A Day in Grand Teton National Park

With Ludacris on the radio, we drove into the snowy mountains of Grand Teton on the next leg of our adventure.

We started by stopping in at the Jenny Lake Visitor’s Center for info on the park and to purchase bear spray.

Up until this point, we hadn’t been too concerned about bears. But entering Grand Teton, one of the first things you will see are signs declaring this to be bear country. All of the warnings (plus a couple in the store saying they saw multiple bears on a hike that day) convinced us to make the $50 purchase. We also planned to do more hiking in Yellowstone and later in Glacier, so it was a good investment for peace of mind. We bought ours here, but many stores in the area also carry it for slightly cheaper. One of our hotels actually let you rent bear spray for $5 per day, so that may be another option if you don’t want to pay the full amount or will only need it for a few days. You can also purchase bear spray online, but keep in mind that you cannot take it on an airplane. You also do not want to leave it in a hot car for any length of time as it might explode. If you don’t use your bear spray (we didn’t have to thankfully), you can donate it to the park rangers to use for training purposes.

We were only in Grand Teton for one full day, so we opted to spend it hiking near Jenny Lake.

If you’re up for a moderate to difficult hike, check out the 100ft waterfall Hidden Falls. You can choose to walk around the lake to the base of the Hidden Falls trail, or take a boat across. If you’re thinking of taking the boat, you will want to get there early or plan to wait a while. The line was so long on both sides of the lake that we chose to walk the path around the lake over and back.

For a slightly more difficult hike but amazing views, head upwards to another of the most popular spots in the park: Inspiration Point. The path does lead you up the side of a mountain with nothing between you and the a massive drop-off at times, so be ready for that. And for more incredible views, continue to Cascade Canyon. The trail is 9 miles in total, but you don’t have to do the entire in and out trail for the views. We only went a few miles in and took some amazing photos.

There are of course many more hikes and things to do in the park, so check out their website to learn more.

Cost: $35 per car (pass good for 7 days). Grand Teton is also on the National Park Pass ($80 and good for one year).

Where we stayed: Airbnb- Trails End Cabin, Victor, ID

For this leg of the trip, we found several neat Airbnbs. (The Grand Teton/Yellowstone area is VERY popular.) This particular Airbnb was like a tiny cabin and was a convenient walk to many restaurants. We would recommend searching out Airbnb, VRBO and similar sites as you may find great deals. Victor is a 45 minute drive from Grand Teton, but much more affordable.

Where to Eat/Drink: Cowboy Café (Dubois, WY), West Side Yard (Victor, ID), Pampanos (Victor, ID), Big Hole BBQ (Victor, ID), Butter (Victor, ID), Alpine Coffee (Victor, ID)

On your way to Grand Teton, if you’re coming from the East, stop in at the Cowboy Café in Dubois for lunch. The patty melts and sweet potato fries are delicious. Dubois is a cute little town, but watch out for dust storms. Seriously.

If you’re staying in Victor, we have several recommendations for you. First off, try West Side Yard for dinner and/or drinks. The Italian sandwich is very good. We had breakfast at Pampanos, a Mexican-style restaurant that is open for breakfast and lunch. The pancakes are delicious.

If you like BBQ, try Big Hole BBQ. Their sandwiches and mac-n-cheese were tasty. This restaurant was out of a lot of food items and ran out of pork while we were still there. Though it can be frustrating, keep in mind that it may be difficult for them to keep everything stocked with all of the tourists and infrequent food deliveries. Try to be understanding if a restaurant in this area is out of certain things. They do their best.

Another great breakfast place in Victor is Butter. It can be a long wait here as it is very popular, but the food is really good. If you’re in the sweet and savory mood, try the Sweet & Savory Sandwich which consists of French toast cranberry bread, cranberry jam, egg, bacon and syrup. It is more sweet than savory with the jam, but you can always get it on the side. On your way to the park, stop by the drive-thru only Alpine Coffee. Here you can get hot and iced coffees to give you an extra pep in your step. And trust us, you will need it.