We Do Stuff: Grand Teton National Park

Grand Teton National Park and Yellowstone National Park

Summer 2025

Starting a new job in June, I was skeptical about being able to take any time off all summer long. This was disappointing since I knew Hazel would be starting full day kindergarten in the fall and it would be much harder to spend time with her. Fortunately, I had been able to put in a few training days before I started officially and they offered to let me take those as vacation in lieu of pay. We discussed options and landed on a road trip to Wyoming. Grandma and Bob would come along and camp with us in the Tetons, which would give us the opportunity to spend time with Hazel as well as climb harder stuff a couple days.

Friday morning we headed out bright and early and drove through to Grand Teton National Park. We made one stop along the way at the Lincoln summit just to stretch our legs and get out of the car for a few minutes.

Laura and Hazel at the Lincoln summit

Laura and Hazel at the Lincoln monument along I-80

We arrived to the Jenny Lake Campground mid-afternoon and set up our tent. We had an enjoyable evening and attended a ranger led program about some of the animals and the hardships they face with such harsh winters in the Tetons. Some of them hibernate, while others migrate and some of them somehow endure the heavy snows while remaining in the Tetons.

Hazel was impressed by the size of this moose antler replica

The weather forecast for the week was not spectacular. One of our main objectives was to climb Granite Peak, the Montana state high point. After numerous discussions and changes of plans, we decided we had better get it done as the weather deteriorated the further into the week we looked. So Justin and I took off the following morning and had a successful trip to Granite Peak.

Justin and Laura on the summit of Granite Peak, MT

Upon returning to Jenny Lake Campground, Hazel was anxious to do her own hike and work on her Junior Ranger Program. We set out on the Cascade Canyon trail around the south side of Jenny Lake. Hazel brought her Junior Ranger book and a map and pointed out interesting things along the way.

Hazel leading the way with her book and map

We rescued several caterpillars from the middle of the trail so they didn't get stepped on.

We stopped to smell the flowers.

We watched ants march in lines across the trail

We visited Hidden Falls on the far side of Jenny Lake

We took the ferry back across Jenny Lake

It is difficult to get campsites in Grand Teton National Park on short notice, so I was only able to get 3 nights at Jenny Lake. The rest of the nights would be at Colter Bay campground up by Jackson Lake. We packed up our camp and moved to the new campground and found new things to explore up there.

Hazel loved helping around camp. Here she is taking the trash to the dumpster and the recycling (in the box) to the recycle bins.

We set up the new campsite and got out Hazel's bug kit. She really enjoyed collecting bugs and butterflies, looking at them and then letting them go. We also played an extensive amount of hide and seek with the plastic bugs that came with the kit. Sometimes Hazel would hide them and Grandma or Mom would find them and sometimes it was the other way around.

Hazel with her new bug explorer kit

Hazel checking stuff out with her binoculars

We relaxed and spent time down by the lakeshore. We swam in Jackson lake, cooked s'mores and played in the hammock. Hazel and Grandma read books and colored pictures. Justin cooked creative camp dinners and Laura took pictures.

Hazel at Jackson Lake in her wetsuit.

Hazel and Justin swimming in Jackson Lake

Hazel playing in the hammock

Hazel and Dad putting a moth in the house

A tent made by the caterpillars

So many wildflowers

Hazel eating her s'more

Hazel got her Junior Ranger Badge

One day, we took a drive up to Yellowstone National Park to see the geysers.

Hazel was intrigued by the colorful pools

We got lucky and saw several geysers in the few hours we were there.

Beehive geyser

Laura, Hazel and Justin in Yellowstone

Hazel at Castle geyser

Hazel checking out the runoff from Daisy geyser

Laura, Hazel and Justin at Castle geyser

There was only a day or two left of our trip and Justin and I were hoping to get another mountain in. The weather forecast was terrible. We figured we might have half a day at best before getting rained on. We settled on a technical route on the east ridge of Disappointment Peak.

We made it to the summit of Disappointment Peak with only light rain to contend with

We hiked the lakeshore trail in the rain, attended another ranger led program about the history of the park and the pioneers that made it possible and petted furs of animals found in the park. In just a short week, we were able to relax and reconnect. It was fun to see how ambitious Hazel is when she's trying to accomplish something and she is far more capable of hiking than most of the people we passed on the trails. The mountains were amazing and it was good to test Justin's hand climbing again.