During the last week of September I took a vacation out west and spent time in Grand Teton National Park and Yellowstone. Today I am going to give my travel guide for Grand Teton detailing where I stayed, places I visited, and my suggested must-see spots if you ever visit in the future.
Grand Teton National Park is located in Wyoming outside of the town of Jackson. To get to Grand Teton you can fly into Jackson Hole Airport which is conveniently located between Jackson and the park. I personally did not fly into Jackson because I had Southwest flight credits from a cancelled trip in March (thanks, Covid) and Southwest does not fly into Jackson Hole Airport. I instead flew to Salt Lake City and then drove to Grand Teton, but if it weren’t for my flight credits I would have absolutely flew into Jackson.
Hotel
While you can certainly stay in an Airbnb in or around Grand Teton National Park, the majority of nearby lodging is in Jackson. Jackson has plenty of hotel, motel, and resort options. I stayed at Mountain Modern Motel which is a charming spot 3 blocks from Town Square. Mountain Modern Motel was built within the last few years so it is nice, clean, and renovated. The decor of the rooms is a rustic modern feel with cool wallpaper featuring the Teton Mountains and maps of Grand Teton and Yellowstone, along with buffalo check bedding.
The motel has a total of 135 rooms and features a pool and hot tub as well as a barbecue restaurant on site. My favorite thing about the room is the large “kitchen area”. The room has a mini fridge and microwave but it also has a large counter top area which was great for packing our lunches for our adventures the following days. When you are doing activities in Grand Teton such as hiking, you likely will need to pack a lunch to take with you. Not only did the motel feature a great area to prepare lunches, there is an Albertson’s grocery store about 5 minutes from the motel where you can buy any groceries you need and even bear spray if you plan on hiking.
Things To Do (Day 1)
We spent two whole days in Grand Teton. It was enough time to see and do the things we had planned, but I think four days spent at the park would be ideal. On our first day, we drove from our motel to the park which is only about 20 minutes away. The admission to the park is $35 per vehicle which lasts for an entire week. I will say that renting a car is imperative in order to get around to all of the different spots the park has to offer.
Our first location was Jenny Lake, which may be one of the most popular spots in Grand Teton. Jenny lake features a visitor center and also a boat shuttle which takes you across the lake to the other side where there are hiking trails. A one-way ticket on the shuttle is $10 and a round-trip ticket is $18. Once taking the boat across the lake, you then have a few different trail options for different sights. We hiked to Hidden Falls, which is a large waterfall that runs through the forest. A lot of people hang out on the rocks of the waterfall and we did as well and ate our lunch that we packed for the day. After Hidden Falls, we then hiked to Inspiration Point which is an overlook of the lake and surrounding area. When then hiked back down and took the boat shuttle back over Jenny Lake.
Hidden Falls 
Hidden Falls
At this point we then drove to the Leigh Lake trail head. Leigh Lake is another beautiful lake with beautiful scenery around. The hike is very easy because it is entirely flat and travels along the lake. The trail was only 1.8 miles round trip and we got some great shots at the end of the trail. This trail is much less populated than the trails around Jenny Lake making it a bit more peaceful and serene. I would suggest having bear spray with you on this hike. It is unlikely you will encounter a bear and need to use it, but since the trail is less populated and it runs along water I think it’s good to have it just in case.
Leigh Lake 
Leigh Lake
Next we drove to Signal Mountain. Signal Mountain has a great overlook area that shows off the other side of the park featuring the valleys and Snake River. You can hike up Signal Mountain, but there also is a road that takes you to the top. The road is long, narrow, and curvy so it takes a bit to reach the top. Once you reach the top, there is a small parking lot and an area for viewing and taking photos.
After Signal Mountain we then drove to Oxbow Bend. Oxbow Bend is a scenic overlook along the highway that is a crescent-shaped portion of a river. Trees line the river and you can see the Teton Mountains in the distance making it a really beautiful spot for a photo or just for taking in nature. Because there are so many trees along the river, this was especially pretty in the fall because of the bright yellow leaves. Although I didn’t see any wildlife while I was there, this location is home to a variety of birds and animals.
Our next stop was Snake River Overlook. Snake River Overlook is another easy stop that features parking and plenty of space for the overlook. The view you get from this spot is of the winding Snake River with the Teton Mountains in the background. This is another great spot for a photo, and when using binoculars we were able to spot a few elk in the far distance in the fields.
Schwabacher Landing is just a short drive down the road. Of all of the scenic spots and locations within Grand Teton, I think this is my favorite one. It is truly beautiful! There is a trail right along the river with plenty of trees (that were in vibrant fall colors) and the Tetons in the background. We arrived closer to sunset so the sun was going down which made the lighting really warm and dreamy. The trees and mountains leave a pretty reflection in the river and there are many photo opportunities along the short trail. I can’t recommend this spot enough!
Our last stop on day one was Mormon Row. Mormon Row was established in the late 1800’s by a group of Mormons who migrated from Idaho to expand their communities. They turned the area into a farming settlement and today two barns still remain. The barns are incredibly picturesque in front of the Teton mountains and make for a beautiful photo. After this we finally headed back to our hotel and ordered some take-out.
Things to Do (Day 2)
Our second day in Grand Teton was reserved for hiking. We hiked to Delta Lake, the glacial lake below the Teton Glacier. If you want to learn more about the hike and all of the ins and outs, check out my Delta Lake Hike blog post to get the details. This hike took about 6 hours so it was the majority of our day, but we did have time to make a few stops afterwards.
Jackson Lake is a large lake in the northern portion of the park. There are multiple viewpoints along the lake, but we stopped at the Jackson Dam to get the below picture. There is a parking lot right at the bridge of the dam and sidewalks on each side of the bridge, so you can get a great shot of the Teton Mountains reflecting in the lake. It is amazing!
The rest of day consisted of us driving through Grand Teton and pulling off at the many lookouts to get more photos. The entire park is so scenic everywhere you look. We then headed back to our hotel to relax in preparation for our drive to Yellowstone the next morning. In conclusion, I absolutely recommend Grand Teton National Park to anyone who is looking for a vacation that has a focus on nature. Grand Teton is a photographer’s dream and has plenty of activities to keep you busy for a few days. I truly hope I can make it back there again in the future. Stay tuned next week for my travel guide for Yellowstone. Until next time!
[…] visited Yellowstone in conjunction with our trip to Grand Teton National Park (see my travel guide here). Yellowstone and Grand Teton are both located in Wyoming and are only 30 miles apart. It is […]