On my 2006 Yellowstone trip, our tour briefly stopped at a beautiful outlook where I distinctly remember being in awe when I saw the snow-capped Tetons rocky peaks for the first time. It was truly love at first sight and I’ve wanted to return since. When Chi and I decided to visit Yellowstone, I knew I wanted to spend more time in Grand Teton National Park.

Thursday August 20, 2020

We packed up our camp at Yellowstone and drove south to the Tetons. As we entered the park, the views were beautiful but hazy. At first, I thought it was just morning fog but later realized it was smoke from the surrounding wildfires.

Our morning activity was to hike to Taggart Lake. I was hoping this park would be quieter but the parking lots were full. After circling a few times, we finally snagged a spot at the trailhead. This hike was fantastic. It was gentle with lots to see along the way including waterfalls, creeks, aspen trees, and the mountaintops.

The lake was gorgeous and I would imagine a beautiful reflection on a calm clear day. We enjoyed our lunch here and I dipped my feet in the water.

When we returned to the car, I decided to skip the next hike due to visibility. We went to String Lake instead to take a dip. We didn’t fully get in because the water was quite chilly. We sat on a rock in the lake admiring the partial views. 

We checked into our cabins at Colter Bay for two nights. It was a relief to have a proper bed and a personal bathroom. There is also an onsite restaurant for takeout. This gave us a well-desired break from cooking our own dinners.

The bay would have given us a fantastic sunset against the Tetons but due to the smoke, we could only see an outline of the mountains. 

Friday August 21, 2020

It was another early morning to catch the first ferry across Jenny Lake for a day hike to Cascade Canyon. Along our drive, we saw a grizzly bear and her four cubs. One of the cubs fell behind and rolled down a hill. He called out for his mom and it was adorable. 

The ferry was very quick to cross Jenny Lake. Passengers quickly unloaded and quickly hiked the main trail into Cascade Canyon and beyond. Our first stop of the hike was Hidden Falls. It was beautiful and we had the view mostly to ourselves. We didn’t stop too long as I was eager to head to Inspiration Point.

As we gained elevation, the golden sun was glowing upon us. It was a hazy sunrise but we were able to see Mount Owen. I was taking a photo of Chi and then as I finished, I heard a bush shuffle. I turned to it and suddenly saw a black furry figure emerge. It was a black bear! “It’s a bear… it’s a bear!” I firmly told Chi as he moved towards me and prepared our bear spray. We were both nervous and started backing away.

Suddenly, Chi notices another bear. “There’s another one!” he claimed. We thought it was a grizzly bear at first but later, we learned it was a brownish-black bear. From our research, we knew to back away and also make sure the bear knows you’re there. The bears were right on the trail blocking our way. As we were figuring out what to do next, another couple and hikers approached. The bear didn’t even care for us so we slipped around it as a group.

After that thrilling event, we continued up to Inspiration Point. We looked down at the bear, roaming around, eating his berries. We too ate our breakfast here, a minimally scented MRE. The sky was a hazy pinkish glow as the sun rose behind the smoke.

There wasn’t much to see at Inspiration Point but everyone was continuing into Cascade Canyon. We decided to follow and was rewarded with stunning views. Even with the haze, it was breathtaking.

We continued hiking 1.5 miles into the canyon before turning back. The trail continued for a total of 4.5-miles where you reach a fork. While part of me wanted to get to the fork, we weren’t prepared for a long hike. We were also hiking all the way back to the car and not taking the shuttle boat. We hike until the next clearing and on the way, Chi’s final wish was fulfilled by seeing a moose.

On our return, the same spot where we first saw the two bears, was filled with people. So…many…people. There was also a crowd around one of the bears. He was right on the trail and hard to get around. Chi stuck to the trail while I climbed around some boulders. This time, we managed to take some close-up photos.

We hiked around Jenny lake but there wasn’t much to see. We then made lunch near the lake, wandered to a quiet beach to relax, and enjoy what’s left of the views.

We planned to kayak that evening at Colter Bay since we were hiked-out. We arrived at 4:30 pm and the man in front of us took the last boat for the night. What crummy luck but I wasn’t too disappointed… There wouldn’t be much to see anyway! We consolidated ourselves with ice cream before dinner.

Saturday August 22, 2020

As we were driving out early morning, we saw two moose in the distant field. It was majestic but they ran away from us rather quickly.

We drove towards Jackson Hole and along the way made a couple of viewpoint stops. Yep, what a tease. Nothing to see! While it was a bummer not to fully enjoy the Tetons views, I know I’ll be back given the affinity I have with the park. 

One of my planned spots was Mesa Falls in Idaho. It was nice to take a break from the road but it’s no Yellowstone Falls, that’s for sure.

We stopped by a Texan BBQ joint, Firehole BBQ by the West Yellowstone gate. It was good but basic compared to Austin.

While driving, we saw burnt standing trees in the lake. It was unlike anything we’ve seen before. We saw an information stop and discovered this lake was caused by an earthquake in 1960. Those trees are called “ghost trees” and this lake is “Earthquake Lake”. This was a fun unexpected stop.

We continued our journey to Missoula for our night at the Holiday Inn. We finished our lunch leftovers and had soup for dinner. We did venture to Sweet Peaks Ice cream for a treat. My “Going to the Sun Road” caramel with toffee ice cream was divine.

Sunday August 23, 2020

It was a long drive back but we stopped in Wallace, Idaho for gas. I remember reading it was a cute historic mining town, so we explored it a bit. Since founded in the 1880s, this little town kept some of its historic charm.

I had found a recommended bike trail called Route of the Hiawatha. Unfortunately, I didn’t plan this well enough to do it, so we’ll have to come back for this! We stopped in Spokane to eat my pho takeout at Riverfront Park. This urban park impressed both of us. The grass was lush and green. The garbage cans open by stepping on it. The park itself was clean and lovely. Chi really wanted to attend an electronic festival at the U.S. Pavilion.

We continued the 5-hour drive home and made it back before dinner. It was a fun summer road trip. The drive didn’t feel as long as I expected. While we had other travel plans this year, we were fortunate to be able to explore these amazing national parks safely by car. Glacier National Park, I see you and you’re next!