Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks are in western Wyoming (part of Yellowstone spills over into Montana). A good way to visit both parks is to fly into Jackson Hole (the only commercial airport located inside a national park boundary), see Grand Teton, and then drive north for about two hours to Yellowstone.
Click on any picture to see a larger version
I won’t provide a translation of the French Grand Téton.
If I did, the imbecilic automata that seek out “objectionable”
material for Web filtering software would probably decide to block
this entire site because of “bad language” or “adult content.” So I
can only say that the French fur trappers who named the Teton
mountains in the early 19th century must have suffered far too long
without female companionship.
I have long found it amusing that the self-proclaimed Guardians Of
Family Values in Congress never got their righteous knickers in a twist
over a federally-owned (and federally-funded) National Park with a name
clearly inappropriate for children. Regardless, the natural beauty of
the park itself is certainly suitable for all ages.
There was some settlement and commercial activity (mainly ranching) in
the Grand Teton area before it became a national park. Some of these
“in-holdings” are still active, and are set off from the park lands
by buck-rail fences and gates (far left and above right).
Other in-holdings, like the group of wooden buildings that include the
Pfeiffer Homestead (at left, and also a close-up view in the first
picture on this page) have long been abandoned.
In addition to sightseeing or hiking, you can also paddle a canoe on
Jackson Lake during the summer. I took the picture at right in May (when
snow was still on the ground in much of Grand Teton and Yellowstone) on
a weekday morning, so the canoes were all docked.
Autumn is a particularly good time to visit Grand Teton. Stands of
aspen are everywhere. If you’re lucky, they’ll put on a show of gold
and orange.
Besides the Teton range, Mount Moran is an imposing presence
whether flanked by autumn foliage or reflected on a quiet morning.
It’s well worth getting up at 4 in the morning to watch the Tetons
glow as the sun rises. Just be sure to bundle up with layers of warm
clothes, since the October morning is mighty cold. And do wear gloves as
protection against the sting of a freezing-cold tripod.
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