Snake River Overlook, Oxbow Bend, Signal Mountain, and Jenny Lake in the Grand Tetons

The rain that followed us from Yellowstone ends the next day and we have beautiful weather to drive through Grand Teton National Park and view some of the incredible sights, starting with the views of the mountains themselves.

Grand Tetons

We drive in a counterclockwise loop through the park, passing by Mormon Row where Mormons moved from Salt Lake City in 1890, establishing 27 homesteads, and on to Snake River Landing.  The Snake River flows over 1,000 miles (1,610 km) from Yellowstone National Park, through Grand Teton National Park and, ultimately, to the Pacific Ocean.  The viewpoint at Snake River is famous for being the spot where, in 1942, Ansel Adams (hired by the National Park Service) photographed the Snake River and the Grand Teton Range.

Mormon Row

Snake River Landing

Ansel Adams was here

We also stop at Oxbow Bend on the Snake River for a short walk along the river and more great views of the mountains and the river.

Oxbow Bend

We drive further into the park and up Signal Mountain, a 7,727 foot (2,355 meter) peak with panoramic views of the Teton Range.

On our way to Signal Mountain

Views from Signal Mountain

Continuing our loop, we drive past Jenny Lake, with more great sights (we'll return another day to hike around Jenny Lake, today we're sightseeing).

Views from the shore of Jenny Lake

We continue the loop back into Jackson, to reenter the park another day.

Heading back into Jackson

For dinner today, we stop at HatchTaqueria for yellowfin ahi and bison tacos.

Tacos

A great first full day in Grand Teton National Park!

Driving to Jackson, Wyoming

It's time to leave Yellowstone and head south to Grand Teton National Park.  But first, we walk over from our hotel in Canyon Village to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone and along the rim trail for one last look at the canyon and the Upper and Lower Falls (watching out for bears as we travel the short trail).

Last look at Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone

Leaving Canyon Village, we drive south through Yellowstone and stop at interesting viewpoints, including Lewis Falls, a spectacular 30 foot (9 meter) waterfall on the Lewis River (known for its brown and brook trout fishing).

Lewis Falls

Grand Teton National Park is just south of Yellowstone and as we enter Grand Teton, we immediately spot the mountains that give it its name.  It's a rainy, cloudy day, but we'll be here a few days to later get pictures of the mountains on sunny, clear days.

Grand Tetons

We're staying in Jackson for our exploration of the Grand Tetons and drop off our luggage to explore the town.  One intriguing sight is the elk-antler arches (built by the Jackson Hole Rotary Club) at the entrances to the city park in the center of town.  One corner of the park has a stop for stagecoach rides around town and everywhere there are views of the ski area just outside town.

Jackson, Wyoming

We do find a lot of great street art in our walk through Jackson and enjoy the images of the area's natural wonders through the eyes of the artists.

Street art

For dinner, we stop at Trio, dining on wood-fired foccacia with basil-infused olive oil, whipped butter, and leek powder, and two specials:  halibut and bison.

Wood-fired bread

Halibut and bison

We've settled in and are ready for a few days of exporing the Grand Tetons.