The Grand Tetons

Mount Moran at 12,605 feet. 

Hiking in the Grand Teton National Park has been on my bucket list for a while, and I was fortunate enough to take a short hike with The Big Guy (my husband) in September 2014 while on a sightseeing trip in the area.  

Grand Teton National Park is approximately 310,000 acres and is located in northwest Wyoming just 10 miles south of Yellowstone National Park.  The park includes the major peaks of the 40-mile Teton Range as well as the northern sections of the Jackson Hole Valley. The park is named for the tallest peak, Grand Teton at 13,775 feet. On September 14, 1950, President Harry S. Truman signed a bill entrusting the Teton Range, Jackson Lake, and much of Jackson Hole to the National Park Service.  To read about "The Creation of Grand Teton National Park," click here.   

Enough details, let's get to some photographs.  

With over 200 miles of hiking trails, it was difficult to select.  I needed something easy and picturesque. String Lake is a small lake located between Leigh and Jenny Lakes. 

Since the trip was for sightseeing purposes, the only hiking gear I had was my Salomon hiking shoes. 

From String Lake, it was on to Jenny Lake alongside a pretty stream. 

The trails near String and Jenny Lakes are very popular for day hikers, so this sign didn't deter. After all, I took The Big Guy along for protection, and we met many day hikers along the trail. 

The weather can quickly change in the Tetons.  What started out as a beautiful, sunny day quickly changed to a brief hail and rain shower.

Hidden Falls was our destination point. 

Hidden Falls is a popular tourist destination which can also be accessed via a shuttle boat from the Jenny Lake Visitor Center.

Why ride a boat when you can hike the trails around Jenny Lake? 

The Grand Tetons include rich scenery, extraordinary wildlife, pristine lakes, and alpine terrain.  

The only wildlife we saw was an Osprey nest.  Unfortunately, I didn't get a photograph. 

"Mountains of imagination" according to the National Park Service. 

After a 4.4-mile hike in one of America's most beautiful national parks, it was time for a stroll around String Lake and dream of a day when I can go back. 

Perhaps some day I'll hike one of the more challenging trails like the Teton Crest Trail which requires backpacking. I'm learning to backpack so stay tuned for some backpacking adventures.  If you're a backpacker and want to see what it's like to backpack in the Tetons, click here.

Hope you've enjoyed this post. "Keep On Hiking."