Plan your visit

Grand Teton National Park Trip Planner

Tell us how long you have, who's along, and the season. We'll group it by region so you drive less and see more.

How long
Who's along
Season

This park's open areas fill about 2 days at an easy pace.

Day 1 Jenny Lake & String Lake + Colter Bay & Jackson Lake

  1. Jenny Lake with the Cathedral Group of the Teton Range rising directly behind the far shore.

    Jenny Lake

    Jenny Lake & String Lake · 2 hr · easy pace

    A glacial lake at the foot of the Cathedral Group and the busiest hub in the park, named for Jenny Leigh, a Shoshone woman who assisted the 1872 Hayden Survey through this valley with her husband Beaver Dick Leigh. Parking fills by 8 a.m. in summer — plan to stay a while once you're in: the boat dock, the shoreline, and the visitor center all hold a family's attention.

  2. The three peaks of the Cathedral Group, Grand Teton, Mount Owen, and Teewinot, rising sharply from the valley floor with no foothills.

    The Cathedral Group

    Jenny Lake & String Lake · 30 min · easy pace

    Grand Teton, Mount Owen, and Teewinot — the three-peak silhouette on the park map, rising about 7,000 feet straight off the valley floor with no foothills, because the Teton fault drops the valley as the range lifts. Worth seeing from more than one angle: Jenny Lake, String Lake, and the Cathedral Group Turnout each frame it differently.

  3. Shallow String Lake with sandy edges and the Teton Range behind, the flat family loop trail tracing the shore.

    String Lake Loop

    Jenny Lake & String Lake · 2.5 hr · easy · 3.7 mi

    The family classic: shallow and sun-warmed, with sandy edges where kids can wade on a warm day, linking Jenny Lake to Leigh Lake. The loop stays close to the water the whole way and runs mostly flat.

  4. Hidden Falls dropping through Cascade Canyon a short walk from the Jenny Lake west boat dock.

    Hidden Falls and Inspiration Point

    Jenny Lake & String Lake · 2 hr · easy · 2 mi

    From the Jenny Lake west boat dock, Hidden Falls is about half a mile and Inspiration Point about a mile with a short climb. The boat shuttle skips roughly two miles of flat lakeshore each way, which is what makes this realistic with kids.

  5. Oxbow Bend of the Snake River at first light with Mount Moran reflected in the slow water.

    Oxbow Bend

    Colter Bay & Jackson Lake · 30 min · easy pace

    A cut-off meander of the Snake River below Jackson Lake Dam, with Mount Moran standing behind it. The slow water holds the reflection at first light — one of the two dawn stops in the park. Moose, otter, and white pelicans use the side channel.

  6. Jackson Lake Lodge with its tall lobby windows facing the Teton Range across Willow Flats.

    Jackson Lake Lodge lobby view

    Colter Bay & Jackson Lake · 30 min · easy pace

    Built in the 1950s with the Rockefeller-era park, the lobby's 60-foot windows frame the range across Willow Flats — free to walk in and see. Oxbow Bend is close by for a dawn drive.

Day 2 Moose & the south valley

≈20 min drive from Jenny Lake & String Lake

  1. The T. A. Moulton barn on Mormon Row standing on Antelope Flats with the Teton Range behind it.

    Mormon Row and Antelope Flats

    Moose & the south valley · 45 min · easy pace

    A row of Latter-day Saint homesteads on the open sagebrush bench of Antelope Flats. The T. A. Moulton and John Moulton barns stand against the range, and kids can walk the lane between them and back for photos — a stop worth lingering at, not just a drive-by. Bison and pronghorn move through the flats at dawn and dusk.

  2. The Snake River Overlook on US 89 looking over the river bend toward the Teton Range, the spot Ansel Adams photographed in 1942.

    Snake River Overlook

    Moose & the south valley · 20 min · easy pace

    The paved pullout on US 89/191/26 where Ansel Adams made his 1942 photograph of the Snake River and the range. No walk required — the view is from the car door.

  3. Taggart Lake at the end of the day-hike trail sitting directly under the Teton Range.

    Taggart Lake Trail

    Moose & the south valley · 2.5 hr · easy · 3 mi

    A good first real hike for kids, ending at an alpine lake directly under the range. The trail crosses a 1985 fire scar, a living lesson in how a sagebrush-and-lodgepole slope grows back. Trailhead off the Teton Park Road south of Jenny Lake.

  4. The stone exterior of the National Museum of Wildlife Art on a butte above the National Elk Refuge near Jackson.

    National Museum of Wildlife Art

    Moose & the south valley · 1.5 hr · easy pace

    The congressionally designated wildlife-art museum on a butte above the National Elk Refuge, a few miles north of the Jackson Town Square. Indoor galleries and a kid-walkable sculpture trail loop the hillside — the weather-day option.

If you have more time

  1. The view from the Signal Mountain summit road across Jackson Hole to the full Teton Range, Jackson Lake, and the Snake River oxbows.

    Signal Mountain Summit Road

    Colter Bay & Jackson Lake · 45 min · easy pace

    A paved road climbs to a view across Jackson Hole to the full range, plus Jackson Lake and the Snake River oxbows below — the only drive-up panorama of the whole range. Narrow, closed to trailers and large RVs, and closed in winter.

  2. Colter Bay on the east shore of Jackson Lake with the marina and the Teton Range across the water.

    Colter Bay swim beach and marina

    Colter Bay & Jackson Lake · 1.5 hr · easy pace

    Log cabins, a campground, an RV park, and a marina on the east shore of Jackson Lake. The swim beach and boat rentals are at the marina, which makes it the family base on the water.

Plans by trip length

One day in Grand Teton National Park

In one day, Moose & the south valley: Mormon Row and Antelope Flats, Snake River Overlook; Jenny Lake & String Lake: Jenny Lake, The Cathedral Group.

Two days in Grand Teton National Park

Two days adds Colter Bay & Jackson Lake: Oxbow Bend, Jackson Lake Lodge lobby view.

Best time to visit Grand Teton National Park

The best time to visit Grand Teton National Park is spring, summer and fall, when most of the park is open. In winter, Jenny Lake & String Lake and Colter Bay & Jackson Lake close with snow.

Trails on this plan

  • Hidden Falls and Inspiration Point2 mi · 550 ft gain · easy · source
  • Taggart Lake Trail3 mi · 360 ft gain · easy · source
  • String Lake Loop3.7 mi · 540 ft gain · easy · source

Trails in every park planner

Common questions

How many days do you need for Grand Teton National Park?

Grand Teton National Park fills about 2 days at an easy pace — Colter Bay & Jackson Lake & Jenny Lake & String Lake, Moose & the south valley.

Can you see Grand Teton National Park in one day?

Yes — pick one area: Moose & the south valley & Jenny Lake & String Lake (Mormon Row and Antelope Flats, Snake River Overlook, Taggart Lake Trail). You'd skip Colter Bay & Jackson Lake, but it's a full day.

What's the best time to visit Grand Teton National Park?

Aim for spring, summer and fall; that's when its roads and trails are fullest.

Is Grand Teton National Park good with young kids?

Yes — the easier, shorter stops work well with little kids: Jenny Lake, The Cathedral Group, String Lake Loop, Hidden Falls and Inspiration Point.

Is Grand Teton National Park doable with limited mobility?

Several stops are short and low-effort: Jenny Lake, The Cathedral Group, String Lake Loop, Oxbow Bend. Check current trail and road conditions with the park.