The BLT Guidebook

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10 Days in Grand Teton, Yellowstone, & Bozeman, MT

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By

Candace B

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6–10 minutes
Lamar Valley– Yellowstone NP

Right out of the airplane, the excitement took over- we made it! As we walked into the small terminal, there was an arch of antlers overheard, signifying our welcome. It looked like we were in the right place- Wyoming, at last!

Dan and I at Jackson Hole Airport

Back in 2019, we jumped on a plane for our longest vacation yet. We were headed to Wyoming. We started the trip to see the much-loved Yellowstone National Park, but it ended up being so much more than that.

This post is is an overview itinerary of how we spent are time on this 10 day trip.

Day 1: Travel Day +Jackson Hole

After a complicated travel morning, we were re-routed from OAK (Oakland) to SJC (San Jose) with an easy layover in Salt Lake City (where we had brunch at High West Distillery, which is now closed due to COVID-19) and made it to Jackson before noon.

The afternoon was spent in Gros Ventre River area and Jackson Hole, where we were staying for the night. Jackson was packed with tourists since it was the end of the July. The town square had breweries, good food, bars, and many places to shop for being such a small town.

Also, more antlers!

Alissa, Dan, and I in the town square.

Days 2-4: Grand Teton National Park

Grand Teton National Park was only 45 minutes from Jackson, where you can see the Tetons from miles away.

Grand Teton is a significantly smaller National Park compared to others we’ve been to, but it was worth every second to be in the grace of the mountain range.

Teton Range– Grand Teton NP

Our campsite was only ten minutes away by car to the Moran Junction Entrance, so we spent the days exploring up and down Teton Park Rd, the one road that goes through the whole park.

We spent time soaking up the sun, fighting thunderstorms, hiking, and fishing. The mornings were perfect with the sun shining and packed trailheads, while the afternoons called for rain.

A few highlights over the three days:

  • The Teton Range itself was amazing.
  • There were not a ton of crowds for summer, except around the boating areas (this park has over 5 accessible lakes).
  • Snake River– where we set up for long lunch/reading breaks while Dan fished. There were different access points around the park.

  • Taggart Lake Trailhead– where we hiked the on/off rainy 4 mile loop into a lush and dramatic Taggart lake. We hit this trail in the late afternoon and it was definitely worth it.

  • Jenny Lake to Hidden Falls via Jenny Lake Trail (a 4.9 mile loop)- a tip from our of our campground neighbors led us to Jenny Lake, the park’s second largest lake. We hiked from Jenny Lake to Hidden Falls via Jenny Lake Trail. You have the option to either ferry across and do a grand loop, or hike the 4.9 mile loop. We opted for the loop. The day was beautiful, reminding me of Lake Tahoe in the summer.
    • This trail is definitely one of the most popular, with crowds of people gathering at Hidden Falls. This is also where we saw our first bear(s) of the trip! A mom and her cubs were hiding in some bushes right on the trail! I think everything I learned about bears was out the window at that point! (No bear photos, unfortunately!)

  • Side trail to Moose Ponds– a passerby told us there were moose in the lake (yep!) It was only a side stop from the trail, so we checked it out. At the bottom of the mountain was this green, small pond with two moose hanging out.

Days 5 & 6: Bozeman, & Spire Rock

To get to Yellowstone/Montana from Grand Teton NP is to drive through the park and end up in Yellowstone. That’s right, there is no actual entrance from GT to Yellowstone, but there is a South Yellowstone entrance if you were coming from Yellowstone.

Instead of driving from Grand Teton NP, spending time in Yellowstone, and spending time in Bozeman and driving back down, we decided to put Bozeman in the middle and leave Yellowstone for last. Our Bozeman drive us around 2 and a half hours.

Road trip & Montana highlights:

  • Old Faithful! With our early start toward Bozeman, our timing was right to be there before 9 AM, which provided us a “front row” seat. It was also impressive to check out the Old Faithful Inn while we waited.

  • Lone Peak Brewing in Big Sky, MT, where we stopped for lunch, a beer, and shuffle board.


  • Treeline Coffee– I’ve been subscribed to their monthly coffee rotation for over a year now.
Treeline Coffee Roasters- Bozeman, MT

  • A great vibe for such a small city!

  • Spire Rock really was a beautiful campground and we were lucky to be there for such a short time. I would love to check out the hiking there in the future.

Days 7-9: Yellowstone National Park

After our side adventure, it was time for Yellowstone! This park was the first National Park and is filled with unique geological wonders and plenty of wildlife. It encompasses everything you love about the outdoors in one place!

We had a perfect campsite in Madison Campground (near West Yellowstone Entrance) that was relatively central to everything we wanted to do. (*Note: we booked this campground ~eight months in advance for those of you wondering!)

We settled in and walked along the Madison River, which right next to our campground.

It takes a lot of time and preparation to get to practically anywhere in Yellowstone, so we had each day planned accordingly.

Yellowstone highlights (in order) spread out over the three days:

  • Canyon Village area: ~30 minutes from Madison
    • Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone had crowded parking, as we got there around 4 PM. We didn’t have time or the patience to walk the trails, so I would get an early start for this one.

  • Norris Geyser Basin: ~15 minutes from Madison. We also came in the afternoon, where it was pouring on us and only had a brief window to check it out. The plus side were that most people left because of this!

  • Lamar Valley: ~an hour and a half to two hour trip from West Yellowstone to Tower Junction/ Lamar Valley. This can be because of traffic, bison (yes, you read that correctly!), and a two lane road. Not only does the valley have good fishing and hiking, but it is where the majority of the wildlife are in the park year round.
    • Slough Creek Trailhead had our second and last encounter with a black bear during the trip.
    • Lamar Valley River Trail had with gorgeous overcast scenery. We didn’t walk much on this one, but it can go 7 miles to ~30 miles if you want to get a good workout!

  • Mammoth Hot Springs are ~an hour from Madison near the North Entrance. This area exceeded my expectations and was one of my favorite parts of our adventure. We lucked out and got one of the last spots- it was definitely crowded compared to the lack of people from our Lamar trip the day before.

  • Canyon Village area:
    • Cascade Lake via the Cascade Lake Trail was one of the favorite hikes of the trip. I would compare it to hiking through Big Meadows in South Lake Tahoe.
      • We also had our last bear sighting on the trip! A mama grizzly and her cubs! We were pretty far away, even with a 300mm lens and binoculars, you could only see them moving quickly in the distance.

Day 10: Yellowstone +Jackson Hole

Our final half day in Yellowstone and the sadness of our trips ending was seeping in! We stopped once to walk the Midway Geyser Basin Trail, home to the Grand Prismatic Spring (which we could not see clearly from where we were) and once in Grand Teton NP again to say goodbye!

After check in, we arrived early and decided to relax, shower, and do laundry. We “hit the town” on the last night in Jackson, walking over to StillWest Brewery and Grill to have drinks then to Gather for a delicious dinner and cocktails.

We ended at Snake River Brewery (for the second or third time of the trip!) and went back to our hotel.

Inside the airport, waiting for our flight home

Notable Places:

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