Travel: Discovering Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons | L Magazine

Like many other Americans, my daughter Aubrey and I have made the decision to discover our great national parks. Unlike the tire dilemma, it’s an easy decision considering the ease of staying within the country’s borders while exploring the hidden gems of our great outdoors. John Muir once said, “Between every two pine trees there is a door leading to a new way of life.” With that in mind, we hit the road vintage-style and took a full seven days to experience the Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks.

Using Laramie, Wyoming, as an overnight pit stop for the first day (recommend Alibi Wood Fire Pizza and its caprese burrata), we made it to the Grand Tetons by early afternoon. Our first two nights were spent at the Jackson Lake Lodge, which is situated within the park and boasts both hotel rooms and cottages with easy access to hiking trailheads. We opted for the more rustic cottage rooms, which were simplistic but cozy, including a 1950s-style metal key for the front door. The lodge has three restaurants and 60-foot windows that give some of the best views of the Tetons.

After eating burgers on the terrace of the Blue Heron, we jumped back into the car and headed to Oxbow Bend to see wildlife, and then on to Schwabacher Landing for sunset pictures. Not only did we get amazing photos with a kaleidoscope of colors, we were able to watch a moose and her calf happily grazing in the marshes.

Arising early the next day – prepping peanut butter-honey sandwiches, granola bars and backpacks – we drove to the Jenny Lake Trailhead for a ferry ride and climbed to Inspiration Point. It’s a rigorous uphill hike, but worth the effort for incredible views of the lake and surrounding mountainside. If you’re feeling energetic, I’d suggest you continue another 3.5 miles to Cascade Canyon, which culminates in a large waterfall and has stunning views of the mountains. With several moose riverside watching our progress, it was one of those perfect postcard hikes that becomes your Christmas card picture.

Later, we drove into Jackson to discover the many dining, shopping and ice cream options, rewarding our long hike with many purchases and calories.

One of the biggest perks of both parks is their close proximity to each other. Heading north through the Grand Teton National Park (after purchasing gas for $6 a gallon), we were able to enter the south entrance of Yellowstone within an hour or so. Making stops at Old Faithful, the Fountain Paint Pots and the Grand Prismatic Spring during the afternoon, we became acquainted with the ugly flip side of national parks: the overwhelming crowds. In the height of summer, the crowds are going to be your constant companion unless you’re hiking to more obscure sections. For the most popular attractions, go early or be prepared for numerous parking problems.

Deflated but not defeated, we regrouped by eating crepes for dinner at Yogi’s Waffles and Grill in West Yellowstone and enjoyed a beer at the Buffalo Bar for a nightcap.

The next morning, we headed toward the Grand Canyon, and I’m not speaking of the one in Arizona. Yellowstone has its own iconic canyon with raging waterfall in the eastern part of the park, no different than a mini-Niagara Falls. We hiked into the lower falls viewpoint for pictures, and while exiting, were caught in a unique wildlife traffic jam due to a bison stampede.

Later in the afternoon, some friendly guys at Big Sky Anglers persuaded us to head west out of town toward Earthquake Lake. Formed in 1959 due to intense seismic activity, a mountainside rock slide ultimately led to the deaths of 28 people and left behind a flooded phantom town. With a fantastic visitors center, educational video and lookout area, I highly recommend it if you want a break from the crowds.

For the last several days, we relaxed at the Fireside Resort just outside of Jackson. Staying in a cute “mini-cabin,” complete with an outdoor deck and kitchen, surrounded by aspens, it was the perfect ending for two women who were road-weary and trail-tired.

On our last day, influenced by TikTok, my daughter and I drove to Phelps Lake and hiked several miles to the “jumping rock.” It’s a large boulder on the Woodland trail where hikers jump 25 feet into cold mountain waters. We both took turns, garnering our courage to take the plunge and withstand the frigid temperatures. This particular hike also included a run-in with a black bear. Considering myself an informed hiker, I’d bought bear spray ahead of time; as an unorganized idiot, I hadn’t packed it that day. In the end, it was a harmless interaction in which animals and humans decided to go their separate ways.

Ravenous from our wildlife and water adventures, we headed to the Teton Village ski resort and took a gondola to the top. At Corbet’s Cabin, which sits at 10,000 feet, you can eat hot waffles drizzled with multiple toppings.

I’ve discussed the traditional sights, but road trips with family are also about misadventures, and the stories of outdoor shenanigans that you carry with you for a lifetime. It’s driving the wrong way on an interstate exit in a game of chicken with a semi or purchasing too many park t-shirts. It’s stripping down naked in the woods after a mountain lake swim or bickering over tacos vs. Italian when you’re so hungry from hiking that you’d eat a piece of bark. It’s this and so much more – not that my family would know anything about the above problems.

The national parks are truly gifts of wildlife preservation and land conservation. With proper planning – check your permits and reservation guidelines ahead of time – everyone can enjoy the experience. Hit the road. Pull out the atlas. Tell the kids to lose the cellphones. Push yourself to do the longer hike, shelve away deadlines, take selfies with your kids, but not with bison or bears. Wi-Fi will most likely be sketchy, but conversation won’t.

It’s time to get out there. The outdoors are calling!