At a Glance
I have wanted to go to Glacier National Park for a very long time. After looking at a map with my friend, we realized that Yellowstone wasn’t too far from Glacier. Then, we noticed that Jackson Hole and Grand Teton were close to Yellowstone. And… that’s how this became a 9-day road trip.
For the record, I am not a particularly outdoorsy person, but I do like day hiking and visiting nature. This trip was the perfect combination of outdoor activities, gorgeous scenery, and time with friends. We purposefully chose to go in early September to ensure that we’d have good weather with lighter crowds.
Itinerary
Day 1 – Arrival and Jackson Hole
Day 2 – Grand Teton
Days 3/4 – Yellowstone
Day 5 – Drive to Glacier
Days 6/7/8 – Glacier
Day 9 – Return home
Story
Jackson Hole – The flight to Jackson Hole was easy, which meant we arrived by mid-day. The airport, and Jackson Hole itself, are in a flat valley surrounded by dramatic mountains. The airport welcomes you with a massive display of antlers and signs announcing bear spray rentals. I found this amusing at the time but came to appreciate the bear spray later in the trip. After getting our rental car, we were off to Jackson Hole.
After a very short drive, we were in Jackson Hole. It’s quaint and very walkable. There are lots of cute restaurants and shops that ring a main square with even more antler displays. After checking into our motel, we wandered the town and found the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar (the bar seats are saddles!), an old-time photo shop, many gift and candy shops, a restaurant for dinner, and huckleberry ice cream for dessert.
Grand Tetons – After breakfast the next morning, we drove out to the Lake Jenny area of the Grand Tetons, which took about 30 minutes. Lake Jenny is located at the bottom of the mountain range and is very picturesque. We got there early, and used our annual park pass to enter efficiently. (Note: The Lake Jenny parking area has clean bathrooms and small shops if you need water, snacks, or souvenirs.) We started by just wandering the lakefront. We then decided to pay a few dollars to take a boat to the other side where there are various hiking trails that lead to waterfalls and scenic viewpoints. We chose to go up to Inspiration Point, which offered a good hike and stunning views.
We stayed at Lake Jenny until late afternoon, at which point we began the drive to Yellowstone. It was about a 1-hour drive to the southern entrance of Yellowstone, during which we which we crossed the continental divide.
Yellowstone – Yellowstone is actually very easy to navigate. Most of the park is accessible by roads that roughly make the shape of the (very big) number 8. You may do more driving than walking in Yellowstone. For the most part, you drive to site, park in a parking lot, walk the site, and then drive to the next one.
We entered via the south entrance and had a small cabin reserved on Yellowstone Lake at the Lake Lodge. On the way to our lodgings, we stopped at our first geyser – West Thumb. It’s on Yellowstone Lake and was a good introduction to the park. While mostly walking on platform walkways, you can get close to active geysers and hot pools. What I quickly learned is that the ground is not very stable because of all the active geology just under the surface. This is why many of the sites in Yellowstone are only accessible via the platformed walkways. It’s for your safety! And yes, there is a sulfur (egg) smell near the geysers. It was not pungently strong, but it is there.
After studying our map, we decided to get up early and head north to the Lamar Valley. This is where bison reign. It was dark and foggy as we got on the road – driving slowly to ensure we did not hit any deer or bison that may wander onto the road. And yes, there was a lot of wildlife along the road! It was both eerie and beautiful as the sun finally started to break through the fog. After stopping for breakfast with – wait for it – huckleberries, we left the figure 8 and headed into the Lamar Valley. Bison were literally everywhere. They walked on the road, near the road, and across the road. It was their territory, and we were just passing through it. We also had a chance to pull over with a crowd of other vehicles and watch a grizzly bear family cross a nearby hill. Don’t worry, we were far away and watching through binoculars. This is also where you can sometimes see wolves, but we did not.
We then backtracked (back to the figure 8) and headed west toward Mammoth Hot Springs. It’s a formation of hot springs that creates an almost waterfall effect. It’s also very colorful!
Circling southeast, we stopped in the Canyon Village area which provides access to the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone and includes a hike to a waterfall viewpoint. I should note that the hike is straight down on the way in and straight up on the way back. It’s very doable, but a bit intimidating. And with that hike complete, we decided to call Day 1 a success.
On Day 2, we again woke up early and headed straight to Old Faithful. It goes off about every 90 minutes. We coincidentally arrived just after an eruption, and therefore had a bit of a wait. It was totally worth it. It’s unbelievable how much water comes out and how high it goes. Truly remarkable. Note: People will start to snag the best seats and viewing points 30 minutes or more before the eruptions.
We watched Old Faithful 3 times, and in between eruptions walked nearby trails through smaller geysers and had breakfast at the the Old Faithful Lodge. This part of the park is known as the geyser basin, and is home to other famous sites such as the Steamboat Geyser. We spent the rest of the day driving the area and visiting all the sites.
The next day was a long 6+ hour drive to Glacier, where we checked into our Airbnb in West Glacier. The location was perfect as we were only about a mile from the entrance.
Glacier – This park lived up to my every expectation. I had previously thought of Glacier getting its name from the existing glaciers, but now I think of the incredible beauty formed by glaciers that are long gone. Though very large, the park really only has one road that goes straight across. You access many sites and hiking trailheads on this road.
Day 1 in Glacier was a big day that started with another early morning. Our plan was drive to the far side of the park and spend the day in Many Glacier. What a drive it was! We got to experience the scenic, but slightly terrifying Going-to-the-Sun Road and had a bear sighting – right on the road. This is the moment when I started to believe in bear spray.
I can’t recommend Many Glacier enough. Throughout the day, we kayaked on a lake, took a boat trip, went hiking, and had a wonderful meal. It was magical. Everywhere you turned was a view more beautiful than the last.
Day 2 was spent closer to… [coming soon]
The Toad on the Road 