to the Deck at Piste, then took the Bridger Gondola down to Teton Village.
The Deck at Piste
The Deck at Piste is a popular restaurant & bar in the Jackson Hole Mountains. It has an amazing view of the valley (photo below). We intended on staying here for drinks, however they ended up being closed for a private event.
Teton Village
Jackson Hole is a ski town in the wintertime so Teton Village is at the bottom of the mountain. There are various activities, restaurants, and bars to partake in.
Top of the World Hike
Top of the World View
Deck at Piste View
Grand Teton Lodging
We highly recommend staying inside the park for convenience. This gives you more time to explore and less time traveling in and out of the park.
Summer Lodging
Affiliated with Grand Teton National Park
Jenny Lake Lodge
Jackson Lake Lodge
Colter Bay Village
Headwaters Lodge at Flagg Ranch
Additional Lodging Options
Triangle X
Signal Mountain Lodge
Grand Teton Campgrounds
There are 6 Campgrounds in Grand Teton National Park, mostly run by first come first serve. You’ll need cash or check to secure any first come campsite, and we recommend getting there before 9am. Though, 3 of them take limited reservations for groups and/or RV camping. We’ve labeled these below. Here is the Grand Teton Campground Website to learn more about the campsite’s availability, costs, and amenities.
Signal Mountain
- Pick up an envelope from front stand.
- Find Campsite that has an empty plastic sleeve.
- Put the reservation slip in the empty plastic bag.
- Go back to front stand to pay.
- Check or CASH
- Non-electric: $32/night
Campsites with Reservations
Colter Bay Campground (RV & Group Reservations)
Gros Ventre Campground (Group Reservations)
Headwaters Campground and RV sites (RV Reservations)
First Come, First Serve Campsites
We stayed at Signal Mountain Campground and absolutely loved the amenities ($ showers) and our location. We got lucky and secured what we believe to be the best spot in the campground (Spot 15). This spot is right on the lake, with a beautiful view of the mountains. Spot 16 and 17 are further inland but have a path out to this viewing location.
Signal Mountain Campsite View
