One week in Yellowstone and Grand Teton

Today we present a sample itinerary for a full week in Yellowstone and Grand Teton. The itinerary assumes you start and finish in Salt Lake City, but you can easily adjust it according to your needs.

Itinerary:

• Day 1: Arrive to GTNP, Moose Junction, Moulton Barns, Jackson Lodge, Phelps Lake, Oxbow Bend
• Day 2: Day Trip – Jenny Lake, Cascade Canyon , Paintbrush Divide
• Day 3: Travel to Yellowstone, Old Faithfull, Geyser Basins, Firehole Drive, Madison River
• Day 4: Norris Geyser Basin, Mammoth Hot Spring Terraces, Boiling River, Backcountry camping
• Day 5: Lamar Valley, Tower Falls, Canyon Village
• Day 6: Hayden Valley, Yellowstone Lake, West Thumb Geyser Basin, Kayaking in Tetons
• Day 7: Jackson Hole, Whitewater rafting

Day 1: Arrive to GTNP, Moose Junction, Burns, Oxbow Bend, Lodge, Phelps Lake

We started our trip early in the morning in Salt Lake City. From there we drove north and after 6 hours we entered the Grand Teton National Park through the South Gate.

We passed the Moose junction and stopped by famous Moulton Barns in the Mormon Row:

It was already afternoon so we decided to find a camping spot. We got one of the last 10 available at Colter Bay. After setting up the tent we decided to do more sightseeing. First, we visited the Jackson Lake Lodge – one of the oldest hotels in the area with the spectacular view at Tetons:

Next, we drove the Teton Park Road for even better views at the mountains. We stopped at Leigh Lake for an afternoon relax. We also had our first wildlife encounter:

From there we drove further south and took a 1h walk to the Phelps Lake. It was a warm up before the next day.

On our way back we met a Moose family at the… Moose Wilson road (who would expect? ;)):

We closed the day watching the sunset at the Oxbow Bend

Tip:

• Ticket is 50$ / person / week and it’s valid for both parks. With the ticket you get a detailed park map.

Day 2 – Grand Teton day trip

On the next day we woke up very early and drove to Jenny Lake. On our way there we had again marvelous views at Tetons.

After reserving a camping spot at the Jenny Lake campground we took one of the first boats to the other side of the lake. It was the beginning of our very long day trip. From the boat landing we went up and reached the Inspiration Point after 20 minutes:

From there we moved on and climbed through the forest to the Cascade Canyon

After a while the forest ended end we were in an open valley leading us to the Lake Solitude.

Originally it was supposed to be our final destination, but spectacular views made us change our minds and walk further to the Paintbrush Divide.

From there we went down through the Paintbrush Canyon, then along the Leigh Lake and finally along the Jenny Lake shore to reach the boat landing and go back to the campground with the last return boat.

It was a very exhausting trip and after a short swim in the Jenny Lake we fall asleep almost immediately. You can tell how tired we were by looking at the tent setup 😉

Tip:

• Return ticket for Jenny Lake boat ride costs 15$. You can also choose the one way ride for 9$ and walk back along the lake shore.

Day 3 – Entering Yellowstone, Old Faithfull and Geyser Basins

Next day we drove north to the Yellowstone National Park. The plan for the rest of the week was to drive along the Grand Loop clockwise and see all major park attractions.

First stop on our way was the famous Old Faithful Geyser. It erupts every 1.5h and the water stream reaches 50m of height.

But there are more interesting geysers in that area. We recommend especially the Grand Prismatic Spring in the Midway Geyser Basin. Colors are just amazing!

Some other geysers:

Driving further north, before reaching Madison, we recommend to take a de-tour and drive the Firehole Canyon Road. There is a spot where a cold river waters mix with warm geysers. In results you have a perfect spot for afternoon swim!

On that day we didn’t manage to find a camping spot inside the park. We drove along the Madison River to the West Entrance and then NW to the Earthquake Lake. Only there we found a free campground.

Day 4 – Norris, Mammoth Hot Spring Terraces, Boiling River, Backcountry camping

On next day we returned the same way to Yellowstone park and drove to the Artists Point:

On our way we met a stubborn bison, who didn’t want to move from the road and caused some traffic jams:

After saying hello to Mr. Bison we drove to the Norris Geyser Basin. This basin is a bit different than others, as geysers there produce more ‘smoke’:

Also, we saw some new colors:

And a lot of interesting fauna:

From Norris we drove further north to see famous Mammoth Hto Spring terraces:

We liked Canary Spring most because of its contrasting colors:

After a quick bite (Bison Hot-Dog) we drove to boiling waters to relax in hot, geyser-powered river:

On that day we had our first night in backcountry. We bought a permit and choose a nice campsite (2H2). It was aprox. 1.5h of walking from the main road, but the trip was absolutely worth it!

Tip:

• Backcountry permit costs 3$

Day 5: Lamar Valley, Tower Falls, Canyon Village

Next day we woke up at sunrise:

Went back to the car and drove to the Lamar Valley:

The valley is often compared to Serengeti due to large amounts of wildlife you can encounter there. Bisons are literally everywhere:

From Lamar Valley we started our return to the South. First, we stopped and the Tower Falls

… and then we drove to the Canyon Village to admire majestic waterfalls:

We ended that that at another Backcountry camping, this time at less spectacular spot (4G4).

Day 6: Hayden Valley, Yellowstone Lake, West Thumb Geyser Basin, Kayaking in Tetons

It was our last day at Yellowstone. We started by driving through the Hayden Valley:

We stopped at the Mud Volcano to see some more Bisons:

And then along the Yellowstone Lake down to the West Thumb Geyser Basin, which is located directly at the Lake Shore.

From there we drove back to the GTNP and spend the entire afternoon in Colter Bay kayaking and swimming in the Jackson Lake.

We spent our last night outside of both park, at the Elk Refugee in Jackson Hole:

Tip:

• Outside of national park and inside of National Forrest you can camp for free pretty much everywhere with no permit.

Day 7

On the last day we took a raft ride on the Snake River. It was fun and we saw several bold eagles fishing. Amazing experience!

After rafting we drove back to Slat Lack City, passing the Bear Lake on our way.

Here is a short video summarizing our trip:

It was an intense but fun week!