Jackson, Wyoming and Grand Teton National Park

May, 2009

We camped one night at the Moose-Wilson KOA near Jackson, WY. Our view from Teton Pass clearly explains why the valley is called Jackson Hole. The name comes from an old fur trapper who worked the area.

Downtown's park square is complete with deer and elk antler gates at each entrance. Saloons, T-shirt shops and river guides abound. We really enjoyed the National Park Service’s visitor center and game preserve. As usual, the NPS rangers were friendly and very well informed. The well-displayed exhibits were helpful and gave us a good preview of the Grand Tetons.

We took a walk near the campgrounds and discovered a baby eagle in a nest atop a telephone pole. There are 4 by 4 foot platforms on utility poles throughout the west, many with large nests. This is the only one we got close enough to see the baby, screaming and yelling either at our presence or a lack of food.

The Grand Tetons are so majestic! The vantage point is from the east, looking at these snowy peaks from across a lake or, at times, across a meadow. The string of finger lakes at the base of the range provide perfect reflection pools. In mid May, snow covered all but the lowest elevations.

This was our first stay inside a national park, the first that could accommodate a large rig. The advantage to staying in the park boundaries is that you are there – no time is wasted getting to the entrances, although we covered a lot of distance getting to the many areas we wanted to see inside the park. The downside is there is no TV, WiFi, or phone coverage except at the lodge. So we spent a lot of time at the lodge, which was a good thing.

Wildlife is everywhere! We saw bear, elk, moose, wolf and eagle. A group of us at the lodge watched two wolves stalk the elk herd. They managed to corner a member of the herd, but she used terrain and vegetation to escape and rejoin her friends. Russell was working inside and missed the event, but later he elevated it to a life and death struggle to the end when relating it to others .

Our experiences here led to a desire to improve our equipment. We bought a new digital camera and binoculars and dusted off the old Cannon 35mm camera.

NEXT TIME: more hikes, ride the Jenny Lake boat, stay longer.