Grand Teton National Park

It was 1900 hour when we met again by the car. We were out on a mission to see a moose in Grand Teton National Park.

Earlier in the day, we drove into the park.

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With the jagged snow-peaks of the Teton Range lay sprawling to our left.

This was a total change of scenery from what we have seen so far on our trip.

We took a scenic cruise on Jenny Lake, named after the Shonshone Indian woman who married Richard “Beaver Dick” Leigh – an English man influential in Yellowstone and Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

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Grand Teton is the tallest peak among les trois tétons (the three teats) – a name given by French trappers at the time.

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The ranger delivered a talk on the history and geology of the region.

And pointed out an osprey nest where the mother flew back and forth busy feeding her chicks.

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The air was crisp clean and the water pristine.

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We popped into a mountain chapel – built in 1937, entirely out of wooden logs. The most recent renovation added a beautiful stained glass. It was funded by a New York and Wyoming family in memory of the victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

 

“We welcome all to the Chapel of the Sacred Heart” – says a plague on its door. It’s a place of natural and simplistic beauty perfect for a silent prayer,

After making a quick photo stop at the Jackson Lake Dam,

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we exited the park through the Moran entrance and happened upon our first sighting of a bison herd.

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Further along the road, we got a closer look when they hoofed parallel to our car, waiting to cross the road.

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Back in town, my Australian friends decided to have Mexican for dinner, while the carnivore in me craved the best burger in Jackson Hole.

 

Bella burger this juicy one is called. And the Chipotle ketchup is souvenir-worthy.

So here we were, back in the park, keeping our eyes wide open for wildlife.

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We drove till sunset at approximately 8:45PM. But we did not find a single moose, neither a bear nor a beaver – There were a couple of bald eagle perched on high trees at Oxbow Bend and flocks of Canada Geese. At Colter Bay Village, we met a couple who told us that they spotted a moose feeding around the area about 10 minutes ago and they also saw a mother bear with her cub crossing the road.

At nightfall, we went back to our hotel, turned in, wishing for a better luck the next day. Will we see a moose or any wildlife at Grand Teton?

39 thoughts on “Grand Teton National Park”

  1. Pingback: America the Beautiful – Travel-Gourmand.com

  3. Wowza. Even if you don’t get to see a moose, the Teton Range look amaaaaazing!

    If I visited somewhere as gorgeous as that I have a feeling my camera battery would die as I’d take hundreds and hundreds of photos!

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  6. Gorgeous photos as always, Tanja. That burger looks scrumptious and I don’t even eat burgers that often! How lucky that the couple saw a bear and her cub! Bisons look so powerful don’t they.. is it safe to go near them? Some of them are found natively in the border of Poland-Belarus, although I haven’t had a chance to go to that region yet. I hope you will spot some moose and other wildlife at Grand Teton.

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    1. Hi Tanja, No, it is not safe to go near them. There are videos of them chasing tourists and goring them with their horns. So keep a safe distance, back off even when they move closer to you. They may look tame but they are really powerful animal. Will let you know in the next post if we’ve spotted some wildlife 🙂

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  10. Stunning photos. I’ve been to Jackson Hole, fantastic. Well, you DID see a Buffalo/Bison, its about the size of a Moose. Thanks for the videos, America the Beautiful! Did you have a bison burger? For 30 years, my Dad has gone moose hunting in Canada, so we lived off of moose burgers, very good lean meat. Hope you see your moose!

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  11. Your crisp photos of the Tetons are lovely, and bring the beautiful sights of the park to life. We, too, while visiting the Tetons and Yellowstone, had a challenging time finding the big mammals, except for bison. We saw a moose cow once, after much searching, and there were 35 other people scrambling with us to view it through the distance. I think the area has so many tourists now that wildlife, except for the bison and an occasional pronghorn, seem to stay far back. The vistas, however, cannot be beat.

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  13. I’ve been on a whale-watching boat out of Mirissa, Sri Lanka, and one of the crewmen sported a Reebok sweater with the words “Jackson Hole” on it; I Googled it and found its whereabouts, but I’d never have thought that it was such a nice place! Thanks a lot!

    Fabrizio

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