I learned something new while researching the best way to visit Grand Teton National Park, located south of Yellowstone in Wyoming. Jackson Hole is the valley that borders the Teton mountains and encompasses the town of Jackson and Teton Village. I thought that Jackson Hole was a town, so now I know better. We stayed at an RV park in Victor, Idaho, 25 miles west of Jackson, so we had to drive over Teton Pass (climbing from 6,100 to 8,400 feet elevation up and down a 10% grade) to get to it.
In Teton Village we rode an aerial tram that ascended 4,100 feet to the summit of Rendezvous Mountain in 12 minutes.
Jackson is a charming ski town with many shops and galleries. River rafting on the Snake River is popular in the summer.
Elk antler archway leading to Jackson’s town center
The Teton Mountain range is the star in Grand Teton National Park
We had planned on visiting Glacier National Park from Missoula, but two fires in the park caused the closure of the western entrance and a major section of the scenic Going-to-the-Sun highway. The eastern entrance was still open, but it would have taken too much time to get there (we only had one day to see the park), so we decided not to go. Instead, we drove around Missoula and stopped at the Carousel for Missoula, one of a few still remaining with hand-carved horses, and was was built by volunteers in the community. Other than the carousel and the University of Montana campus, there wasn’t much to see in Missoula, and I can’t believe I’m writing this much about this town.
Carousel for Missoula with hand-carved horsesScenic Clark Fork river
From Missoula we followed the beautiful Clark Fork river southeast through Montana to our RV park on Lake Hebgen near West Yellowstone. In 1959 and 7.5 magnitude earthquake hit this area which caused a massive landslide that dammed Lake Hebgen and created a new lake called Earthquake Lake.
Lake HebgenEarthquake Lake
Yellowstone was America’s first national park established in 1872 and covers almost 3,500 square miles. We only had 2 1/2 days to tour the park, so we had to make the best use of our time in order to see all of the wonders that this park contains within its boundaries.
Yellowstone driving map
The 142-mile road that takes you through the park is in a rough figure eight with five entrance roads leading to it, so we entered the park from West Yellowstone and drove the lower loop on the first 1 1/2 days and the upper loop on the last day. It takes a long time to tour the park because the speed limit in most of the park is 45 mph, but is 35 and 25 in several areas, and there are numerous turnouts and overlooks that you absolutely must stop at. Also, we encountered several traffic jams where wildlife (buffalo and elk) were within viewing distance and everyone stopped to take photos.
I had been to Yellowstone when I was about 12 or 13 but remembered very little, so it was like seeing it for the first time. I was amazed at the varying topography that we drove through, from grassy plains with a river meandering through it, to geyser basins filled with steaming mineral springs and fumaroles, to canyons carved by rivers and waterfalls to pine-covered plateaus. Yellowstone is also home to elk, grizzly bears, buffalo, wolves, foxes, badgers and river otters.
From Seattle we drove east to Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. The breathtakingly beautiful drive took us over Snoqualmie Pass, through the Cascade mountain range, past several lakes, over the Columbia River at George Gorge and by miles and miles of farmland. I loved that farmers had posted signs indicating what crops were growing in the fields – potatoes, sweet corn, field corn, alfalfa, tater tots, timothy, etc. I wish every farm did this.
Snoqualmie PassColumbia River
We spent a day in beautiful Coeur d’Alene on the northern shore of gorgeous Lake Coeur d’Alene. The weather was beautiful and we thoroughly enjoyed our visit.
