Only one day to spend in Grand Teton National Park? That’s too bad because we could have spent several days, but when we added Grand Teton National Park at the last minute, we didn’t have the luxury of several days. We did enjoy a good taste – enough to insure we want to go back. And we were lucky enough to be there just a bit late for the best fall foliage, but caught a glimpse of golden aspens.
Click the map for a National Park Service downloadable PDF map of Grand Teton National Park.
One Day in Grand Teton National Park
Stop at the Visitors Center, see the movie and ask the park rangers about what drive/hike would be best for your interests. We wanted to see more wildlife, golden fall foliage aspens and hike to Jenny Lake. Unfortunately the Jenny Lake hike was closed and the rangers suggested Taggert/Bradley Lake as an alternative for a short hike.
Drive the drive. We did a loop Moose Wilson Road (dirt/gravel) to Teton Park Road at Moose Junction then up to Moran Junction and back the main highway 191/26/89 to Jackson Hole, stopping at the Cunningham Cabin Historic Site on the way back. Unfortunately we saw no wildlife, but it was later in the morning when we started than ideal (after watching the movie and chatting with the park rangers). But the drive got us closer to the Teton Range and was fun. One warning – the Jenny Lake area was a mob scene when we were there in late September. Maybe because it’s one of the highlights of the park, but even so, the traffic congestion overwhelmed the view for us.
Hike the hike. We hiked the Taggert/Bradley Lakes Hike as suggested by the rangers. A bit over 5 miles round trip loop, the extra climb was worth the effort. The Taggert Lake portion of the trail is accessible by almost anyone, climbing to Bradley Lake is a bit more strenuous but not bad and the views were worth it. If we had it to do over again, we would have hiked the loop to Bradley Lake first returning via Taggert Lake – I’m pretty sure the elevation gain is steadier and not all at once that way making for an easier hike. We really really wanted to hike to Jenny Lake, but driving by there and seeing how crowded it was (we couldn’t get a spot to park to explore until we drove through twice) we were just as happy to move on.
Visit the abandoned homestead. Cunningham Cabin Historic Site was a trip back in time to an 1880’s ranch. Most of the structures aren’t standing but there’s a map outlining where everything was. It’s not hard to imagine, standing in the 2 room log cabin, how hard life must have been on the Bar Flying U Ranch. Go late in the afternoon for a photo of sunset over the Tetons behind the house. We weren’t there at the best time for sunset photos. Oh well…
Don’t forget about Jackson Hole! After a “tough” day wandering around Grand Teton National Park, do not miss Jackson Hole. Jackson Hole is actually the name for the entire valley and the little town is named Jackson. Famed for it’s antler arch main square and artsy boardwalk lined shops, we thoroughly enjoyed wandering through shops with original photography, paintings and sculpture we couldn’t begin to afford. Afterward, we saddled up to the bar at the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar for a drink and then rustled up some grub at the Snake River Brewing Company which was just OK, not great, but the atmosphere was fun.
For us the highlights were hiking to Taggert/Bradley Lakes and Jackson Hole – if we had to choose just two areas to spend our day, these would win hands down. Your experiences may vary! What would you do with one day in Grand Teton National Park? Please leave a comment and share. Cheers! Jan
