Top things to do in the Grand Teton National Park

Discover what to do when the trails up in the Grand Tetons are mostly closed due to snow. There are things to do all year, you just need to look for them. Read on to see what we did for a week in the first half of June.

Day 1: Our arrival into the park

We drove out of Yellowstone after lunch and drove the hour to the Grand Teton entrance. We had a few stops before entering the Grand Teton NP. Our first stop was to take the family picture in front of the Yellowstone National Park sign. We had forgotten to do that on the way in. Our next stop was taking pictures at the dam of Jackson lake with the Grand Teton’s in the distance. Our final stop was to take our family picture in front of the Grand Teton NP sign.

Just a side note, if you are going to either of these two parks, GO TO BOTH!

Once were in the park, we drove to our Airbnb in Wilson. Our gps took us through the entire park and into Jackson Hole city. It took about 3 days to realize that the Moose-Wilson Road connects Wilson to the park entrance. Once we figured this out, we stopped driving through Jackson Hole.

Day 2: Cascade Canyon Trail

We walked 11 miles. Without our snacks, without our lunches and all with the shivers. Does this bring back memories of the Berenstain Bears book, “The Spooky Old Tree”? Usually we are prepared on our hikes but not this one!

jenny lake/hidden falls

Off to a great early start, we took the ferry across Jenny Lake. We walk the path upwards to the Hidden Falls. Keep in mind that in early June there is a lot of water melting off the mountains. The waterfall was loud and misty. We got a little wet standing there taking pictures.

inspiration point

From there we headed up the side of the mountain to Inspiration Point. Beware of the little animals who will come up to you. After some beautiful pictures, it was time to start the Cascade Canyon Trail.

cascade canyon trail

To find the trail head walk to the left with Inspiration Point behind you. There you should see the trail head for the Cascade Canyon Trail. Our goal for the hike was to walk to the South Fork and Lake Solitude Trail junction and then headed back.

And so we began. We got about 100 yards and it started to rain. Not drizzle but rain. We found cover under some trees and talked about the rain gear which I packed for us to use in times like these was not with us but sitting in the airbnb. We also realized that our snacks were only the ones my husband brought and the lunch we had packed was left on the kitchen counter in the airbnb. It didn’t take long until we decided to press on while dodging rain drops for the next hour as we walked.

a description of the trail

The trail is very walkable. The terrane changes as you hike. The Cascade Canyon trail begins in a wooded area and then opens up to a valley view. On the right side of the trail is a large boulder field. To the left are the Grand, Mt. Owen and Teewinot Mountains with long thin waterfalls streaming down. Past the boulder field, the path leads into another wooded area. In this area, your ascent up the mountain is wetter with a few large patches.

If you come when it’s warmer and sunny, I would imagine sun screen, a hat, lots of water is a must. The boulder fields, there are two of them, are out in the sun. Waiting for the ferry is also out in the sun.

The only animal we saw was a moose out in the distance. He was hiding down in the grassy valley. This is as best of a picture I could get.

return ferry

When we got back to the ferry, the line was very long. They did have two ferries running, yet, the wait was long.

Jackson Lodge

Hungry and tired from our hike, we decided to head to Jackson Lodge for lunch. We were going to church at 5:30 pm and didn’t want to drive back to the airbnb as it was already 2 o’clock.

I am glad we did this! Jackson Lodge was worth it. The view of the Grand Teton’s from their large windows was beautiful! We had lunch in their diner. Our meals tasted so good, probably because we were so hungry. I think we enjoyed our waiter the most. He talked to us about how he works two days and then has a day off to go explore. We discovered that to be a park ranger or to work in one of the national parks is a great job for a college kid who loves hiking and nature. They get paid to work but also have plenty of time to explore.

Chapel of the Sacred Heart

When I was researching for our trip out west, I read about this catholic church inside the park. It is a mission church of Our Lady of the Mountain Church in Jackson.

The building is like a small wood cabin. Inside are simple with pews, an altar and seats for the priest. The priest is from the parish church in Jackson. Before mass began, the deacon come up front and asked for altar servers, readers and ushers. There was a deacon from New York sitting in a pew who volunteered to be an usher. Two boys sitting in front of us were altar servers. My husband, who is a music minister at our local church, went back to volunteer in leading the music.

This was one of our favorite places to go to mass from any of the vacation we have gone on. They were so friendly and the mass was well done.

Day 3: Whitewater Rafting

The company we used was Dave Hansen Whitewater company. We reserved the 8 person raft. Our rafting time was at 2:30. I picked this time as it was later in the day. I was hoping it would be warmer too.

It turned out to sunny and kind of warm. However, the water was too cold so we were given our wet suits for free. It’s a good thing we didn’t purchase them when I bought the tickets.

One purchase we had to make was the strap to hold our glasses on while on the Snake River.

the snake river

The company took us to the Snake River on an old school bus. It was about a 40 minute ride.

When we arrived, we put on our life vests. My 2 kids about 65 pounds each were handed vests that fit them perfectly. Once the straps were nice and snug we loaded our raft. Our crew leader sat behind all of us. My two kids sat in front of him in the middle.

As we embarked into the fast moving water, our leader was calling out the rules. “If you fall out of the boat, get back in the boat!” There were 2 other rafts going down the river with us. Two kayaks followed us. These two expert kayakers are there to get to people who can’t get back to the boat. They are the companies safety net to make sure everyone who came on the bus leaves on the bus.

Our leader allowed us to jump out of the boat. when we were in calmer waters. I jumped in the fridge Snake River first. I had no idea how hard it was to get back in the boat. The people in the boat had to pull me back in by my vest.

Overall, the rapids were challenging but fun! I never felt unsafe. If you are wondering if this something you and your family can do, I would recommend it!

Day 4: Mormon Row

I wanted to go and take pictures of the barns with the Grand Teton’s behind them. A very photographic place. What a cool place to build a community. Your backyard view would always be AMAZING! With that said, my husband didn’t like this part of our trip. It was just a bunch of buildings to him. He would rather be hiking on the mountains he saw in the distance. I did get some pictures and then we head out to see other things.

Stops along the park road

On the park road and highway are turnouts with signs describing what you can see from the angle of the Grand Tetons you are looking at. Stopping at each of these gives you a great information. They are worth the stop!

Day 5: Phelps Lake

The parking for this hike is the Wilson-Moose Road we had been taking. The parking lot was full by the time got there at 8:30 am. We didn’t have to wait long and we were on our way.

We were prepared for our hike this time. With snacks and water in our bags, we walked through a grassy area that then lead to some woods. Walking through the woods, we came to Phelps Lake. It was a lake in a valley. The lake was surround by trees and boulders.

I would describe this hike as very easy. A hike that can be done in either the morning or afternoon.

My Take Aways

• Early June is a great time to come to the Grand Tetons.
• Make sure you are prepared when you are going on long hikes.
• Don’t do your hard hike first, ease up to it.
• Plan your days out with heavy days and light.
• There is lots to see and each thing is different level of activity. Plan well!

Here is another post if you plan on going to Yellowstone as well:

What to Pack for Yellowstone and Grand Tetons in Early June

If you have been to the Grand Tetons in early June and some other things to suggest for future readers, please leave your suggestions!