Day 1: Grand Teton Arrival & Scenic Stops

Fly into Jackson Hole Airport (Book with Expedia)

Land midday and soak in the stunning view of the Teton Range as you descend. For a smooth start, book a rental car with on-site providers like Enterprise, Hertz, or Avis to avoid long shuttle waits.

We had booked our rental with Alamo, which was not onsite at the airport. That meant we had to wait almost 30 mins for a shuttle to take us to Jackson Hole and wait another 30 mins to get the car. Lesson learnt, preferably book a rental car with a Avin/Enterprise/Heartz that’s onsite at the airport.

Our Stops in Grand Teton:

·       Mormon Row & Antelope Flats: A must for photographers. Get your iconic shot of the Moulton Barns against the Tetons.

·       Schwabacher Landing & Oxbow Bend: Quiet, stunning spots perfect for sunrise or sunset. Snake River and wildflowers add to the beauty.

·       Jenny Lake Boat Ride & Hike:  Next stop was Jenny lake, with a boat ride and quick hike to Hidden Falls. There are trails from the boat dock to Hidden Falls (1/2 mile each way), Inspiration Point (1 mile each way). For boat rides - Reservations are not taken as the boats run continuously throughout the day.  Go to the East Boat Dock, purchase the fare, and board the boat. https://jennylakeboating.com/boat-trips/shuttle-service/

Stay: Colter Bay Village Cabins (Book via Expedia)

Day 2: Jackson Lake Views & Yellowstone Entry

Original plan was to walk the Lakeshore Trail and watch sunrise, but the trails were closed for few days due to bear visits. Lakeshore Trail is a flat, easy trail is 2 miles long, takes about 45-minutes, and offers decent views of Jackson Lake. We decided we had to come back to Grand Teton to explore more, and started our drive to Yellowstone.

First stop was at Jackson lake overlook, almost an hour drive, (40 miles from Colter Bay village). This overlook offers another amazing view of Grand Tetons.

 Enter Yellowstone via South Entrance and Explore:

·       West Thumb Geyser Basin: 30-minute walk with views of Abyss Pool and geothermal activity on the lake’s edge.

·       Next, we headed to Old Faithful area which is west Yellowstone, especially because we were staying at Old Faithful Snow Lodge for 2 nights.  

As we walked into the lodge, caught a glimpse of Old Faithful erupting. After checking in at the lodge, we walked along the boardwalk Upper Geyser Basin trail stretching along the Firehole River, from Geyser Hill to Morning Glory Pool, that passes by an incredible number of geysers and hot springs - Grand Geyser, Riverside Geyser, Grotto Geyser, Castle Geyser. We got back in time to watch the Old Faithful erupt from the boardwalk.

Old Faithful erupts roughly every ninety minutes - There are three different ways to view an eruption of Old Faithful: take a seat on the boardwalk that surrounds the geyser, hike to Observation Point for a bird’s eye view, or grab a seat at the viewing deck at the Old Faithful Inn.

Tip: Reserve dinner at the Old Faithful Inn dining room early.

Stay: Old Faithful Snow Lodge (Book with Expedia)

Day 3: Geothermal Wonders

• Black Sand Basin: Cliff Geyser, Rainbow Pool, Sunset Lake.

• Biscuit Basin: Don’t miss Sapphire Pool.

• Midway Geyser Basin

  Grand Prismatic Spring, the most colorful hot spring in the park is in Midway Geyser Basin. Drive up the road to the Midway Geyser Basin parking lot, walk the 0.8-mile one way only boardwalk trail to see Excelsior Geyser Crater, Opal Pool, Turquoise Pool and get up close to Grand Prismatic Spring. The best view however was from the Grand Prismatic Spring Overlook which is. 1.6-mile out-and-back walk. To access this trail, park in the Fairy Falls parking lot.

  Next we were planning to head to Norris Geyser basin but decided to go to West Yellowstone for lunch. After lunch on way to Norris Geyser basin, made quick stops at Gibbon falls, Porcelain Basin and Artist paint pots (a small area that contains several hot springs and mud pots).

  Steamboat Geyser in Norris Geyser basin is the world’s tallest active geyser but eruptions are very unpredictable. Guess what, Steamboat erupted just 2 hours before we got there. We would have been there for eruption if we had not taken the detour. Even 2 hours later, the boardwalk to the geyser was still shaking from the power of the eruption– it was like a huge pressure cooker – scary and fascinating at the same time. That was the best geyser experience ever, LOL.

  On the way back to Old Faithful area, we made another quick detour and took the Firehole Canyon drive. This road is narrow, meandering along the Firehole river, with an awesome view of the Firehole falls.

 Stay: Old Faithful Snow Lodge (Book with Expedia)

Day 4: Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone

Next two days of stay was planned at Canyon Lodge so we could be based more towards the the middle of Yellowstone. This day was for exploring Grand Canon of the Yellowstone and Hayden valley. We drove towards east from Old Faithful, making quick stops at Fishing Bridge, Lake village and Bridge Bay.

Drive through Hayden Valley to spot wildlife. Spotted a bunch of bison, had traffic stopped for bear cubs and bison to cross – and even saw tourists trying to get dangerously close to bison.

Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone is the other Yellowstone you must see to believe.

Explore the Canyon:

·       South Rim:

o   Canyon Rim Overlook

o   Artist Point (iconic view of Lower Falls)

·       North Rim:

o   Brink of the Lower Falls (short but steep trail)

Stay: Canyon Lodge (Book with Expedia)

Day 5: Mammoth Hot Springs & Lamar Valley

Last full day in Yellowstone was for exploring Mammoth hot springs and the North Yellowstone. Compared to other areas, North felt very different – could also be because most of the area including visitor center was closed due to floods the year before.

 North Yellowstone:

·       Mammoth Hot Springs:

• Boardwalk walk to Liberty Cap and Devils Thumb.

•  Drive the Upper and Lower Terrace Loops.

·       Lamar Valley: Best place to spot wildlife in the evening.

·       Drive Dunraven Pass for scenic views.

Stay: Canyon Lodge (Book with Expedia)

Day 6: Last Day at Yellowstone

Checked out of Canyon lodge and headed towards Bozeman, since we were flying back from Bozeman.

Stop at Roosevelt Arch, a stone arch that was constructed in 1903 and marks the main entrance into the park at that time. This could easily be clubbed with North Yellowstone day.

Travel Tip: Fly in and out of Jackson Hole for lower car rental fees and easier returns.

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·       Book Flights and Lodges with Expedia

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Final Thoughts

This Yellowstone and Grand Teton road trip covers epic scenery, wildlife, and thermal wonders. Book early, pack layers, and get ready for an unforgettable national park adventure.

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