Day 16 - Goodbye Yellowstone - Hello Grand Tetons!

Packed up and drove 1.5 hours to the Tetons NP, a close neighbor of Yellowstone. The Teton NP area is every bit as beautiful as Yellowstone, but much different. Whereas YNP has a wide variety of topographies including a huge lake (inland ocean), desert-like conditions in the geyser areas, a canyon to rival its cousin to the south, mountains and unending forests, Grand Teton has open flat lands with water (rivers and lakes) and mountains – in that order – to frame a landscape picture that’s awesome, to use an overused term. The 13,700-foot Grand Teton dominates the wide mountain range.
Jackson, Wyoming is the center of the Jackson Hole area, which includes the park and the surrounding towns. Our camp was 12 miles south of Jackson, a little further than desired, but it’s hard to find campgrounds in an area where the per capita income if rather high.
We took a spin up Signal Mountain north of town and after about 40 switchbacks on the 700-foot drive, the view was a just reward, with valley and mountains stretching out for miles. As with most photos out West, it is hard to truly capture the actual splendor.

On the way back, we stopped at the Chapel of the Sacred Heart, a small wooden Catholic church overlooking Jackson Lake and – you guessed it – mountains.

To finish off the afternoon, we stopped at the Jackson Lake Lodge bar (the Blue Heron) for a drink to and sunset view. The hamburger was the best we’ve ever had. This lodge is the center of a resort with everything a family or company would need as a gathering place.