Grand Teton National Park- RV During COVID

This. This was what our trip was about. I've been so lucky to get out to Yellowstone numerous times in my life in summer, winter and spring and the Tetons were always added on as an afterthought. But the Tetons. The Tetons deserve their own time and that's what we set out to do in 2020. This year we spent just two days near Yellowstone then we headed for 5 glorious nights in Grand Teton National Park. It was perfect for any year and absolutely perfect for COVID.

Our focus in the Tetons this year was two fold- bike and paddle. We brought 6 bikes and 2 boats all the way from Illinois and we intended to use them. And we did. So much activity in the outdoors requires prep work. Loading bikes, unloading bikes. Loading boats, unloading boats. Packing accoutrement for biking and paddling. Training kids to stay safely entertained during the loading, unloading. Training kids to put on the aforementioned accoutrement:) But it is SO SO worth it.

The first couple nights we stayed at Headwaters because we had reserved sites and we wanted to get our bearings. We were hoping to do some dispersed camping up on Grassy Lake Rd and wow some of the sites are truly epic, but they were all full. Turns out due to COVID- partly due to Yellowstone and Tetons COVID related campsite and hotel closures, partly related to everyone camping as a COVID safe activity- the campsites at the Tetons were FULL to the brim.

Headwaters was fine, but I wouldn't recommend it unless you are in a bind like we were- we needed a summer weekend reservation for a trip we started planning in June. So we were happy to get reserved sites. Nothing "wrong" with the place, but the sites are close together. More big rigs than we like. There's a lodge on site- overall it lacks a remote outdoors feel. 

Glade Creek Trail

We took a unique hike off of Grassy Lake Road that I do recommend. The Glade Creek Trail weaves through recently burned and starting to recover forest. It's an unique view of the park and definitely worth a stop if you are in the area. Just driving on Grassy Lake Road (gravel) is a treat with stunning views.

Headwaters was a great base for our first paddle which was at Oxbow Bend. This is a lovely meandering area of the Snake River near Jackson Lake Junction. We paddled here before with great wildlife sighting success. Well, turns out most of the bends were closed for wildlife preservation- we think because swans had some babies, we saw a whole swan family in the area. So we just paddled - or tried to paddle- upstream on the Snake with the plan to then coast back. But the current was super strong. 

At this point I should probably clarify what I mean by "we" paddled. Adam paddled. I sat in the front of the boat entertaining Buddy and Z sat with Adam staying out of the way as Adam worked his butt off paddling our entire family upstream. The kids LOVED it. They loved the suspense- will we go backwards or forwards? Will we get stuck on a rock again? Will we crash into the shore again? and they said it was their favorite paddle ever. Not much wildlife- just a few hawks- but a total win nonetheless:)

My parents fared better with 
just two adults in their boat:)

Boat hair

Our 2nd paddle ended up being my favorite experience of the trip. We started at String Lake which is an easy paddle for really anyone. Nice small lake, lots of interesting things to see. There were lots of small kids in their own boats or on paddle boards. But you do have to get there early or there will be no parking spots. 

Rain did not deter us-
String Lake

So we started at String - it was raining a bit but warm enough so we weren't going to let that stop us. And I'm SO glad we didn't. He headed north on string to a short portage that takes you to Leigh Lake. 

Portage from String to Leigh

Leigh Lake is only reachable by foot- no roads to Leigh Lake. We saw some hikers, and some paddle-campers. There are multiple AMAZING appearing campsites right along Leigh Lake. I love seeing people who are hard core into getting outdoors with their kids and was very impressed with some of the arrangements to get the gear to the sites- 1 boat with people towing a 2nd boat with gear. 1 boat with people and gear towing a paddle board with kids. Super fun stuff. We tooled around the beautiful Leigh Lake for quite a while, then back tracked the portage, paddled String again and had a lovely picnic lunch on the beach at String Lake. The weather cleared up and it was a perfect summer day that left me inspired to come back and boat-camp sometime soon. 

Leigh Lake

My parents on Leigh Lake

I portaged the sleeping baby.

Queen of Leigh Lake

Starting 'em young. Both
our kiddos started paddling
before age 2

Gros Ventre River

After Headwaters we moved on to Gros Ventre campground. Highly, highly recommend. When we arrived in the Tetons we only had campsites reserved for the first 2 nights. There were no other reservable spots available. We looked for dispersed sites on Grassy Lake- full. We considered looking for dispersed in a myriad of other locations but had heard it was so so busy, we were nervous about finding sites to fit 2 campers that we could get to in our current vehicles. Also, none of us wanted to waste a day looking around for campsites. After extensive research and invaluable up to date info on the Grand Teton facebook groups (THANK YOU!), we made the call to get up super early and head to Gros Ventre in hopes of getting 2 first come first served sites there. And man did we luck out!! 

We rolled out at 4:30 am from Headwaters knowing we wanted to get in line by 6 am to be assured sites. Since it was early week we probably could have arrived anytime before 9 and been okay but it worked out perfectly for us because we were able to get on Loop F (we had site 310) which allows only small trailers and no generators and we got two sites next to each other right near the river. The sites were spacious with an extra play/reading area for the kids. No hook ups (which is the the way we like it) with nearby water and toilets. And my dad pointed out there was also a bathtub (the river). We went down to the river multiple times a day- the short walk and explore there could keep kids entertained for hours. 

Menor Homestead Cabin

Much like the Yellowstone portion of this trip, our goal was to stay away from people so we visited some of the lesser known sites in the Tetons and were so happy we did! The Menor's Ferry Historic District was fun and very interesting. My 7 yo was really into it. This is a site of a homestead in 1894 which became an important crossing of the Snake River. There is much historical significance as this is where Horace Albright (Superintendent of Yellowstone) and John D. Rockfeller, Jr. convened to hatch plans that resulted in Grand Teton National Park and other preserved lands in the area. In the summer in non-COVID times there is a replica of the ferry you can ride to get across the river. 

We also explored the Murie Ranch which was definitely worth a stop. 7 yo greatly enjoyed as did the adults. 2 yo enjoyed a car seat nap:) I highly recommend the app Gypsy Guides for all national parks for which it's available (we've used for YStone, Banff, Road to Hana, all fantastic). It's a fantastic way to learn facts about the park in bite sized bits that can please the entire family. It's tied to GPS so it's okay if you don't have cell signal- the app knows where you are and will give you informative blurbs and stories based on your location as you drive. Definitely check it out.

Jenny Lake

In between hiking, paddling, river play, and historic site exploration, we took 2 marvelous bike rides. I took my own advice from a past blog post and we explored the fantastic Jackson Hole pathway system- miles of multi-use trails that parallel but are separate from the roads in and around Grand Teton National park. What a way to see the park!! 

For our first ride we started from the Craig Thomas Discovery and Visitor Center (which is fantastic and a must do in non-COVID times) and rode north to Jenny Lake. This was a stunning ride. The mountains, THE MOUNTAINS, the beautiful fields. The ability to look at the sites at a leisurely, slower-than-driving pace, but covering ground so much more quickly than hiking. It's the way to do it, no doubt. Highly recommend. There are bicycle outfitters well versed in these trails so if you can't bring your own bikes, check out rental options. Once at Jenny Lake we did some quick rock jumping in the beautiful water, had a snack and headed back on this spectacular out and back ride. In non COVID times there are lovely hikes in this area- but we didn't want to risk being near people. 

Riding to Jenny Lake 

Jenny Lake

Jenny Lake

Definitely do not shortchange the Tetons when planning a trip to the Yellowstone area. We happened to be both here during an incredibly hot spell so there were not as many animals as usual, but we did see plenty of bison, moose, elk and birds. More typically there are animals nearly every way you turn and you can enjoy them in the Tetons with a bit more quiet and solitude than in Yellowstone. But animal sightings or not, the Tetons do not disappoint!