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Trip Itinerary

Arrive Jackson, Wyoming. Transfer to the Antler Inn Motel on your own. We’ll meet in the motel at about 6PM for introductions and orientation, then go out for dinner (please note that all meals are on your own, except for the picnic lunch in Yellowstone).

We’ll be picked up by our shuttle van service at 7:30AM for the 30 minute ride to the park’s spectacular, new Craig Thomas Visitor Center. We’ll have about an hour to wander through this remarkable facility. We then reboard the van for the ride on the Moose Wilson Road (good wildlife viewing) to the Laurence S. Rockefeller Preserve. After a short visit to the Preserve Center, we’ll hike the Phelps Lake Loop Trail, about 7.0 miles, with ups and downs between 6400 and 7000 feet. This is our 4 hour, moderate “warm up” hike. The trail takes us around Phelps Lake, the park’s fourth largest, and offers great views of the surrounding peaks. Return to the Preserve Center for transport back to the motel. On the way back, we’ll stop at an Albertsons supermarket to stock up on breakfast and/or lunch supplies for the week.

We’ll be picked up by two 7 passenger vans provided by The Hole Hiking Experience, for a guided hike on the Teton Crest Trail, in the Bridger-Teton National Forest. This moderate to strenuous, 6 hour, 7 mile hike begins near Teton Pass, at the southern end of the Teton Range, at 7800 feet elevation, climbing to about 9000 feet. Our destination is Ski Lake and the opportunity to explore the sub alpine environment. This hike offers great mountain views, beautiful meadows and forested areas. The focus of our two naturalist guides is to share their knowledge of the natural world so you can participate with nature. As we look for animals and their sign, you will learn about the ecology and natural history of this area.

Our shuttle van service will drive us to the Colter Bay Visitor Center, on beautiful Jackson Lake, for a moderate 9.5 mile hike out to Hermitage Point, where we are treated to spectacular views of the Tetons across the lake. The trail is generally flat, but contains numerous ups and downs of about 100 feet each. The trail passes several small ponds and wetlands, providing an opportunity to view wildlife, especially moose. Upon returning to the trailhead, we can spend some time in the visitor center, which includes an Indian arts museum.

The van will drive us to the Jenny Lake boat dock, where we catch the Jenny Lake Shuttle Boat ($10 round trip, not included in trip cost), to the Cascade Canyon Trailhead, on the west shore of the lake. The Cascade Canyon Trail is the most popular and heavily used in the park, but at this time of year we should have it mostly to ourselves. From the west shore boat dock, the trail passes Hidden Falls and Inspiration Point, as it climbs about 1050 feet in 4.5 miles (9 miles RT) to the Forks of Cascade Canyon, offering spectacular alpine scenery. If time and energy permit, we can keep hiking from the Forks towards Lake Solitude. At this time of year the shuttle boat operates on a reduced schedule (10AM – 4 PM). If we miss the boat, it’s an additional two miles around Jenny Lake to get back to the parking lot.

This is our Yellowstone National Park excursion day. We will be picked up at 7AM by a bus from Grand Tetons Adventures, and will drive north about 1.5 hours (not counting stops) to the boundary between Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks. There are numerous scenic and wildlife viewing turnouts along the way. From the south entrance to Yellowstone, it’s another 45 minutes or so, not counting stops for wildlife, to Old Faithful Village. The famous geyser erupts about every 90 minutes. This is tourist country, with shops and restaurants and the historic Old Faithful Lodge. To the north of Old Faithful lies the Upper Geyser Basin, with a network of trails wandering among the many unique thermal features. We’ll decide on a meeting time and place, and everyone will be on their own to explore the area. A picnic lunch provided by Grand Tetons Adventures is included on this day. After Old Faithful, if time permits, we can drive to Artist Point, overlooking the Upper Falls of the Yellowstone and the spectacular Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. There are also several short hikes that we can take. Expect a late return to our motel in Jackson.

Today we do Death Canyon! But don’t fret the name. No one knows for sure where it came from, although there is a story about an early surveyor who disappeared while working in the canyon. This strenuous 6 hour hike climbs up 400 feet to the Phelps Lake Overlook, then down 400’, then up another 1050 feet, through the canyon portal and into the serenely beautiful upper Death Canyon. The one way distance is about 4 miles. Along the way there are awesome views and spectacular displays of ancient (2.5 billion year old) rock, unique to this part of the park.

This will be the grand finale to our Grand Teton Adventure. For our final day of hiking we will be guided by The Hole Hiking Experience to the summit of Jackson Peak, in the Gros Ventre (pronounced “Grow Vant”) Wilderness, within the Bridger-Teton National Forest, southeast of Jackson Hole. This will be a strenuous 8 hour, 9 mile hike with an elevation gain of 2700 feet. The hike will take us above Jackson Hole to the summit of Jackson Peak, at 10,741 feet. This hike reaches the alpine environment and tree line. We will ascend through coniferous forests to open meadows and a beautiful mountain lake. As we push to the summit, we will explore the alpine tundra. The final reward is 360 degree mountain views of the entire Jackson Hole landscape, with the majestic peaks of the Grand Tetons as a backdrop to the northwest. According to Cathy Shill, owner of The Hole Hiking Experience, “this amazing hike is well worth the effort and our naturalist guides will share their knowledge as you discover the natural world along the way.”

    Conclusion of trip. We head for home or other adventures.

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