How To See Grand Teton National Park In A Day: Part One

This is part ten of a travel series to Yellowstone and the Grand Teton National Parks.  If you'd like to start at the beginning, go HERE!

Yes! You can see Grand Teton National Park in a single day and here is how we did it!

We spent the night in Jackson Hole, Wyoming which is located just a few miles from the park so we were able to get to the park very early in the morning.  Our first stop, was Mormon Row, and this should be everyone's first stop because it looks best in morning light.  The photo below is the most photographed barn in the United States, and it is best photographed in the morning.

Grand Teton National Park has a 42 mile scenic loop that takes 1-2 hours to drive depending on how many times you stop.  We started the loop at 7:30 am and we were finished by 2:00 pm.

Now if you look at the map below, we began at the bottom and immediately went to the right because we wanted to get to Mormon Row first.  We made a right turn on Antelope Flats Road which led to Mormon Row.

Photo Credit

                                Mormon Row

Mormon Row is actually not in the park, but is a historic district near the park.  It contains old, abandoned buildings of a farm community built in the 1890s by Mormon settlers.

The farm community consists of 27 rustic farms, barns, and houses all with the scenic backdrop of the Grand Tetons.

The most photographed barn in America is the John Moulton Barn pictured below.    People line up for the picture perfect photo.  I found an old print of this barn in an antique store and I purchased it as a memory of our trip.

Of course I had to get myself in a photo to prove I was actually here.  I'm wearing my new TJMaxx sweat pants I purchased the day before in Jackson Hole.  The mornings were so frigid, I needed something on my legs.  By mid day, I was wearing a short skirt.

On the other side of the "street" were more old buildings and a broken down cattle fence.  These were harder to photograph as now the camera was facing the sun.

Craig Thomas Discovery and Visitor Center

After visiting Mormon Row we then jumped back into the car to head into the park.  We had to go back in the direction we came to Moose Junction then we headed north to start the scenic loop.  Our first stop was the Visitor Center, and of course, hubby had to get a photo by the moose standing right outside the Visitor Center.

The Craig Thomas Discovery and Visitor Center is a must see.  The architecture is beautiful with an amazing backdrop of the Grand Tetons.  

The 22,000 square foot Visitor Center is an incredible place to begin your journey and learn everything you need to learn about the park.

I loved this cool display on the floor!

This view is located just outside the Visitor Center.

After educating ourselves it was now time to get back in the car and begin the Auto Tour.  There are 24 stops/points of interests on the loop, and no, we did not stop at all of them.  Many of them you can just see while driving so there is no need to stop.  We stopped at the ones that interested us the most.  Our first stop was the Teton Glacier Turnout.

Teton Glacier

The next two photos show the Teton Glacier.  You can spot it first on the informational photo below, it is located right in the center.  Then in the second photo you can see the actual glacier taken from my iPhone.

Next we made the mistake of driving past the Jenny Lake Visitor Center because we thought we just saw a visitor center and didn't need to stop at another one, plus we were anxious to get the the famous photo of Jenny Lake pictured below before it got too crowded. 

Jenny Lake

This picturesque view can be seen by taking a narrow one lane road called the Jenny Lake Loop Trailhead.  This is a loop not to be missed.  It is also shared with hikers and bikers so watch out!  Most people think this spot right here is the most beautiful view in the Grand Tetons.

We just loved this spot.  It was so peaceful and quiet, and there were hardly any other people there as we arrived so early in the morning, but I can only imagine how busy it gets later in the day.

Can you believe this place is real?  It looks like I'm standing in front of a fake back drop but I assure you I am not.

After photographing these iconic views, we got back in the car to head back to the Jenny Lake Visitor Center.  There is a 10 minute ferry that goes across the lake and takes visitors to trailheads where there are trails from the boat dock to Hidden Falls (1/2 mile each way), Inspiration Point (1 mile each way) and more.  Taking the ferry eliminates a two mile hike each way to the Cascade Canyon trailhead.  Unfortunately, by the time we arrived back at the Visitor Center it was so crowded we couldn't find parking.  The parking lot was not only entirely full, but so was the driveway, and there were cars lined up for a half mile on both sides of the road.  So we decided to skip it, but we were really bummed.  I don't know what would have better, driving the Jenny Lake Loop Trailhead later when it was super crowded, or taking the ferry early.  If we ever get back to the Tetons, I hope to catch the ferry next time.

Now, even though we did drive the entire loop in a day, I'm going to finish this loop next week, otherwise this post will get too long!  See you next week with the second half of our journey through the Tetons!

Have A Great Day!  Amy

Linking Up with these Fabulous Blogs HERE!

For more information on our trip out west, please check out these posts:

YELLOWSTONE:

Old Faithful

The Grand Prismatic Spring

Firehole Canyon Drive

Fountain Paint Pot, Lake Hotel and Cabins, and Hayden Valley

The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone

The Yellowstone Caldera, Tower Fall, Calcite Springs, & the Roosevelt Arch

Mammoth Hot Springs

The Golden Gate of Yellowstone, Mud Volcanos and the Fishing Bridge

Nearby Western Towns Not To Be Missed:

Jackson Hole Wyoming