Wyoming: Yellowstone & Grand Tetons Walking & Hiking

Day 1

Meet your Backroads Trip Leaders (the folks wearing Backroads T-shirts) either at 7 a.m. in the lobby of the Wyoming Inn in Jackson, Wyoming, or at 10:30 a.m. at the Holiday Inn in West Yellowstone, Montana. Please arrive dressed in your hiking clothes and with a daypack containing your rain gear, sunglasses, camera, etc.

Shuttle to Yellowstone National Park 4 Hours from Jackson/45 Minutes from West Yellowstone
Fountain Paint Pots Warm-Up Walk 45 Minutes
Upper Geyser Basin Hike 3.5 Miles (700-foot elevation gain)
Longer Options: Mystic Falls 5.7 Miles (700-foot elevation gain) or Biscuit Basin Overlook 6.3 Miles (1,000-foot elevation gain)

After meeting we shuttle to the Lower Geyser Basin in Yellowstone National Park for your first look at the park’s famous geothermal activity. Stretch your legs on a short walk around the bubbling Fountain Paint Pots, taking in the sights, sounds and smells of this thermal wonderland. We fuel up with a hearty picnic lunch along the Firehole River, then shuttle to the trailhead for our hike to Upper Geyser Basin, home to more than 20 percent of the world’s geysers. If you’d like to add a few additional miles to today’s trek, follow the trail to Mystic Falls, passing through the charred remains of a lodgepole forest burned in the 1988 fire. Watch your step: hot spring runoff flows along the river’s edge! For a more challenging hike, head to Biscuit Basin Overlook for great views of the falls and the Biscuit, Black Sand and Upper Geyser Basins. Then we stroll to Old Faithful, the granddaddy of them all! It’s about 91 minutes between spectacular eruptions: each performance lasts one and a half to five minutes and shoots 3,700 to 8,400 gallons of boiling water into the air.

Tonight’s hotel, the historic Old Faithful Inn, was built in 1904 from local lodgepole pines. This evening we gather on the lodge’s upstairs deck for a pre-dinner reception. With luck, Old Faithful will provide the floor show!

Lodging: Old Faithful Inn

Day 2

Shuttle to Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone 1 Hour
Grand Canyon Hike 7.4 Miles (500-foot elevation gain)
Shorter Option: Canyon Rim 3.6 Miles with Shuttle (500-foot elevation gain)
Longer Option: Inspiration Point 9.2 Miles (1,150-foot elevation gain)
Shuttle to Lake Yellowstone Hotel 1 Hour

This morning’s destination is one of the park’s most dramatic features: the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. Formed about 10,000 years ago, it’s more than 20 miles long, 1,200 feet deep and 4,000 feet wide. Two thundering waterfalls and the multicolored canyon walls make it one of the most photographed places in the park.

Exploring on foot is the best way to appreciate its grandeur and diversity. Set out on Clear Lake Trail, passing through open meadows and stands of lodgepole pine, and watching for bison that occasionally graze here. The trail opens to reveal the immense canyon from the south rim. Steep jagged walls of pink, yellow and orange cradle the surging Yellowstone River below.

Continue to Artist Point for a look at impressive Lower Falls, the origin of this powerful flow of water. You may see ospreys that build nests atop rock pinnacles protected by the canyon walls. The rest of the hike alternates between quiet secluded stretches and popular lookout points. Take Uncle Tom’s Trail, which drops 500 feet in a series of stairs and inclines, for a magnificent view of Lower Falls. The hike concludes with a fascinating look into the canyon’s depths at aptly named Inspiration Point.

Afterward we shuttle to Lake Yellowstone Hotel, a Colonial-style inn that’s been restored to its 1920s brilliance. Presidents Harding and Coolidge stayed here during their visits to the park. Relax with a cool drink in the lobby before our meal in the hotel’s grand dining room.

Lodging: Lake Yellowstone Hotel

Day 3

Optional Storm Point Walk 2.3 Miles (100-foot elevation gain)
Shuttle to Lakeview Picnic Area 1½ Hours
Shuttle to Two Ocean Lake 30 Minutes
Jackson Lake Lodge Hike 5 Miles (500-foot elevation gain)
Shorter Option: 3.5 Miles (170-foot elevation gain)
Longer Option: North Shore 7.3 Miles (1,000-foot elevation gain)
or Other Activities in Grand Teton National Park

Enjoy a relaxing morning at the lodge or take a short shuttle ride after breakfast to Storm Point Trail for a level loop walk along Yellowstone Lake. You’ll have wonderful views of the Absaroka Range in the distance and may even spot an American white pelican! We then bid farewell to Yellowstone and shuttle to neighboring Grand Teton National Park, a paradise of snow-covered sawtooth mountains, shimmering lakes and dense forests. After a picnic lunch on Jackson Lake’s shores, we shuttle to Two Ocean Lake. Then take in incredible views of the Grand Tetons’ distant peaks during a hike through open meadows en route to Jackson Lake Lodge, our hotel for the night. (Park regulations don’t allow guided walks, so your Backroads leaders won’t be able to accompany you on today’s hikes.) If you’re not in the mood to walk, how about horseback riding, canoeing, fishing or taking a scenic boat cruise? (These activities are not included in the trip price and advance reservations are strongly recommended.)

In the upper lobby of the Jackson Lake Lodge, 60-foot picture windows frame the Teton’s jagged peaks—an image that is particularly breathtaking at dawn and dusk. Before dinner, take a dip in the outdoor heated pool or sip a drink in the cocktail lounge—huckleberry margarita, anyone? We gather for dinner in the Mural Room, where you can watch the sunset.

Lodging: Jackson Lake Lodge

Day 4

Shuttle to Jenny Lake 30 Minutes
Jenny Lake & Cascade Canyon Hike 9 Miles (1,000-foot elevation gain)
Shorter Options: Inspiration Point 1.4 Miles (500-foot elevation gain) or Jenny Lake Loop 6.6 Miles (100-foot elevation gain)
Longer Option: Lake Solitude 14.4 Miles (2,500-foot elevation gain)
Shuttle to Teton Village 1 Hour

This morning we shuttle to Jenny Lake, created about 60,000 years ago by melting glaciers. Take a scenic boat ride across the lake to Cascade Canyon’s mouth. Then begin today’s hike with a steep climb to Inspiration Point for a wonderful view of Jackson Hole (“hole” is the term the early beaver trappers used to describe a mountain-ringed valley). Continue along Cascade Creek through a sea of mountain bluebells, dandelions, paintbrush and daisies. The walk is an out-and-back route, so you can go as far as you’d like. If you make it all the way to Lake Solitude (at 9,000 feet), you’ll be rewarded with the spectacular sight of Mount Teewinot, Mount Owen and Grand Teton. If you’d rather stay closer to sea level, surround yourself with wildflowers on the Jenny Lake Loop, which follows the shoreline and weaves in and out of pine forests. (Remember: your leaders are unable to join you on our hikes in Grand Teton National Park due to park regulations.)

Later in the day we shuttle to Teton Village, located in the valley between the Teton and Gros Ventre Ranges. Here we settle into the hip eco-friendly Hotel Terra. Soak in stunning views from the comfy fire-lit lobby lounge or soothe your muscles in Hotel Terra’s rooftop hot tub. You’re on your own to enjoy dinner tonight in Teton Village or Jackson.

Lodging: Hotel Terra

Day 5

Shuttle to Laurance S. Rockefeller Preserve 30 Minutes
Phelps Lake Loop 7.4 Miles (400-foot elevation gain)
Shorter Option: Rockefeller Preserve Loop 3 Miles (230-foot elevation gain)
Longer Option: Teton Village 9.8 Miles (700-foot elevation gain)
Shuttle to Teton Village 30 Minutes

After arriving at Laurance S. Rockefeller Preserve this morning, get ready to hike through the most recent land addition to Grand Teton National Park. Take a moment at the visitor center to learn about the Rockefellers’ role in preserving your surroundings.

If your preference is to go slowly and learn more about the preserve, join a ranger on the shorter option, an educational walk along Lake Creek to Phelps Lake. If you’d like to cover more ground, you can set your own pace. Follow the loop around Phelps Lake or walk all the way back to Hotel Terra. Whichever option you choose, you’ll enjoy the serenity of Phelps Lake and the dramatic walls of Death Canyon. (If you’ve brought your swimsuit, consider taking a refreshing plunge off the locals’ jumping rock!)

There’s time this afternoon to shop in Teton Village or enjoy the amenities at Hotel Terra’s Chill Spa. (Reservations are strongly recommended and should be made for between 3 and 6 p.m.; spa treatments are not included in the trip price.) After tonight’s farewell dinner at a nearby restaurant, feel free to stroll to the famous Mangy Moose Saloon for live music and local color.

Lodging: Hotel Terra

Day 6

Shuttle to Put-In Spot 1 Hour
Rafting on the Snake River 2 Hours
Shuttle to Jackson 30 Minutes

The grand finale to our week is a gentle float trip on the Snake River. In the hands of expert river runners, we cruise down a scenic section of the Snake, scanning the shore for wildlife and relishing the incredible views. Upon our return to terra firma, we stop in the Wild West town of Jackson for a picnic before saying our goodbyes.