You can find parts 1 & 2 of this series here and here.
Homeschooling in the Grand Tetons
We left Yellowstone on a sunny Tuesday afternoon and entered the Grand Tetons minutes later. This post is dedicated to our time there.
In preparation for the trip, I pretty much put all my energy into learning and studying Yellowstone. I didn’t spend much time preparing for the Tetons, and therefore everything there was novel for me, though I had been there about 20 years ago when I was a teenager. Since we had filled our days in Yellowstone to the BRIM the Grand Tetons was a time to relax a bit. We all welcomed that!
History of Grand Teton National Park
Grand Teton National Park was established in 1929. It originally did not cover all of the area it does today. Horace Albright, who was the Yellowstone National Park Superintendent, sought out the financial backing of John D. Rockefeller Jr. to help conserve all of the land we know as Grand Teton National Park today. Rockefeller semi-secretly bought the land bit by bit with the intention of enlarging grand Teton National Park. It was a frustrating process that took many years. In 1950, President Truman included Rockefeller’s acquired land into what is now known as Grand Teton National Park.
Jackson Vs. Jackson Hole
If you ever travel to the Grand Tetons, you will find out they are closely entwined with Jackson Hole. You’ll also hear about Jackson, WY since that is the largest city in the area (population is roughly 10,000). So what IS the difference between Jackson and Jackson Hole? I actually was wondering the same thing and discovered the answer on this trip! Jackson is the actual city and Jackson Hole is the geographical area. The area is called Jackson Hole because it’s surrounded by mountains. Confusing the matter a bit, the airport there is called the Jackson Hole airport (it’s amazing by the way!). Interesting side note – Jackson Hole Airport is the only airport in our country located in a National Park!
Though Jackson is a fun and bustling little town, it was a bit too bustling for us, so we did not spend much time there. We did get this cool photo of the kids in front of one of their (many) Elk antler gates.
We also did our laundry there, at the cleanest laundromat EVER! It was actually an enjoyable experience! We did some real-life math there with Joe. 🙂
Wildlife
Wildlife was the theme of our time in Grand Tetons. At least, we tried for it to be! Each evening at dusk, we went out driving attempting to see some bear or moose. We did see some female moose and elk at night, but our most successful wildlife venture was early one morning when we drove down Moose Wilson Road – a road that boasts of much wildlife. That early morning we saw a black bear foraging in the woods as well as a female moose and her child.
Jackson Hole is home to the National Elk Refuge where thousands of Elk come to each winter. Surprisingly we saw very few elks.
The Tetons also have a brand new visitor center with tons of information on wildlife and an educational video, not to mention flush toilets… bonus!
Photography
One of the highlights for me was getting to experiment with photography on my iPhone The mountain setting was so majestic and I enjoyed using different editing techniques. The morning we got up early proved to be an excellent time to get some photos. There were clouds at the top of Grand Teton (the highest peak of the Tetons), but that was ok! I got some great shots at Mormon Row and Schwabacher’s Landing – two popular photography locations.
Hidden Falls
One of my favorite excursions of the trip was a hike out to Hidden Falls. To shorten the 5-mile hike, we took a shuttle boat across Jenny Lake and made the 1/2 mile hike to the falls. Not only were the falls delightful, but the hike was as well. The kids and I also went another 3/8 mile up to an observation point. Breathtaking.
Grand Targhee
One of the unexpected thrills of being on the Tetons was driving up into Targhee National Forest and visiting Grand Targhee Resort.
We took the beautiful drive up from Jackson through Driggs, ID to get there. Once there, we hopped on a chairlift to go to the top of Fred’s mountain. From the top of Fred’s Mountain, we could see the back of the Tetons.
All in all, it was an amazing trip! We loved both the Tetons and Yellowstone and hope to return to both!
