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Grand Teton National Park

Luxury Amid the Wilderness

By Joyce Dalton

If you’re like many travelers, the perfect trip means spending the day in the wild, but returning to a fine dinner and comfortable bed at night. Wyoming’s Grand Teton National Park meets the bill, combining wilderness of the amazing kind with lodges that exemplify the favorite British criterion, “casual chic,” and restaurants designed to satisfy the most discriminating.

Although this 310,000-acre land of soaring mountains, sparkling lakes and fish-filled rivers didn’t become a national park until 1950, people have been enjoying its resources and natural beauty for millennia. Thousands of years ago, roving bands of Paleo-Indians gathered edible plants here. Much later, tribes such as the Shoshone, Crow, Blackfeet and Gros Ventre followed animal migrations into the area and in the 19^th century, trappers arrived, eager to cash in on the rich trade in beaver pelts. Survey expeditions’ reports and photographs lured homesteaders. The same towering peaks and swift-flowing rivers that attract today’s visitors provided major obstacles to a carefree home on the range but the settlers persevered and in 1907, the first dude ranch opened.

For decades, nature lovers pushed to have the Tetons declared a national park but snags always interfered. In disgust at Congress’ foot dragging, John D. Rockefeller, Jr. purchased 35,000 acres, planning to donate it for a park. Eventually, FDR bypassed Congress and designated 221,000 acres as Jackson Hole National Monument. Still not mollified, national park supporters continued pushing until at last, their beloved National Monument became Grand Teton National Park.

Depending on your adventure (and energy) level, you can explore this scenic wonder by car, motor home, foot, bike, horseback, canoe, raft, kayak or horse-drawn sleigh. The 42-mile Scenic Loop Drive wends its way past many of the park’s most beautiful spots and with a bit of luck, by some of its four-footed inhabitants including moose, mountain lions, coyotes, elk, deer, bison, black bears, grizzlies, and cute little guys such as the yellow-bellied marmot. Park lodges offer 6 a.m. “safari” drives. Like their African counterpart, sightings are partly a matter of luck. While ours wasn’t strong on wildlife, the views were splendid as the early morning light turned snow-capped mountains into glistening turrets. An even earlier drive to Jackson Hole Airport found elk by the dozens feeding alongside the road; naturally, our cameras were packed in our baggage.

For further wheeled ramblings, Signal Mountain Summit Road presents vistas stretching over the Teton Range and valley, while nearby Jenny Lake Scenic Drive leads to the Cathedral Group Turnout with views of some of the most impressive peaks.

With more than 225 miles of maintained trails, the park tempts hikers of all levels. Valley routes, mountain trails, self-guided, ranger-led, an hour, a day, an overnight, whatever you’re seeking in outdoor adventure. Billed by some as the park’s showcase hike, the Cascade Canyon Trail starts at the Jenny Lake boat dock (a $5 ferry ride crosses the lake) and leads one mile to Inspiration Point. Those who want to push farther continue another 3.5 miles to the Fork of Cascades. From here, you can hike more than 20 miles into backcountry, reaching some pretty high elevations. During the summer, rangers lead morning hikes to Inspiration Point.

While a tram ride from Teton village makes an easy start to another popular route, the Granite Canyon Trail, getting down involves 12.4 miles of strenuous hiking with an elevation change in excess of 4,000 ft. Additional trails, all strenuous, lead off the upper tram station. The Marion Lake hike, for instance, covers 11.8 miles across mountain divides.

Climbing schools and professional guides are available for those ready to tackle the mountains in an even more challenging manner, while horseback rides, which may include breakfast or dinner, tempt visitors who prefer their terrain flatter. Golfers can hone their skills at the Jackson Hole Golf & Tennis Club, ranked among the top 10 resort courses in the country by Golf Digest. Redesigned by Robert Trent Jones, Jr., the course is surrounded by snow-capped peaks, making it one of the most beautifully situated courses around. The Gros Ventre River, plus a number of strategically placed ponds, create water hazards on 11 holes. The Strutting Grouse Restaurant, located on the golf course, is open to the public.

Water lovers can launch canoes or kayaks on the park’s lakes or join a whitewater-rafting adventure on the Snake River. The river has its gentler side, as well, and one of the most popular activities is a float trip utilizing custom made craft modeled after bridge pontoons and similar to the Zodiacs used for ship-to-shore explorations in the Galapagos, Antarctica and the Arctic. Unlike Zodiacs, however, boatmen stand at either end and “sweep” the craft along with a single long paddle.

Our two and one-half hour float was a highlight of the trip, in equal parts due to the fun of being propelled along the Snake’s swift current (but no rapids), the magnificence of the scenery and the guide’s repartee of river and park trivia. Examples of the latter: willows are the favorite food of moose, the Snake received its name through miscommunication between the Shoshone and early settlers, running a raft is mainly learning to read currents. For an ideal ending to a perfect morning, cheeseburgers and hotdogs were on the grill as our boat pulled into a secluded wooded area facing a coffee table book’s worth of lake and mountain vistas.

In the unlikely event you need a break from nature, options abound. The village of Jackson is a cute town lined with galleries, shops selling western crafts and clothing and plenty of restaurants. A park stands city center, its four corners boasting entry arches formed of antlers. Just north of town, the National Museum of Wildlife Art offers interesting architecture, life-sized buffalo, moose and bear bronzes, a sculpted mountain lion lurking above the lobby and a superior art collection featuring such fabled western masters as Charlie Russell, John Chymer and Carl Rungers. There’s a pleasant café, the Rising Sage, on premises.

From mid-December through early April, you can visit the nearby National Elk Refuge by sleigh, coming as close as 100 feet to these magnificent animals. The refuge, totaling 23,754 acres, was established in 1912 by the federal government after several severe winters resulted in thousands of deaths. Today, the refuge provides a winter feeding ground for up to 10,000 elk. During December and January, the bulls’ antlers are at their grandest. In the spring, Boy Scouts gather shed antlers, which are auctioned off, the majority of proceeds going toward food supplies for the elk.

For a haunting sense of the past, wander through Bar B-C, a former dude ranch, which today, resembles a ghost town. Even without electricity and running water, the ranch attracted upscale guests who traveled here by train from as far away as the east coast. In operation between 1912 and 1986, the tumbledown wooden structures are now owned by the park.

Looking for attractive, comfortable in-park accommodations? Consider Jackson Lake Lodge or Jenny Lake Lodge, both part of the Grand Teton Lodge Company, which was created by John D. Rockefeller, Jr. decades ago. The company also operates Colter Bay Village, a popular choice with families on a budget who are content with rather basic log cabins or tent cabins. The area also has an RV site.

Overlooking Jackson Lake and the Tetons, Jackson Lake Lodge houses guests in the main building and in groupings of cottage rooms. Large picture windows offering magnificent vistas dominate some guest rooms. Western-style furnishings feature colorful fabrics with Native American designs and outlines of moose and elk carved into headboards. Pictures of buffalo and elk hang over beds. Amenities include patios or balconies, ceiling fans, coffee makers, mini-fridges and good lighting. TVs are purposely absent; nature and the entertainments it provides are the goal here.

The property was built to blend harmoniously with its surroundings and both architecture and décor meet this objective. A 60-foot window in the Upper Lobby and floor to ceiling windows in the Mural Room restaurant insure that the Tetons are never far from sight. The Mural Room is indeed well named as an entire wall recounts pictorially the era of trappers and fur traders. Commissioned by Rockefeller, famed muralist Carl Roters created the 700-sq. ft. paintings on 11 eight-foot rosewood and walnut panels. A fine collection of Navajo carpets, Pacific Coast masks, woven baskets and beadwork is displayed throughout the lodge. 

A second restaurant, the Pioneer Grill, offers casual dining throughout the day. Jackson Lake Lodge counts Presidents Kennedy, Nixon, Carter, Reagan and Clinton among its visitors. In 1989, after four days of talks, Secretary of State James Baker and Soviet Foreign Minister Eduard Shevardnadze signed a statement of peace and friendship on the terrace.

Jenny Lake Lodge began life back in 1923 as a dude ranch named Danny Ranch. Today, surrounded by forest, its 37 one- and two-unit pine log cabins epitomize the upscale rustic look with hooked rugs, hand-quilted bed coverings, cushiony chairs, locally made peeled wood furniture, and rockers on the porch. Each cabin is named for a flower and one bathroom tile bears its namesake’s likeness. Suites boast wood-burning stoves and cozy sitting areas. Enhancing the sense of restful solitude, cabins have no TVs, radios or phones.

Planned on a smaller scale than Jackson Lake Lodge, the lobby furniture is arranged in several groups, perfect for conversation, cards or board games. A large fireplace adds a warm glow to chilly evenings. Several times a week, a guitarist enhances the ambience with a pleasing combination of classical, folk and easy listening numbers. The lodge’s award-winning restaurant presents five rotating dinner menus with two specials each evening, a game dish and a vegetarian pasta dish. These five-course meals are included in the room rate, as is breakfast. For non-resident guests, the prix fixe dinner is $47. After sampling such offerings as escargot, anise seed cured salmon, roasted pork tenderloin and seared Pacific scallops, we can testify that the restaurant’s fine reputation is well deserved.

To report that Princess Grace of Monaco and her family vacationed here and that 70% of guests are repeat clients says it all.

Returning each evening to the comfort of Jackson Lake or Jenny Lake Lodge after a day immersed in the wild beauty of Grand Teton combines the best of what man and nature can create.

Contact Information:

Grand Teton National Park. www.nps.gov/grte/home.htm.

Jackson Lake Lodge. Open May 19 to Oct. 9. Single or double rates run $124 to $225; suites $394 to $564. Tel: (800) 628-9988 or (307) 543-3100. Web: www.gtlc.com/lodge.Jac.htm.

Jenny Lake Lodge. Open June 1 to Oct. 6. Rates run $348 single, $429 double; suites $579 to $619. All rates include breakfast and five-course dinner daily, horseback riding and bike rentals. Tel: (307) 733-4647. Web: www.gtlc.com/lodge.Jen.htm.

Museum of Wildlife Art. Tel: (307) 733-5771. Web: www.wildlifeart.org.

Images by Joyce Dalton

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