Starting July 10, 2019, we spent six days in Grand Teton National park with our 2-year old and 7-year old kids, camping five nights in Jenny Lake Campground, and one in Lizard Creek Campground. If you are wondering whether or not to visit the park with your kids, the answer is a clear and emphatic “yes”! Not only is it great for kids to experience, but it will be more fun for you as well than you might expect. Our kids had a great time exploring the park, and loved camping (not a single complaint; only excitement).
Here are a few tips I can offer for exploring Grand Teton National Park with kids:
1. Wildlife spotting– Our kids loved wildlife spotting, which was made much more fun by having laminated guides with little pictures of the park’s animals. In many cases, they wouldn’t let go of them even in the car! A good one is “Mac’s Wildlife Guide” available at Dornan’s in Moose Junction and other places. Having the laminated sheets provided a fun activity to check off the animals that are spotted, making the sighting of the more elusive or rare animals a goal that will get the kids excited about exploring. Some hotspots for us for our wildlife spotting “safaris” were: Schwabacher Landing (see #3), Teton Park Road along Cottonwood Creek, the road to Two Ocean Lake, Pacific Creek from Pacific Creek Road, the north Jenny Lake scenic drive from String Lake back to the park road, the spot just east of Jackson Lake Junction labeled “Cattleman’s Bridge Site River Access”, and other river access points such as Deadman’s Bar road. We would typically wake up very early, put the still-groggy kids into the car and just go. We would snack in the car and have a proper breakfast when we got back to the campsite. The best wildlife viewing is early morning or in the evening.
2. Cascade Canyon hike– We did one long hike (for kids’ standards), up Cascade Canyon (about 9 miles round trip). It is absolutely stunningly beautiful and highly recommended. You can read more about this hike here. The hike is a great trade-off between you wanting an active (possibly even strenuous) experience in the park and the kids wanting to play in water. I carried our two-year old in a backpack the entire way but our seven-year old hiked all the way up and back. Regular doses of gummy bears helped motivate her. The route includes the popular Inspiration Point, continuing past that overlook as far up the canyon as you feel like hiking. Because the trail keeps going up, it is easy to turn around and come back down when you tire.
3. Schwabacher Landing– A short, easy walk along the Snake River lets you take in both the amazing views of the Teton Range reflected in the Snake River, and is rich with wildlife. A short spur (~1 mile) left off the main highway 191 a few miles north of Moose Junction takes you to the edge of the river. There is a very easy stroll along the banks of the river, and it is very rich with wildlife. With our kids, we spotted lots of interesting birds (kingfishers, bald eagles, western tanagers, etc) as well as other animals (e.g. muskrat). People regularly see moose and bears there, but we were not so lucky. The setting is so beautiful (particularly in the morning), and a great place to have a picnic and let kids play in the shallow and safe water near the parking area.
4. Colter Bay short hikes– One of the amazing things about Grand Teton National Park )and Yellowstone) is that despite the massive crowds that you see at places such as Colter Bay, often all it takes is 10 minutes of walking to get relative solitude. Colter Bay offers two great opportunities that we sampled: first, from the southern side of the main parking lot by the marina/visitor center, there is the Hermitage Point trailhead for Swan Lake, Heron Lake, Hermitage Point and beyond. You can make a very nice and very easy loop out of Swan and Heron Lakes. The loop is about 3 miles long, is relatively flat, and offers good opportunities for wildlife spotting. Our kids did great on this hike, and enjoyed spotting pelicans and looking for other wildlife. It will take a couple of hours, done at a casual pace. Probably the best option at Colter Bay, though, is the loop hike out from the visitor center called the Lakeshore trail. It is very easy, very beautiful, and most importantly is chock-full of great swimming opportunities in Jackson Lake. From the back of the visitor center, go down to the water by the boats, and go right. Follow the broad trail through the woods a short distance, and look for a trail sign marking a right turn to the loop hike. Once on the almost-island, the trail follows the shore, with plenty of spurs going down to idyllic pebble beaches, with crystal-clear warm water and breathtaking views of the Teton range. The total length of the trail is about two miles. It is a fantastic place for swimming and picnics, although bears are in the area (as everywhere in the park) so carry bear spray and keep your kids close.
5. Horseback riding– My older daughter is very interested in horses, and likes trail riding and exploring on horseback. There are several places around Grand Teton National Park that offer horseback rides for inexperienced (and/or young) riders, including near Jackson and at Flagg Ranch in the John D. Rockefeller Memorial Parkway lands between Grand Teton and Yellowstone. We chose Swift Creek Outfitters based primarily on scenic location. They offer one- or two-hour trail rides from their location off Pacific Creek road, just two miles east of the park boundary and within Bridger-Teton National Forest. For my wife and daughter, the total came to $130 for a two-hour ride that included multiple stream crossings, views of the Teton range, and scenery typical of the beautiful state of Wyoming. It was just them and one guide; no others in their group. We can highly recommend the place- it is beautiful and the people are great. It seems that they are an operating ranch (their main year-round operation is a couple of hours east) that has adapted to tourists in the national park. The horses are gentle, and the recommended age minimum is 7. No experience is necessary. This was definitely a highlight for my daughter. I stayed back with our two-year-old.
6. String Lake– What a place, and what a setting! Between Leigh Lake and Jenny Lake, the smaller, shallower String Lake is accessible from North Jenny Lake junction. We walked along the eastern shore, all the way to Leigh Lake, and there are numerous beautiful spots to swim and play. Near the parking lot, it can get quite crowded, but after having seen most of the lake, we can highly recommend the southern shore of the lake for beach time and playing in the water. Although there are usually other people present, the setting is unparalleled. Jaw-dropping views of the nearby rugged Tetons, and shallow, warm, crystal-clear water is what you can expect. It is a dream, and our kids played there for hours. We swam as well. You can also rent stand-up paddleboards from Dornan’s at Moose Junction, which we almost did until an afternoon thunderstorm changed our plans. But this would be an ideal place to do so. Such a beautiful setting and no motor boats, unlike Jackson Lake and Jenny Lake (which has only the ferries).
7. Junior Ranger Program– This is always fun for kids. The Grand Teton Junior Ranger program comes with a free workbook (available at any visitor center) and some activities that kids must complete such as scavenger hunts in the visitor center, ranger-led programs, and hiking, before they get “sworn in” as junior rangers and get a neat badge. The junior ranger program, similar to the wildlife cards of #1, kept our kids engaged in what the park had to offer and was lots of fun for them.
A short walk to some extremely ancient fossils