Grand Teton National Park

Mark and I spent an awesome weekend hiking in Grand Teton National Park . We've been in the park a lot to bike the path from Jackson to Jenny Lake, and to play at String Lake, but we haven't done a lot of hiking and exploring. Man have we been missing out! We decided to take a section of the park and do all the hikes we could. We'll spend a couple seasons and eventually get through all the trails in the park. We started with the south section, and it was amazing! Sometimes my friends ask me if I ever get tired of hiking, trail running, and being in the mountains. Nope, I could do it all day, everyday, if I didn't have to come back and be a responsible adult during the week!

Phelps Lake:

Mark got off work a little bit early on Friday, so we headed straight to the Laurance S. Rockefeller Preserve. From there we hiked to and around Phelps Lake. It was an 8 mile loop, and we loved it! The trail was beautiful, the lake was so pretty with amazing views around it, and we saw a bear! It was at the lake and walked right up on the trail about 50 feet in front of us. I had my phone in my hand, but was so excited I didn't even get a picture! We had bells on, and we were both carrying bear spray, but it was just a cute little one that wasn't the least bit concerned about us. We made it back to the car right as it got dark, so it was a perfect start to our adventure!

A beautiful trail!

We followed the Lake Creek Trail on the way to the lake, and came back on the Woodland Trail.

Our first view of Phelps Lake!

So pretty!

This is the lake from the opposite shore from where we started from.

There is something so peaceful about a mountain lake.

Huckleberry Point.

We drove to a trailhead right outside the park, ate, and then slept in the car. We got up nice and early Saturday morning to start our next adventures.

Taggart Lake-Bradley Lake Loop:

We started our day off hiking to Taggart Lake, and then continuing on to Bradley Lake. Both are amazing! The reflections of the Tetons in the water were incredible, and I think between us we probably took a hundred pictures of the same thing! It's a pretty easy 6.5 mile, family friendly loop that I would highly recommend!

Our view of the Tetons from the trailhead.

We had great views all the way to Taggart Lake.

So pretty!

Our first sight of Taggart Lake.

The reflections of the Tetons in the water!

More reflections!

A picture from Bradley Lake.

The cutest little baby dear jumped onto the trail right smack in front of Mark on our way back to the trailhead. We backed up a little so we wouldn't get between the mama and baby. We watched them for awhile, and they were so sweet. Not scared of us at all.

Cute little mama!

Surprise-Amphitheater-Delta Lakes & Garnet Canyon:

Our third and final hike was the longest and most difficult, and we were worn out at the end. It was 14 miles, and a lot of climbing, but we were able to see some amazing stuff!

 Surprise Lake:

Surprise Lake is a dreamy little spot tucked among the tall Teton walls. There was a mama bear with two cubs that everyone in front of us and behind us saw on the trail. We missed it on the way up and back. 

This is a picture of Taggart and Bradley Lakes (where we hiked earlier that morning), but from way up above on our hike to Surprise and Amphitheater Lakes.

We climbed 3000 feet in 4 miles to get to Surprise Lake.

Amphitheater Lake:

Amphitheater Lake was only a quarter mile beyond Surprise Lake, and it was very appropriately named. It's another one where the pictures just don't do it justice.

Delta Lake:

So many of the hikers on the trail were going to Delta Lake and not the other two. We weren't sure why, since Delta wasn't even listed as an official park hike. We decided to check it out after we went to the other two. On the way back down we took an unmaintained side 'trail' to Delta Lake. We had to cross a boulder field, and kind of guess which way to go. The trail was steep and rough, but once we got a glimpse of the lake through the trees, we understood why everyone was doing this hike instead of the others. Ahhhh, the color of the water was incredible! So worth the hike, and I'm so glad we saved it for last! So beautiful!

Crossing the boulder field.

Our first glimpse of Delta Lake through the trees.

My new favorite alpine lake.

This is a picture showing how high we climbed. The road and cars in the valley are so small!

Garnet Canyon:

I had read that if you are going to the lakes, it's totally worth it to take a side detour and head up Garnet Canyon. This is where the climbers go that are climbing The Grand. The trail ends a mile up at a boulder field, and generally only the climbers go beyond that point. We debated going the mile up the canyon, but decided we should just do it, since we were already up there. So glad we did! The canyon was just as amazing as we had heard. Plus, we met some of the Idaho Falls Trail Runners that were heading up to climb The Grand the next day. It was fun to finally put their faces and names together in person.

Garnet Canyon

And to end our evening, this is the sunset we had while driving home!

We loved all of our hikes! We covered 21 miles on Saturday, and 29 miles total for the weekend. We got most of the hikes done in that area of the park. There are still a couple that we want to do. We can't wait to go up again in the fall, and explore another section of the park. I seriously love where we live! All these places are right at our fingertips!