Liene's Adventures

CHAPTER 1:

30-DAY RV ROAD TRIP THROUGH THE AMERICAN WEST - SOUTH DAKOTA & BADLANDS NATIONAL PARK

CHAPTER 2:

30-DAY RV ROAD TRIP THROUGH THE AMERICAN WEST - THE BLACK HILLS, CUSTER STATE PARK & DEVILS TOWER

CHAPTER 3: 

30-DAY RV ROAD TRIP THROUGH THE AMERICAN WEST - YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK

*****

 

June 27

Grand Teton National Park was the last big stop on our 30-day-long RV road trip around the western part of the USA. As we left Yellowstone, I was a little bit sad because, inevitably, we were getting closer and closer to the end of our amazing adventure. However, it was not quite over yet as we still had 5 days to look forward to - exploring the Tetons and everything there was to see and do.

The drive between Yellowstone National Park and Grand Teton National Park was relatively short and took us right around 1 hour. We hadn’t even officially entered the park yet when we had to make a stop. The scenery was just too stunning to pass by. The Jackson Lake Overlook gave us our first taste of the Tetons and all the amazing landscapes that were awaiting us here.

 

COLTER BAY RV PARK

I had reserved a 3-night stay at Colter Bay RV Park. Although it was not cheap, it was the only campground inside Grand Teton National Park with full RV hookups at each site. Besides, the campground itself had plenty of amenities within walking distance. There were restaurants and cafes, a visitors’ center, grocery store, laundromat, gas station, activity desk, marina, gift shop etc.

We set up the RV at our assigned spot and decided that the evening was just too nice not to go out and enjoy it. As Colter Bay was situated right along the shore of Jackson Lake, a popular trail for all the campers was the 3-mile-long (4.8km) Colter Bay Lakeshore Trail. It started right at the campground and looped around little islands, past the marina, and eventually reached a swimming beach. Of course, the lake and mountains were the stars of the show here. Any way we turned, the scenery just took our breath away.

Once we reached the beach area, we sat down and let the boys enjoy the evening whichever way they wanted. It was a little too windy and chilly for us to go swimming, but it was nice to just sit down, relax and enjoy the scenery. Or throw rocks, if you asked my kids.

Eventually, my husband and the boys started getting hungry. They returned to the RV to start prepping dinner while I stayed back at the beach for just a little while longer. Most of the people had left by now, and I could enjoy my solitude at this amazing spot.

Apart from all the romantic aspects of this evening, we also had to take care of some practical things. And the very first one was laundry, which we had compiled loads of. We were also running very low on groceries. Surprisingly, the campground’s grocery store was stacked with all sorts of items, and we got more than we could carry. It really was very convenient to have all these amenities walking distance away from the campsite. 

 

June 28

This was turning out to be another beautiful day with blue skies and warm weather. After breakfast and morning coffee, we headed out to explore Grand Teton National Park. The main road through the park was 42 miles (68km) long, which meant there was plenty to see along it. 

One of the first stops we made shortly after leaving the campground was the roadside Willow Flats Overlook. Driving around in an RV had its advantages – we could always climb on top of it for better wildlife sighting opportunities! 

Another reason why we pulled in here was because park rangers had set up their mobile park exhibit here. They were talking about the park’s grizzly and black bears, handing out little brochures and stickers, and letting visitors try their hand at using bear spray. We would never dare venturing onto Teton trails without a bear spray. As a matter of fact, we always had 2 cans with us here – one for me and one for my husband. Always BE BEAR AWARE! 

Our destination was set for Jenny Lake; however, it was impossible to cover any decent distance without constantly stopping to admire the views. Every turn, every pullout, every overlook and even simple roadsides were impressive enough to make a stop.

The vast fields covered in silvery sage grass contrasted with impressive, snow-covered Teton peaks. Grand Teton National Park was quickly becoming my favorite of the trip!

We even got a surprise visit from a bull elk. It had come out of the woods to the busy roadside in search of some fresh, green grass. 

Although we had heard that Jenny Lake area could get very busy, we did not expect to see it this busy! There was no parking anywhere - neither in any of its several parking lots, nor anywhere along the road. Cars had been parked for miles along the access road and our RV had no chance of finding a parking spot here. But that was alright - we had a bike ride on our agenda, which meant we could park anywhere else and then bike back here if we wanted to. 3.5 miles (5.6km) farther up the road we pulled into an almost empty Teton Glacier Turnout. There was just 1 other car and one other RV here beside us. The perfect parking spot! 

 

GRAND TETON BIKE PATH

We packed our bags, unloaded the bikes and headed out onto the Teton Bike Path.

The Grand Teton bike path is over 50 miles (80km) long and connects various areas of the park with the town of Jackson and Teton Village. Although we had no intention of covering all 50 miles (80km), we wanted to explore the available pathways inside Grand Teton National Park. It goes without saying that the scenery was awe-inspiring in all directions!

We startled a herd of elk who darted across the bike path and took off across the fields. 

Many miles down the road we finally reached the park’s southernmost entrance station in Moose. They had a big visitors center here, so we parked our bikes (to give our legs and butts a break) and walked in to explore it. The exhibits were great, showing park animals and explaining life here during different seasons. Lots of interactive displays kept our boys busy. I loved the sections about winter mountaineering and rock climbing in Tetons.

We also explored the souvenir and gift shop, which had all the traditional souvenirs, magnets, T-shirts and the like, as well as a whole section of huckleberry flavored items. Huckleberries were a unique commodity we had noticed in the Wyoming area (Yellowstone earlier and now the Tetons). What made them so popular? Huckleberries grew naturally in the wilderness here and were picked by hand. Each growing season was unique. With temperature and rain fluctuations, the annual yield of plants could be hit or miss. This made huckleberries a hot commodity in the Yellowstone / Teton region. And even more so – the berries were too temperamental, and impossible to cultivate on farms. They were truly wild berries. This was a great local souvenir to bring home, and I purchased huckleberry muffin mix, huckleberry lollipops, huckleberry tea, huckleberry jam, huckleberry chap stick… huckleberry everything! Long after we were home, I could still enjoy a little taste of Grand Tetons! 

After we were done shopping and finished exploring the park’s exhibits, we hopped back on the bikes for a long ride back towards Jenny Lake. This was the busiest area of the park with many trailheads, ranger stations, and the Jenny Lake boat shuttle. It was much, much too crowded for us here. So, after a short glance around the main sights, we quickly left. We will be back here again, hopefully when it is a little more peaceful.

By the time we got back to our RV, we had biked nearly 17 miles (27km) along the Teton Range. It was a stunning bike ride though. And while beautiful scenery could feed the soul, it did not help our stomachs. We were starving. Good thing we drove around our own kitchen. Cooking up a quick afternoon lunch right there in the parking lot was not a problem. And we had the grandest of the views while doing it.

 

TAGGART AND BRADLEY LAKE LOOP TRAIL

Although my kids were not too excited about the idea of another activity, I tried to squeeze in as much as humanly possible during our short 5 days here - we did not drive all the way out here to watch TV. I had a hike on my agenda. This late in the afternoon finding parking at trailheads, even for an RV, was not a problem. Most people were leaving to go back to their hotel rooms or dinner reservations, which offered uncrowded trails and open parking lots for us. On our list was the 6.5-mile-long (10km) Taggart and Bradley Lake loop trail. It did have a solid 800ft (250m) elevation gain, yet it promised scenic landscapes of the mountains, lakes and meadows. And maybe we will even see a bear?!? We grabbed our bear sprays, lined up with me navigating in the front, kids in the middle, and my husband bringing up the rear, and we headed out.

It was a very varied trail crossing several streams, weaving in and out of woods, up hills and through valleys, and offering occasional glances at the Teton Range.

Our favorite part was the hike along Taggart Lake. The color of the water was glacier-green with mountain peaks reaching up into the sky in the background. The fish were swimming right along the shore, and the setting sun was giving the scenery a tranquil vibe. So late in the day there were just a handful of people that we met on the trail, making it a very relaxed experience. 

The hike concluded our 2nd day at Grand Teton National Park, and we returned to our campground for the night.

 

CASCADE CANYON TRAIL

June 29

Despite our late evening hike the night before, we had to get up at 5AM this morning. Our plan was to hike the 10-mile-long (16km) Cascade Canyon Trail which started at the far end of Jenny Lake. To avoid crowds and have better chances of spotting wildlife, we wanted to be on the first shuttle boat out (which left Jenny Lake Marina at 7AM). 

In comparison to yesterday, this early in the morning Jenny Lake area was void of almost all people. Half asleep we took our spots in line and shortly after successfully boarded the shuttle with other ''early birds.'' Ride across the lake was very scenic and quick. After just 10 minutes we were dropped off on the far end of the lake at the foot of the canyon. Our day’s adventure could start! 

The first section of the trail was a steep climb up a cliff side to a spot called Inspiration Point. From here we got a good look at Jenny Lake which we had just crossed on the shuttle boat some 30 minutes earlier. 

As we still had many long miles ahead of us, we did not linger here for too long and turned away from the lake heading deeper into the canyon. This canyon used to be a glacier valley – filled with snow and ice which retreated and melted 15,000 years ago. Standing in the middle of it we could see the towering mountain ridges on the left and right of us forming a ‘U’ shaped valley that used to hold the now-melted glacier. A unique and interesting place. 

The Cascade Creek flowing alongside the trail created a lush and lively landscape. We could see many worn-down animal trails leading to various drinking spots, yet did not have much luck spotting any large animals except a lonely deer and a moose hiding deep in the river grass across the valley.

Pikas and marmots were plentiful though. 

At the far end of the Canyon, we noticed a slight landscape change with more of a temperate rainforest setting that we had seen in the Pacific Northwest. Large trees were covered with hanging moss and lichen.  

Cascade Canyon was one of those trails that did not have any grand overlook or attractions at the end of it. The turnaround point after the initial 5 miles (8km) was just a simple trail intersection where, instead of going further into other parts of the canyon, hikers just turned around for a 5-mile (8km) hike back. This particular trail was truly more about the journey than the destination. 

On our walk back we met a pair of hikers who asked us if we had seen a momma bear with cubs by Jenny Lake boat dock in the morning. What?!? No, we did not! And we were the first boat out!!! How did we miss that?! The hikers explained that they actually hiked out even earlier – before the first boat arrived – and that’s when they saw momma with her cubs. We were so bummed! The whole way back we were keeping our eyes and ears open hoping the bear was still in the area… But with hundreds of loud tourists that had showed up here by now, of course there was not a chance that a bear would be hanging around. 

Right before reaching the boat dock, we made a little side-trip to see the Hidden Falls. Then we lined up for our boat ride across the lake, back to Jenny Lake parking lot. Altogether, the hike took us exactly 5.5 hours to complete. 

The last 2 days of miles and miles of bike rides, late night and early morning hikes combined with all the other busy activities had completely worn us out. Although it was only 2PM, we were exhausted. So, we decided to head back to the campground and take the rest of the day off. On our way back we passed by Jackson Lake Lodge and some inner voice urged us to turn in. I was not sure why… until we discovered the grand view of the Tetons from their upstairs lounge room and the reasonably priced burgers in their restaurant. Meal with a view? Yes, we had definitely deserved that! Good thing we listened to our inner voice and did not pass by this place!

Afterwards, it was off to the campground to enjoy a peaceful evening on the shores of the Colter Bay. While my kids enjoyed a rare treat - a movie, I walked down to the lakeshore for some relaxation and nature. 

 

JACKSON LAKE BREAKFAST CRUISE TO ELK ISLAND

June 30

Getting up extra early on our vacations was just our style, and this morning was no different! And who doesn’t like getting up at 5 or 6AM on a vacation?! Sounds so much fun! Usually, however, there was a good reason for it.

This time around, I had reserved us a 7AM boat tour / cruise to Elk Island which included a cowboy style buffet breakfast. I was not sure what to expect of this tour exactly, as there was not much information, and the description on the booking site was very basic. But it did look like something my husband would love. And after he (and the kids) had endured 3 weeks of endless hikes and bikes I had made them go on at every park, getting them some fun breakfast was the least I could do. 

The tour departed from Colter Bay Marina, which was a short stroll across the campground for us. At 7AM everyone was promptly loaded up in the boat and we cruised across Jackson Lake towards Elk Island. It was a beautiful, calm morning. No wind, blue skies and that early morning crisp air all around. We could not have asked for a more perfect day!

Once we reached Elk Island, it was time to deboard the boat and get some breakfast. We were hungry! The meal started with a strong cowboy coffee boiled over hot coal right in the firepit in front of us. Afterwards, we lined up for a buffet style breakfast. It was all cooked and served fresh right there on the island – bacon, eggs, pancakes, sausages, trout… And afterwards, fresh fruit and various pastries for dessert with more coffee! I am not sure if it was the fresh outdoor air, the skillful cooking or both, but everything tasted AMAZING! We went back for seconds and thirds, and fourths… And food never ran out. Cooks and servers even bagged some muffins for our boys to take along on the boat ride back. 

After breakfast everyone had about half an hour of free time to wander around Elk Island. We took the short but steep trail to the top of the hill and in my opinion, this was the best view of the Teton Range in the whole park!

The green sage grass with purple summer flowers, blue Jackson Lake, gray granite mountains and white snow caps created scenery that could only be described as a magical painting. It was so pure it almost did not seem real. Just so wild, so remote, yet so awe-inspiring. All the time in the world would not have been enough to take it all in.

But we only had 30 minutes. And soon enough we heard our guides calling everyone to the boat for our ride back. 

This tour with its quiet, early morning scenery, tasty picnic / buffet breakfast, and magic of the Elk Island has become one of my fondest memories of the whole trip to this day. I would suggest this tour to everyone!

Once we returned to our RV, it was time to pack up. Our 3 nights here at Colter Bay RV Park were up. However, we were not leaving Grand Teton National Park yet. Just like in Yellowstone, I wanted us to experience various areas of the park and see different campgrounds. So, for the upcoming night I had reserved us a site at Signal Mountain Campground. As we still had a few hours left until check-in, we decided to drive around the park and see some of the remaining well-known park sights we had not yet managed to visit. 

 

ELK FLATS AND SNAKE RIVER OVERLOOKS

Scenic Hwy 191 ran through Grand Teton National Park and had some of the famous park’s overlooks. Our first stop was Elk Ranch Flats Turnout. No elk, but I was very surprised to see bison and pronghorn here. I thought these species’ habitats were grasslands and prairies rather than these snowy mountain regions. But here they were!

Our next stop was the iconic Snake River Overlook. This was the location of the world-famous Ansel Adams photograph taken in 1942 which introduced the beauty of the Tetons to people from near and far. And I must admit that it truly was a stunning overlook with mountains in the distance and Snake River weaving its way through sagebrush flats below.

And while I am sure my boys did appreciate the scenic landscape; they were more interested in a crow that had found some cookie crumbs on the sidewalk and was desperately trying to protect them from thieving sparrows… Kids will be kids.

 

MORMON ROW HISTORIC DISTRICT

Our last stop along Hwy 191 was the iconic Mormon Row Historic District. I think everyone coming to the Tetons was familiar with the classic image of rustic wooden buildings standing in a green field against the stunning mountain backdrop. That was Mormon Row! Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1997 due to its rich cultural value, Mormon Row's remnants told the story of this area at the turn of the century. It highlighted the role Mormons played in western irrigation and settlement patterns and how harsh farm life was here.

We successfully parked our RV and took one of many paths in the field leading to the famous barn. This was one of those places where we saw bloggers taking pictures purely for Instagram. They were dressed in outrageous outfits with bright make-up and striking poses, checking each photo and constantly re-doing the shots for that more perfect capture! They were completely oblivious to all the other “normal’’ tourists just wanting to snap a simple photo without them posing in the background. It was a long wait until people started getting irritated and asked them to step aside! Finally, we could get our photos as well! 

My boys, meanwhile, did not care about the wait and were more pre-occupied with gophers (or ground squirrels) running around the fields. They had a very intricate underground tunnel system which my boys were determined to crack. When a squirrel disappeared into a tunnel, both boys were running around trying to figure out which hole it was going to pop out of again…

After seeing all the sights at Mormon Row, it was finally time for our check-in at the Signal Mountain Campground, so we drove straight there. It was a much smaller and much quieter campground than Colter Bay. But it offered bigger sites and more greenery and privacy. We could barely see our neighbors camping next to us. 

It didn’t take too long to walk the whole campground and soon enough we found ourselves back at the RV. Although it was approaching evening, it was not too late, only around 5PM. I did not want to just sit around so I started introducing an idea of going on one more last hike here at the park. After all, we still had not seen a Grand Teton bear! And I felt like this could be our lucky night. My husband was not too excited about the thought of a late-night bear-hunting expedition, but eventually I successfully convinced him. We packed up and rolled out.

 

STRING LAKE TRAIL

My trail of choice was 4.3-mile-long (7km) String Lake Trail. Many hikers had mentioned bear sightings on this trail, and it was rated very highly for scenery. So even if we did not get to see any bears, it would at least still be pretty. 

As we rolled towards String Lake, a black mass suddenly darted across the road from the nearby woods. It was so unexpected we had to slam on the brakes. It was a black bear! And it was so quick all we could manage to see was a big, black blob of fur and 4 fluffy feet appear from our left and disappear to our right. Well, if nothing else, then here was our bear sighting!  

After we pulled into the String Lake parking lot, we saw a crowd of people. We asked a park ranger what was happening, and he explained that a young bear had just left the area here where he had caused quite a ruckus and had drawn a big crowd with its antics. Great! Just our luck – to miss a bear by a few minutes. The ranger did say that the bear might still be hanging around trails so we might get lucky and spot it. That was enough information for me to throw on my backpack and hurry away. My husband, on the other hand, thought this was a horrible idea – to go on a trail where we know a bear might be, so he had his bear spray ready. 

We did not have to hike far, and after some 15 minutes we heard a loud commotion. A young cinnamon colored black bear was climbing a tree, then jumped down and darted into the woods before changing its mind and coming back. This was the same bear that had been in the parking lot earlier. And I finally got my first decent Grand Teton bear sighting! I could not be happier! 

After the bear left, we continued with the hike. The evening was calm and the farther we went the less people we met until eventually it was just us in the woods. String Lake had stayed below us, and we had gained some elevation along the mountainside. With kids slowing down on the uphill, I had walked a little ways ahead of them and my husband. Once I noticed it, I stopped to wait. But as I turned my head backwards, I noticed a big, brown head looking at me. It was a grizzly bear in a nearby meadow to my right. It had heard me and had stood up on its back legs to peek over the tall grass to see who I was. That was a pretty shocking moment for me as I was alone. But as quickly as the bear appeared, it disappeared. And by the time my kids and husband caught up with me seconds later, the bear had already gone. From then on, we made sure we stayed tightly together throughout the whole hike. 

By the time we finished the trail, it was approaching 8PM. And my intuition had not let me down – this had been a successful late-night outing with 3 bear sightings. And on the way back to the campsite we even spotted an elk as an extra bonus!

 

JACKSON LAKE BOAT RENTAL

July 1

This morning we let ourselves sleep in a little longer, and had late breakfast at the campsite. The boys entertained themselves by taking turns locking each other into the campsite’s bear-box. Let me tell you, the ideas (=trouble) those boys come up with just never cease to amaze us!

By 11 o’clock we checked out of the campsite and rolled a few hundred yards up the road to Signal Mountain Marina. We had made pontoon boat reservations for a 2-hour self-guided boating expedition around Jackson Lake. Unfortunately, out of all the days and weeks of wonderful, sunny weather that we had been lucky to have on this trip, this day was not it. The sky was cloudy and getting darker over the mountains by the minute. Marina staff informed us there was lightning on the radar. They had to wait for the storm to pass. No big deal, we walked back to the Signal Mountain Lodge, grabbed some coffee, peeked into their gift shops and returned to the marina an hour later. There was just enough of a window for decent weather to let our boat go out. But we were warned that we might not get our full reserved 2 hours, and they might need to call us back if the weather worsened again. At this point we were happy we could go out at all. 

It was very windy on the lake, chilly and the breeze was carrying over the rain from the mountains. The closer to the mountains we tried to go, the more vicious the rain got. Unless we wanted to get completely soaked to the bone, we were not getting near the mountains on the far side of the lake. So, we settled on exploring the shore and islands closer to the marina. However, after about an hour we got a radio call that lightning and thunder were rolling in again for the rest of the day, so the marina was ceasing operations for the day. We had to return to the dock.

We were a little bummed that our private lake day turned out to be a bust, however, we were also counting our blessings. During our almost month-long trip (by now), we had had maybe 2 or 3 rainy days. The weather had been absolutely perfect for us everywhere we went, so we had no reason to complain whatsoever. 

With little extra time on our hands, we drove out to Leeks Marina restaurant for some pizza. Afterwards we stopped at the visitor center where my boys handed in their Junior Ranger booklets and received their last badge of the trip – Grand Teton Junior Ranger. They had acquired quite a collection of badges and patches on this trip. And looking back at some of the first ones we got, it already felt so far back in the past. It was almost like a whole different trip. 

 

GROS VENTRE CAMPGROUND

This was it. We plotted course to our last campground – Gros Ventre.

This was our last day and last night of the trip. We had no more activities on our agenda apart from a leisurely last night at the campground. Gros Ventre campground was known for frequent moose sightings, so we walked down to the river in hopes of spotting some wildlife.

While we did not see any animals, we had a lot of fun skipping rocks and just enjoying the afternoon. In our thoughts, however, we were already bidding farewell. 

 

July 2

As we pulled out of the campground and turned homewards, a momma moose with her calf came out of the brush as if letting us see the magic of this place just one more time. This was their home. We were their guests. And it was time for us to go. 

We had more than 2000 miles (3220km) to go, and many days ahead of us to get back to Virginia. That was plenty of time to talk over everything we had seen and experienced. We reminisced about the places we had visited and wonders we had witnessed. This bucket list trip we had tried for years to accomplish was finally checked off our list! And it was worth every minute!  

 

Grand Teton campgrounds:

Colter Bay RV Park – site 481K, full hook-up, $278 for 3 nights

Signal Mountain Campground – site 18-1, electric only, $57.72 for 1 night

Gros Ventre Campground – site 177D, electric only, $54.95 for 1 night 

 

Fun facts:

Total distance driven during the whole trip: 5311 miles (8547km)

Average fuel usage: 9.00 gallons per mile (26 liters per 100km)

Amount of gas used: 590 gallons (2234 liters). At a VERY rough average estimate of $3.50 per gallon, that would be $2,065 in gas (we did not keep track of actual gas prices at each location).