Grand Teton National Park might be the most beautiful place I have ever seen. Driving into the park for the first time had my jaw literally dropping to the floor and asking myself if this place was real. And that’s not an exaggeration.
The rugged peaks, stunning alpine lakes, and wildlife make the Grand Tetons a hugely popular area for outdoor enthusiasts and photographers.
If you’re planning a trip here, you might be wondering how to structure your Grand Teton National Park itinerary.
My husband and I visited the Grand Tetons for 3 full days combined with 5 days in Yellowstone National Park.
Whether you just want to see the highlights, do some epic hikes, or scout the best photo spots, this post has all the details on the best way to structure a Grand Teton National Park itinerary for 1, 2, or 3 days.
Grand Teton National Park Overview
Grand Teton National Park is a pretty long and narrow park that runs north-south along the Teton Mountain Range.
The Teton Mountain range contains some of the oldest rocks in the world. They are a fault block mountain range, carved from a segment of the Earth’s crust that has been pushed up on a fault line.
Add in some glacier activity and erosion, and you have the famous, rugged Grand Tetons that we know today.
Along with the rugged mountain peaks, Grand Teton National Park is also known for its abundant wildlife and gorgeous alpine lakes. There are so many amazing hikes and famous photography spots here!
The Best Time to Visit Grand Teton National Park
The best time to visit Grand Teton National Park is in the late summer through early fall. You’ll avoid the summer crowds, still have nice weather, and start to see some fall colors.
Late spring and summer is still a good time to visit, but you will be dealing with a lot of crowds. Over the last few years, Grand Teton National Park has become a very popular summer destination.
You can still have a pleasant experience in the summer, it just takes a bit more planning and some early starts!
How Many Days Do You Need in Grand Teton National Park?
If you don’t like hiking, you really only need 1 day in Grand Teton National Park. If you do enjoy hiking, spending 2-3 days or more will give you time to see the highlights and hike some of the best trails.
How to Get to Grand Teton National Park
Grand Teton National Park is situated just south of Yellowstone National Park and north of the Jackson Hole Valley. The easiest way to get here is to fly into the Jackson Hole Airport and rent a car.
If you’re combining your Grand Teton National Park itinerary with a trip to Yellowstone as well, you might also consider flying into Bozeman or Billings, exploring Yellowstone, and then driving south to Grand Teton.
Salt Lake City can also be a more affordable airport to fly into, but it will take almost 5 hours to drive to Grand Teton National Park! If you can spare the extra vacation time, the cost savings might be worth it to you.
Related: Yellowstone in One Day: 7 Best Yellowstone Road Trip Itineraries
The Best Attractions in Grand Teton National Park
- 42-Mile Scenic Drive
- Jenny Lake
- Inspiration Point and Hidden Falls
- Mormon Row
- Taggart & Bradley Lakes
- Oxbow Bend
- Schwabacher Landing
- Signal Mountain Overlook
- Snake River Overlook
Where to Stay Near Grand Teton National Park
The best place to stay when visiting Grand Teton National Park is Jackson, Wyoming.
There are quite a few in-park lodges at Grand Teton National Park, but they are really expensive and don’t have many included amenities.
The main draw to in-park lodging is the location convenience of being close to the main attractions. In my opinion, this tradeoff isn’t worth it at Grand Teton, unless you have a large budget.
Jackson is only a 15 minute drive from Moose and a 30 minute drive to Jenny Lake. Jackson also has a ton of hotels and restaurants to choose from as well, which can make for a better stay!
Here are some highly rated places to stay in Jackson:
- Elk Refuge Inn: Clean, simple, budget-friendly hotel located just north of Jackson. This is where we stayed and we enjoyed it!
- The Lodge at Jackson Hole: Mid-range accommodations just 1 mile from the Jackson Town Square.
- Hotel Jackson: Upscale hotel in the heart of downtown Jackson.
Grand Teton National Park Map
Grand Teton National Park is a long, narrow park situated between the south end of Yellowstone National Park and the Jackson Hole Valley.
The main park road is US Highway 191/26/89 (three highways share this road but it’s only one road) and follows the Teton Range and Snake River north to south.
Teton Park Road spurs off the main highway at the Moose and Jackson Lake junctions and runs parallel to the main highway.
Teton Park Road takes you to a lot of the main attractions in the park, like Jenny Lake, Signal Mountain, and Jackson Lake. This road closes in the winter, making a lot of Grand Teton National Park inaccessible due to heavy snowfall.
I’ve annotated the map below with locations of the main attractions listed in this Grand Teton National Park itinerary.
1-Day Grand Teton National Park Itinerary
With a 1-day Grand Teton National Park itinerary, you will be able to explore the famous Jenny Lake, hike to Hidden Falls and Inspiration Point, and do the 42-mile scenic drive.
Morning
Get an early start and head directly to the Jenny Lake Visitor’s Center. The short, steep hikes to Inspiration Point and Hidden Falls are located across the lake. You can either hike to them, or take the Jenny Lake boat shuttle across the lake.
There are a ton of different ways to do the Jenny Lake/Hidden Falls/Inspiration Point hike, so I wrote a whole blog post on it. This is by far the most popular thing to do in Grand Teton National Park!
Related: 13 Best Easy Hikes in Grand Teton National Park
My recommendation is to hike clockwise around the lake, hike to Inspiration Point and Hidden Falls, and then take the boat shuttle back. This is what we did, and we loved it!
And if you’re feeling ambitious, you can continue hiking past Inspiration Point into Cascade Canyon. This trail continues for 9 more miles, but even hiking into it for 20-30 minutes will give you some great views of the mountaintops!
We started hiking around 8 am, and did not have to wait in line for the boat shuttle back at 11 am when we finished hiking. When we returned to the East Boat Dock, there was an hour and a half wait to take the boat shuttle across the lake to Hidden Falls and Inspiration Point!
If you would rather not hike the 2+ miles around the lake, you can also take the boat shuttle across the lake and back. The price for a roundtrip ticket is $20/adult and a one-way ticket is $12.
Related: Hiking Jenny Lake in Grand Teton: The Complete Guide
Jenny Lake is the most popular area to explore in Grand Teton National Park. The parking lot at the Visitor’s Center gets insanely full midday and the lines for the boat shuttle can reach an hour or more long. I recommend starting this itinerary no later than 9 am, especially in the summer!
Midday
Grab lunch in Jackson and spend a couple of hours shopping and exploring (or relaxing in your hotel). Grand Teton National Park gets insanely busy in the summer and parking at trailheads midday gets difficult.
Trust me, leaving the park for a few hours midday and continuing your Grand Teton itinerary later in the evening will make a huge difference in crowd levels and parking availability.
Afternoon/Evening
Spend the afternoon and evening driving the 42-mile scenic drive and exploring the scenic overlooks and viewpoints. There are opportunities for wildlife viewing and lakeside hikes on this drive as well.
Doing the scenic drive later in the evening will give you better lighting for those iconic photos of the Tetons and a higher chance of spotting wildlife!
The 42-mile scenic drive is made up of Teton Park Road (the inner road) and US Highway 26/89/191 (the outer road). There are junctions to enter the loop at Moose, Moran, and Jackson Lake.
If you only plan to drive and stop at a few scenic spots, the scenic drive will only take you 1-2 hours.
But if you have a few hours, here are the must-see scenic spots. This list is in order coming from the south and driving the loop clockwise:
- Jenny Lake Overlook: scenic overlook of the Tetons across the lake
- Signal Mountain Summit: narrow, winding road up to an overlook of the Teton Mountains, Jackson Lake, and the Jackson Hole Valley
- Oxbow Bend: scenic overlook on the Snake River and an amazing place to spot wildlife
- Snake River Overlook: one of the most photographed areas in Grand Teton National Park
- Teton Point Turnout: iconic view of the entire Teton Range
- Schwabacher Landing: a great place to see the reflection of the mountains in the the water along with an easy 0.5-mile hike along the river
- Moulton Barns on Mormon Row: the iconic Mormon settler barns famous for sunrise photography
There are a lot more scenic turnouts on the drive, but the ones listed above are the best ones, in my opinion!
You can also add on a hike to Taggart Lake (AllTrails link here) or String Lake (AllTrails link here) while making your way around the 42-mile scenic drive. Both hikes are around 3.5 miles long and provide amazing scenic views of the Tetons with a reflection in the lake.
Dornan’s Pizza in Moose makes a great dinner stop before or after the scenic drive!
2-Day Grand Teton National Park Itinerary
With a 2-day Grand Teton National Park itinerary, you’ll get to see the main highlights of the 1-day itinerary above and also add on an iconic sunrise at Mormon Row and some additional hikes!
Day 1: Hike to Inspiration Point & Hidden Falls
Follow the same itinerary as the 1-day Grand Teton National Park itinerary above. I’ve briefly recapped it here:
- Hike to Inspiration Point/Hidden Falls/Cascade Canyon
- Explore Jackson
- 42-Mile Scenic Drive
Day 2: Sunrise at Mormon Row & Hike the Taggart and Bradley Lake Loop
Morning/Midday
Wake up early and watch the iconic sunrise at Mormon Row. It’s best to get there ~30 minutes before the actual sunrise so you don’t miss the red colors on the mountains just before the sun rises over the horizon!
After the sunrise, head over to the Taggart Lake Trailhead and hike the Taggart and Bradley Lake Loop. This is a 6-mile moderate hike to two lakes with some of the best views of the Teton Mountains.
Afternoon
Grab lunch in Jackson and explore the shops downtown or relax in your hotel.
Evening
Go wildlife spotting at Oxbow Bend or head to your next destination.
3-Day Grand Teton National Park Itinerary
3 days in Grand Teton National Park is the perfect amount of time in my opinion. You’ll get to do all of the things listed above, along with having time to add on your own adventure, such as a longer day hike, kayaking, or swimming!
Day 1: Hike to Inspiration Point & Hidden Falls
Follow the same itinerary as the 1-day Grand Teton National Park itinerary above. I’ve briefly recapped it here:
- Hike to Inspiration Point/Hidden Falls/Cascade Canyon
- Explore Jackson
- 42-Mile Scenic Drive
Day 2: Sunrise at Mormon Row & Hike the Taggart and Bradley Lake Loop
Follow the same day 2 itinerary as the 2-day Grand Teton National Park itinerary above. I’ve briefly recapped it here:
- Sunrise at Mormon Row
- Hike Taggart and Bradley Lake Loop
- Relax/Explore Jackson
- Wildlife spotting at Oxbow Bend
Day 3: Choose Your Adventure
Choose your own adventure with your third day in Grand Teton National Park! Choose a longer day hike, a shorter day hike + an afternoon of kayaking on Jenny Lake, or go swimming!
Hiking suggestions:
- String Lake Loop: 3.7 miles, 252 feet of elevation gain. Easy lakeside hike with views of the Tetons.
- Jenny Lake Loop: 7.2 miles, 456 feet of elevation gain. This is an extremely popular hike around the entire Jenny Lake.
- Phelps Lake Loop: 7 miles, 725 feet of elevation gain. This hike is in a quieter area of the park so it’s a great place to escape the crowds!
- Death Canyon Trail: 9 miles, 2093 feet of elevation gain. This hike is similar to Cascade Canyon with mountain views, but is more strenuous and a quieter trail.
You can also rent kayaks and canoes from Jenny Lake Boating and kayak on Jenny Lake. Check out their website for the latest information and rates!
You are allowed to swim in most of the lakes at Grand Teton National Park, however, they are all really cold, even in the summer. String Lake is the best area for swimming since the lake is shallow and less cold than others!
Related: 13 Best Easy Hikes in Grand Teton National Park
If You Have More Time
If you have more than 3 days to spend near Grand Teton National Park, I would add on some more hikes or a visit to Yellowstone National Park.
The south entrance of Yellowstone is only 30 minutes north of Grand Teton. You can take a day trip to Yellowstone and see the highlights, or combine your Grand Teton itinerary with a 3-5 days in Yellowstone for an epic Wyoming adventure!
If you’re interested in a day trip to Yellowstone, check out this post with the 7 best 1-day road trip routes through Yellowstone. You can start and end in Jackson, or stay the night near one of the other Yellowstone entrances.
If you’re interested in adding on 2-5 days in Yellowstone, check out the ultimate Yellowstone itinerary in this post!
If you’ve already visited Yellowstone before your Grand Teton itinerary, you can also take a day trip to Craters of the Moon National Monument in Idaho. It’s about 3 hours from Jackson and is a super unique place to see remnants of volcanic activity.
What are you most excited for on your trip to Grand Teton? Did this Grand Teton National Park itinerary help you plan? Let me know in the comments below!
-Megan
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