In my Salt Lake City blog I outlined the story behind why we went to Grand Teton National Park with only one day’s prior planning. Our drive from SLC took us through Idaho and on our first night in Wyoming we stayed just south of the Park, at the Spring Creek Ranch.

I hate heights. Let me caveat that… I like heights as long as I’m attached to SOMETHING. Train through the French Alps- no problem. Roller coaster- awesome! Vehicle on a road- well that will most likely drive off a cliff at any given moment and I will plunge to my death. That’s why the Grand Teton National Park was ideal. The mountains pop out of the ground (that’s my scientific assessment as a non-geologist) and I can see them without having to drive UP anything.

Our first stop was the Jenny Lake Visitor Center. From there we took a boat across the lake to the start of Cascade Canyon Trail. In many ways, the trip was well timed for a family toting a barely one-year-old. She was happy to be carried on hikes and I didn’t have to worry about her toddling off a cliff or chasing a moose.

For two nights we stayed at the Signal Mountain Lodge in rustic one-bedroom cabins, switching accommodations once because we had booked last minute and availability was limited. It worked a bit in our favor; one cabin faced east and one slightly more north, so each offered a different view the mountains behind Jackson Lake. Another benefit of traveling with a one-year old; we were up for sunrise every morning.

At this phase in her young life, Alice was learning to point at animals and name them. Unfortunately, she had yet to be able to distinguish between “bear” and “dog,” so we were always relieved when we realized that we were about to cross paths with hikers with a canine in tow. She also stood in front of the large stuffed grizzly bear in the Jackson Hole Lodge yelling “dog” repeatedly.

In Jackson, we stayed at The Alpine House, our first B&B with child experience. From there we were easily able to walk to the park for the traditional daily 6pm Town Square Shootout. We had dinner outside at the Snake River Brewery.
A gondola takes you from the ski village to the mountain top, where people who like to take their chances by strolling on top of mountains are welcome to do so. I was happy with the scenic views from my swinging box attached to an overhead wire.