Mrs. Admin and I decided to escape the heat of the Salt Lake Valley for a few days and head north for five hours to the Jackson, Wyo. area to camp and visit Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks for a nearly no-cost miniature vacation. While I've been in Jackson once in the past decade I haven't visited Yellowstone since I was six years old, so I was long overdue to return, and as Mrs. Admin has been out of town for most of the summer it would be good to do something together now that she's finally home again. The area offers enough diversity that we could have easily spent a full week there and never been bored for a second.
In sum we had a wonderful four days, albeit with a mixed bag of weather. Daily highs were in the upper 70s and lows in the mid 40s, and each afternoon showers and thunderstorms moved into the area despite a prediction of only 20% probability, sometimes moving through quickly but other times continuing with a drizzle that lasted for many hours well into the overnight. We were therefore grateful to be camping in the bed of the truck and not in a tent, as it would've been a far wetter experience. Wildlife spotted this trip included bison, elk, moose, deer, three bald eagles including one spotted from camp, numerous ospreys, a great blue heron and more. Alas, no bears!
We left Salt Lake shortly after noon on Wednesday and arrived in the Jackson area around dinner time, just as the daily showers began to fire up. We planned to camp in the Gros Ventre Mountains northeast of town, and shortly after leaving U.S. 89 we happened upon a herd of wild bison grazing along the Gros Ventre Road southwest of the tiny hamlet of Kelly.
Wild bison graze beneath the Tetons along the Gros Ventre Road
Tourists observe a moose along the Gros Ventre River
The Gros Ventre Corridor turned out to be an ideal location to camp, less than an hour out of downtown Jackson and convenient for accessing the national parks. By this time in August activity in the area is starting to wind down as many kids are now returning to school, so while there was one other couple at the far end of the Red Hills backcountry camping area the first night, we had the whole place to ourselves on the second night. The third night was a Friday so there were a couple of others camped there, but the area is adequately dispersed such that we really didn't notice our neighbors. Our camp was right along the left bank of the Gros Ventre River, so we were serenaded each night by sound of water tumbling through the rocks, and we had a ready source of water to wash away smells that would attract the region's black and grizzly bears to our camp. We grilled rib eye steaks our first night, accompanied by mashed potatoes and caesar salad with anchovies washed down by adequate quantities of merlot, before retiring to bed sometime after midnight.
Setup of camp has just been completed in a drizzle
Lower Slide Lake was formed in 1925 when a massive landslide -- literally a whole mountainside -- came crashing down and formed a natural dam in the Gros Ventre River.
The Grand Teton from the Gros Ventre Valley
We slept in each morning until 9 or 9:30, slowly making our way to each day's destinations. On Thursday morning, following a camp breakfast of pancakes and bacon it was time for a road tour through the national parks. We entered Grand Teton at the Moran Junction gate, gassed up the truck in Colter Bay and headed north along the shoreline of Jackson Lake to the south entrance of Yellowstone.
Colter Bay on Jackson Lake
Continuing north, our first stop was at the Geyser Basin in West Thumb to view the collection of geysers, vents and mud pots lining the west shore of Yellowstone Lake.
West Thumb Geyser Basin in Yellowstone National Park
West Thumb Geyser Basin in Yellowstone National Park
West Thumb Geyser Basin in Yellowstone National Park
One geyser has actually formed its own tiny island within Yellowstone Lake
From there we continued north, following the northwest shoreline of the lake through Bridge Bay and Lake Village. We had hoped to stop at the Mud Volcano, but the Alum wildfire lining the road was being allowed to burn unchecked and park officials weren't allowing anyone to stop along a six-mile stretch of the Grand Loop Road north of Lake Village. Our destination was Upper and Lower Yellowstone Falls in the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, but with our luck we of course arrived just as the daily thunderstorm did, too. After shooting photos of Lower Falls from Artist Point in steady rainfall I stopped the truck again at Uncle Tom's Point. Mrs. Admin opted to stay dry in the vehicle as I negotiated the numerous switchbacks and 328 metal stairs bolted to the cliffs to descend three-quarters of the way into the canyon to shoot photos of the Lower Falls, up close and personal.
Yellowstone Lower Falls from Artist Point
Yellowstone Lower Falls from Artist Point
Some of the 328 stairs that form the Uncle Tom's Trail
Yellowstone Lower Falls from the end of the Uncle Tom's Trail
Some of the 328 stairs that form the Uncle Tom's Trail
The historical context of the Uncle Tom's Trail
We headed back to our temporary home by completing a counter-clockwise loop through Norris and Madison, passing numerous geothermal features along the Gibbon and Firehole Rivers en route to the requisite stop at Old Faithful. Our timing here, too, was somewhat disappointing as we arrived just as the geyser's latest eruption was drawing to a close. By the time we reached a close viewing position and I turned on my camera the show was over, and we lacked the time to wait around for the next eruption.
Old Faithful
We returned to camp via the Teton Park Road, hugging the foot of the mountains past the Jackson Lake Dam and Jenny Lake, arriving back at camp just after dark. After a dinner of chicken cacciatore served over rice on our only dry night in camp, it was again after midnight before we made it to bed.
Sunset over Jackson Lake
Mount Moran and the Grand Teton across Jackson Lake
Looking westward from our camp along the Gros Ventre River on Friday morning toward the Red Hills
Our camp along the Gros Ventre River on Friday morning
One of the insects co-habitating our camp
The Red Hills along the Gros Ventre Road
Friday was our "action day." Skidog's high school friend Stackhouse is the lead guide for Mad River Boat Tours out of Jackson, and is spending his 13th summer guiding rafters down the whitewater of the Snake River Gorge between Hoback and Alpine Junction. We hadn't planned to raft the river this trip, but en route to Jackson on Wednesday we had stopped by the overlook to watch rafters, kayakers and paddleboarders negotiate Big Kahuna, the stretch's biggest rapid during times of low water flow, and suddenly Mrs. Admin wanted to go rafting. I got a hold of Stackhouse, with whom Skidog, Telejon and I had rafted in 2008, and we set up a run through the gorge for Friday afternoon. En route to the Mad River boathouse we drove through Teton Village and the base area of Jackson Hole Mountain Resort and had an impromptu picnic on the gravel bars of the Snake River between Wilson and Jackson. Because I hadn't planned to be on the river I didn't bring any gear to keep electronics dry, so I regret that I have no personal photos from our Snake River trip.
The Gros Ventre Valley and the Tetons beyond
The weather threatened while we were on the river, but it didn't unleash until we got back to Jackson. And unleash it did! The thunderstorm's torrential downpour was followed by a strong and steady drizzle that lasted until well after we went to bed around midnight. Temperatures immediately dropped by 20 degrees. We first sought shelter in Albertson's, grabbing a latte and some sushi as we waited for the rain to abate, but when it became apparent that the rainfall wouldn't relent we arrived back in camp right as darkness set in over the Gros Ventre River valley. I quickly stashed what I needed into the bed of the truck and cooked our rotisserie chicken and macaroni & cheese on the tailgate from within the vehicle. After a few shots of whiskey we fell asleep with the rainfall still hitting the roof of the camper.
Making dinner from the back of the truck on a wet night in camp
On Saturday morning we set everything out to dry before finally packing up camp for good and heading back into Grand Teton National Park. We arrived at the Visitor's Center at Moose Junction just as Saturday's first storm cell made its way over the Tetons. Optimistic that the cell would move through, we made our way north to Jenny Lake just as it did, with wisps of cloud holding tight over the summits long after the storm itself had departed the area. Despite the crowds at South Jenny Lake we were able to walk a short distance to a small peninsula of land just west of the boat dock, and enjoyed a picnic in total solitude as families paddled rental canoes and kayaks, and the boat shuttle criss-crossed the lake to carry hikers to the trailhead at Inspiration Point.
The Grand Teton is enshrouded in clouds following a thunderstorm. The visible peak is 12,325-foot Teewinot Mountain.
11,144-foot Rockchuck Peak and Jenny Lake
Cascade Canyon and Jenny Lake
The Jenny Lake boat shuttle
Mrs. Admin rock-hops along Cottonwood Creek
With Mrs. Admin at South Jenny Lake
Cottonwood Creek
Before departing for home we spent our only time this trip wandering around downtown Jackson. We grabbed a coffee at Jackson Hole Roasters and took the essential photos of the elk antler arches in the park downtown, while Mrs. Admin purchased a souvenir T-shirt.
One of the elk antler arches in the center of Jackson
The slopes of Snow King ski area above the town of Jackson
Jackson Hole Playhouse
Jackson Hole Playhouse
We hit the road around 4:30 p.m., and as I have never followed the route to Salt Lake via Teton Pass and Idaho Falls we opted to try that option.
Jackson Hole from Teton Pass
Severe weather moved through again, and we negotiated the Swan Valley as it was under an active tornado warning before strong winds and driving sheets of rain buffeted the truck all the way to Idaho Falls. From there it was a simple, straight and uneventful trip southbound on I-15 back to Salt Lake City.
In sum we had a wonderful four days, albeit with a mixed bag of weather. Daily highs were in the upper 70s and lows in the mid 40s, and each afternoon showers and thunderstorms moved into the area despite a prediction of only 20% probability, sometimes moving through quickly but other times continuing with a drizzle that lasted for many hours well into the overnight. We were therefore grateful to be camping in the bed of the truck and not in a tent, as it would've been a far wetter experience. Wildlife spotted this trip included bison, elk, moose, deer, three bald eagles including one spotted from camp, numerous ospreys, a great blue heron and more. Alas, no bears!
We left Salt Lake shortly after noon on Wednesday and arrived in the Jackson area around dinner time, just as the daily showers began to fire up. We planned to camp in the Gros Ventre Mountains northeast of town, and shortly after leaving U.S. 89 we happened upon a herd of wild bison grazing along the Gros Ventre Road southwest of the tiny hamlet of Kelly.
Wild bison graze beneath the Tetons along the Gros Ventre Road
Tourists observe a moose along the Gros Ventre River
The Gros Ventre Corridor turned out to be an ideal location to camp, less than an hour out of downtown Jackson and convenient for accessing the national parks. By this time in August activity in the area is starting to wind down as many kids are now returning to school, so while there was one other couple at the far end of the Red Hills backcountry camping area the first night, we had the whole place to ourselves on the second night. The third night was a Friday so there were a couple of others camped there, but the area is adequately dispersed such that we really didn't notice our neighbors. Our camp was right along the left bank of the Gros Ventre River, so we were serenaded each night by sound of water tumbling through the rocks, and we had a ready source of water to wash away smells that would attract the region's black and grizzly bears to our camp. We grilled rib eye steaks our first night, accompanied by mashed potatoes and caesar salad with anchovies washed down by adequate quantities of merlot, before retiring to bed sometime after midnight.
Setup of camp has just been completed in a drizzle
Lower Slide Lake was formed in 1925 when a massive landslide -- literally a whole mountainside -- came crashing down and formed a natural dam in the Gros Ventre River.
The Grand Teton from the Gros Ventre Valley
We slept in each morning until 9 or 9:30, slowly making our way to each day's destinations. On Thursday morning, following a camp breakfast of pancakes and bacon it was time for a road tour through the national parks. We entered Grand Teton at the Moran Junction gate, gassed up the truck in Colter Bay and headed north along the shoreline of Jackson Lake to the south entrance of Yellowstone.
Colter Bay on Jackson Lake
Continuing north, our first stop was at the Geyser Basin in West Thumb to view the collection of geysers, vents and mud pots lining the west shore of Yellowstone Lake.
West Thumb Geyser Basin in Yellowstone National Park
West Thumb Geyser Basin in Yellowstone National Park
West Thumb Geyser Basin in Yellowstone National Park
One geyser has actually formed its own tiny island within Yellowstone Lake
From there we continued north, following the northwest shoreline of the lake through Bridge Bay and Lake Village. We had hoped to stop at the Mud Volcano, but the Alum wildfire lining the road was being allowed to burn unchecked and park officials weren't allowing anyone to stop along a six-mile stretch of the Grand Loop Road north of Lake Village. Our destination was Upper and Lower Yellowstone Falls in the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, but with our luck we of course arrived just as the daily thunderstorm did, too. After shooting photos of Lower Falls from Artist Point in steady rainfall I stopped the truck again at Uncle Tom's Point. Mrs. Admin opted to stay dry in the vehicle as I negotiated the numerous switchbacks and 328 metal stairs bolted to the cliffs to descend three-quarters of the way into the canyon to shoot photos of the Lower Falls, up close and personal.
Yellowstone Lower Falls from Artist Point
Yellowstone Lower Falls from Artist Point
Some of the 328 stairs that form the Uncle Tom's Trail
Yellowstone Lower Falls from the end of the Uncle Tom's Trail
Some of the 328 stairs that form the Uncle Tom's Trail
The historical context of the Uncle Tom's Trail
We headed back to our temporary home by completing a counter-clockwise loop through Norris and Madison, passing numerous geothermal features along the Gibbon and Firehole Rivers en route to the requisite stop at Old Faithful. Our timing here, too, was somewhat disappointing as we arrived just as the geyser's latest eruption was drawing to a close. By the time we reached a close viewing position and I turned on my camera the show was over, and we lacked the time to wait around for the next eruption.
Old Faithful
We returned to camp via the Teton Park Road, hugging the foot of the mountains past the Jackson Lake Dam and Jenny Lake, arriving back at camp just after dark. After a dinner of chicken cacciatore served over rice on our only dry night in camp, it was again after midnight before we made it to bed.
Sunset over Jackson Lake
Mount Moran and the Grand Teton across Jackson Lake
Looking westward from our camp along the Gros Ventre River on Friday morning toward the Red Hills
Our camp along the Gros Ventre River on Friday morning
One of the insects co-habitating our camp
The Red Hills along the Gros Ventre Road
Friday was our "action day." Skidog's high school friend Stackhouse is the lead guide for Mad River Boat Tours out of Jackson, and is spending his 13th summer guiding rafters down the whitewater of the Snake River Gorge between Hoback and Alpine Junction. We hadn't planned to raft the river this trip, but en route to Jackson on Wednesday we had stopped by the overlook to watch rafters, kayakers and paddleboarders negotiate Big Kahuna, the stretch's biggest rapid during times of low water flow, and suddenly Mrs. Admin wanted to go rafting. I got a hold of Stackhouse, with whom Skidog, Telejon and I had rafted in 2008, and we set up a run through the gorge for Friday afternoon. En route to the Mad River boathouse we drove through Teton Village and the base area of Jackson Hole Mountain Resort and had an impromptu picnic on the gravel bars of the Snake River between Wilson and Jackson. Because I hadn't planned to be on the river I didn't bring any gear to keep electronics dry, so I regret that I have no personal photos from our Snake River trip.
The Gros Ventre Valley and the Tetons beyond
The weather threatened while we were on the river, but it didn't unleash until we got back to Jackson. And unleash it did! The thunderstorm's torrential downpour was followed by a strong and steady drizzle that lasted until well after we went to bed around midnight. Temperatures immediately dropped by 20 degrees. We first sought shelter in Albertson's, grabbing a latte and some sushi as we waited for the rain to abate, but when it became apparent that the rainfall wouldn't relent we arrived back in camp right as darkness set in over the Gros Ventre River valley. I quickly stashed what I needed into the bed of the truck and cooked our rotisserie chicken and macaroni & cheese on the tailgate from within the vehicle. After a few shots of whiskey we fell asleep with the rainfall still hitting the roof of the camper.
Making dinner from the back of the truck on a wet night in camp
On Saturday morning we set everything out to dry before finally packing up camp for good and heading back into Grand Teton National Park. We arrived at the Visitor's Center at Moose Junction just as Saturday's first storm cell made its way over the Tetons. Optimistic that the cell would move through, we made our way north to Jenny Lake just as it did, with wisps of cloud holding tight over the summits long after the storm itself had departed the area. Despite the crowds at South Jenny Lake we were able to walk a short distance to a small peninsula of land just west of the boat dock, and enjoyed a picnic in total solitude as families paddled rental canoes and kayaks, and the boat shuttle criss-crossed the lake to carry hikers to the trailhead at Inspiration Point.
The Grand Teton is enshrouded in clouds following a thunderstorm. The visible peak is 12,325-foot Teewinot Mountain.
11,144-foot Rockchuck Peak and Jenny Lake
Cascade Canyon and Jenny Lake
The Jenny Lake boat shuttle
Mrs. Admin rock-hops along Cottonwood Creek
With Mrs. Admin at South Jenny Lake
Cottonwood Creek
Before departing for home we spent our only time this trip wandering around downtown Jackson. We grabbed a coffee at Jackson Hole Roasters and took the essential photos of the elk antler arches in the park downtown, while Mrs. Admin purchased a souvenir T-shirt.
One of the elk antler arches in the center of Jackson
The slopes of Snow King ski area above the town of Jackson
Jackson Hole Playhouse
Jackson Hole Playhouse
We hit the road around 4:30 p.m., and as I have never followed the route to Salt Lake via Teton Pass and Idaho Falls we opted to try that option.
Jackson Hole from Teton Pass
Severe weather moved through again, and we negotiated the Swan Valley as it was under an active tornado warning before strong winds and driving sheets of rain buffeted the truck all the way to Idaho Falls. From there it was a simple, straight and uneventful trip southbound on I-15 back to Salt Lake City.
