Cindy Baker
This day was our trek to another national park, The Grand Tetons. We got an early start, since we were driving several hours south to Jackson, Wyoming (better know as Jackson Hole). We had to take the same lower loop road like we did yesterday when we saw Old Faithful, but this time we stopped at the Grand Prismatic Spring and walked around Excelsior Geyser. It was pretty cool. Grand Prismatic Spring is the largest hot spring in the nation – 300 feet in diameter and a ridiculously hot temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit. It is in the Midway Geyser Basin. The center is this deep azure blue that really stands out because of the contrasting colors of the outer edges. Many of the colors are caused by minerals or bacteria. You definitely don’t want to fall in! There are lots of signs warning visitors to stay on the boardwalk.
Another stop on the way was Lewis Falls. It might be easy to miss this beautiful set of waterfalls. It is between the South Entrance to the park and Grant Village at West Thumb on the Lewis River. The falls drop about 30 feet and can be seen from the road.
We drove out the South Entrance (still in Wyoming) and into the Grand Teton National Park. The drive provided some beautiful views of wildlife, rivers, Jackson Lake, and the Grand Teton Mountains.
We had planned on going white water rafting on the Snake River, but we decided to do a float trip instead so that we could bring our cameras and take pictures without getting wet. Shout out to Barker-Ewing Whitewater for doing a fabulous job!
We saw two bald eagles on our float trip. So cool! We also met some cool people and learned a lot about wildlife from our guide.
Jackson is a town in Wyoming’s Jackson Hole valley near the border of Idaho and is home to 3 ski areas: Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, Snow King Mountain Resort and Grand Targhee Resort. It is a very cool town. Although many of the stores and restaurants were high-end in price, there are also your typical T-Shirt and souvenir shops. The Town Square’s entrance has an arch made of shed antlers from the nearby National Elk Refuge. There are also a lot of art galleries and shops. The National Museum of Wildlife Art has works by Andy Warhol and Georgia O’Keeffe.
The town is Jackson, and the Valley is called Jackson Hole. The term “hole” was used by early trappers or mountain men, who mostly entered the valley from the north and east and had to descend along relatively steep slopes, giving the sensation of entering a hole. These low-lying valleys surrounded by mountains and containing rivers and streams are good habitat for beaver and other fur-bearing animals.
Have you ever been to Jackson Hole? Have any good stories? I’d love to hear from you. Check out a short video of Day 4 of Our Trip Here:
