We were keeping our eye on the news as Yellowstone has been badly affected by forest fires lately caused by lightening strikes. The Maple fire (45,000 acres), was within 4 miles of West Yellowstone, but the park entrance remained open, while Berry fire (21,000 acres) caused more disruption to tourists closing the road between Yellowstone and Grand Teton for a time, but it has now reopened. We saw signs of the fire as we drove between Yellowstone and Grand Teton along the John D. Rockefeller Jr Memorial Parkway.
We reached Grand Teton, stopped for a picnic lunch overlooking Jackson Lake and mountains beyond.
It was raining as we reached Colter Bay so we watched a presentation about grizzly bears which was really interesting before checking into another retro cabin. This one was originally built in 1922 then moved to its present site and fitted with mod cons in 1956. We were amazed to find free wifi in the public areas as well as a bar with wonderful huckleberry margaritas and Grand Teton Amber Ale. The food was excellent too!
Our luck with the weather didn’t last – there was rain all night, and this morning and the temperature was down to single figures. Rather than a 6 mile hike in the rain, especially since there were limited views with the Tetons shrouded in cloud, we went hunting!
Firstly we drove down Pilgrim Creek …
… a favourite hangout for Grizzly Bear 399, the most famous grizzly of The Tetons, with her own Facebook and Twitter accounts! She has learnt that if she brings up her cubs near the roads, they are unlikely to be attacked by male grizzlies. The down side is that they are in more danger from cars and unfortunately her cub born this year was run over. Without a cub to look after, she can travel more freely and we didn’t see her.
Next we went on a moose hunt down Antelope Flats Road to a spot near a creek and willows which they favour, and were lucky to see a bull, cow and calf, at a distance in the trees.
We also checked out the beaver construction at Schwabacher Road …
… and the famous Moulton Barn built by a Mormon family in 1912 …
… but all these pics would have been better with visable Tetons in the background – maybe tomorrow! Finally we headed out of the park to Jackson, home to the National Elk Refuge where some 7,500 elk spend winter. They shed their antlers annually and the Boy Scouts of America have been collecting the antlers under permit since the 1950s, selling them at auction with proceeds going to feed and manage the herd. Some are also used to construct the antler arches than surround the town square.
We are spending the night at El Ranchero in another cosy motel room with character and cowboy boots nailed up outside! We went for dinner at The Merry Piglets, a Mexican eatery, with cute pigs painted on the walls and delicious food and another marguerita!
Next morning, we were blessed with a sunshine and a clear sky so we headed back to the park to see the Grand Tetons in all their glory.
Before we had gone too far, Chris spotted a pair of moose in the sagebrush, who came closer to the road …
… dithered a bit …
then crossed right in front of us and headed off for breakfast!
Revisiting Schwabacher Road, this time we got photos with the mountains reflected in the beaver pool.
We then hiked a 5 mile trail, through water …
… aspens …
… sagebrush …
… and through a puddle to a pair of glacial lakes.
Taggart Lake had great views across the lake and an even better one from up on the moraine, but Bradley Lake was obscured by trees and we returned in a loop. It was a lovely morning to be out walking and our effort was all the more worthwhile for the great views.
The morning gone, we had to move on – 2 National Parks down and 6 to go, but first we return to Idaho …
Off Travelling Together 