Our big family trip this year was to Wyoming, a new part of America for us all. It’s a long way from the east coast and really gave me a sense for how vast and varied the US is.

Grand Teton National Park

We spent 3 days in Grand Teton National Park and it didn’t disappoint.

I’ve hankered after visiting this area for years, maybe even for a decade plus! It’s high on any mountaineer’s dream list of climbing areas.

It’s been 9 years since my last visit to the high mountains (😢) so I was super excited to see the alpine environment again, even if just briefly.

We stayed in Teton Village, which looked like it had been lifted straight from the Swiss Alps and plonked down in Wyoming. Only the bears were added:

Day 1

On our first full day we took the Aerial Tramway to the top of Rendezvous Mountain, at 10,450 ft high.

Down in the valley, it was fully overcast and grey. As we ascended we went into, then back out of the clouds. The views were spectacular from the top, even if most of the Teton range was still hidden by clouds.

We did a short 2-mile hike, which, truthfully, was enough given the altitude. Fantastic scenery and great to be up high again.

Of course we sampled a waffle from Corbet’s Cabin, which reminded me of charming old European alpine huts and is sadly due to be replaced, by something big, modern, and bland no doubt.

Day 2

Our plan was to drive to Yellowstone and spend a day checking out they geysers. Unfortunately, the weather was miserable with a low cloud base and heavy rain. We did see a couple of moose grazing in the distance during the drive.

We drove as far as Signal Mountain Lodge, stopped for an excellent breakfast, and decided to cut our losses for the day. Spent the afternoon in the pool back at the hotel.

Still no views of Grand Teton since we arrived 😦

Day 3

The weather was much better this morning so we got an early start and headed off to do the Taggart Lake and Bradley Lake loop hike.

Although it was crowded in places, it was a fantastic hike and the scenery was sublime.

The tops of the Teton range stubbornly hid behind the clouds still, but the reflections in the alpine lakes were gorgeous.

We hiked 6.5 miles with 850 ft ascent, so it was a relatively easy hike even for the boys.

After 3 days in Grand Teton National Park, we still hadn’t seen Grand Teton itself, or the other highest peaks!

They appeared finally, on the morning of day 4, as we traveled east to Dubois, WY, and part II of our Wyoming trip.

Wow, they are a spectacular sight!

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This trip really whet my appetite for more mountain adventures again. It’s been almost a decade since I last did any serious mountain climbing and I miss the adventure and camaraderie.

For a sense of the alpine side of the Teton mountain range, check out these inspirational articles:

• New York Times feature on the Grand Traverse
• Anton Krupicka’s blog: Tetons: Cathedral Traverse
• Another personal climbing blog: The Grand Traverse
• And beta for the Grand Traverse on Mountain Project: The Grand Traverse

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Check out Part II, when we went to a dude ranch near Dubois, WY, for a week! 🤠