Planning A Trip To Grand Teton National Park: 7 Mistakes To Avoid

There is plenty of information around about planning a Grand Teton National Park trip. For all sorts of information about the park, check out my Grand Teton National Park Guides.

The thing is that most of it focuses on what you should do.

This guide is different. I will share with you what you should AVOID doing when planning your Grand Teton National Park vacation. This isn’t meant to scare you; it’s meant to help you be fully prepared when you visit Grand Teton National Park. I think it’s helpful to be aware of mistakes to avoid in the planning stage.

I’m a national park expert and have extensive knowledge of Grand Teton National Park. I’ve seen many people make mistakes (and I’ll admit I made a few myself!) that have impacted their trip. So now I’m happy to share what I’ve learned from their (and my) experiences so that you can avoid these common pitfalls.

Let’s take a look at the biggest mistakes to avoid when you plan a trip to Grand Teton National Park.

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“7 Mistakes to Avoid When Planning a Trip to Grand Teton National Park”

#1 Starting the days late

View of cars on the road and in the background are snow-capped mountains in Grand Teton National Park.

Grand Teton National Park gets about 3 million visitors per year and that number is continuing to rise. Because the park is not super big, and the snow-free season is relatively short, the park can get very crowded in the summer.

There are no timed entries into the park, so people can enter whenever they want without a reservation. The result is that the parking lots usually fill up early in the day, trails get crowded, and boat rentals sell out, especially in the peak summer months.

This means that if you sleep in and get to the park later in the day, you may well find yourself spending a chunk of your day roaming the parking lots waiting for someone to leave.

There are only 1,500 parking spots in the park, which may seem like a lot, but keep in mind that on some days there are over 20,000 visitors.

The two largest parking lots are the Jenny Lake Parking Lot and the Colter Bay Main Parking Lot, which each holds around 400 spots. If you head to one of these lots before 8:00 am, you have a good chance of getting a parking spot – but after that, you may need to wait.

The most popular hiking trail is the Cascade Canyon Trail. This trail is 13.6 miles long, starts at Jenny Lake, and follows Cascade Creek down an incredible canyon. Because of the popularity of this hike and the many other activities at Jenny Lake, the parking lot fills up fast and so does the trail. Make sure that you are giving yourself time to get on the trail before it gets too crowded.

Lastly, if you are trying to rent a boat while you are at the park then getting there early is essential. Jackson Lake is the best place to rent canoes and kayaks during the summer and they are on a first-come-first-serve basis.

These are just a couple of reasons to get to the park early, but the main one is to just be able to have a little time at the start of the day where you have the park (almost) to yourself.

#2 Only driving part of the scenic loop drive

The Grand Teton scenic loop is a 42-mile loop around the park that takes in many of the park’s highlights.

You can start in one of three locations: Moose Junction, Jackson Lake Junction, or Moran Junction. Once you’ve entered the Park, let the beauty begin!

The loop consists of the two major roads in the park, which are US Highway 191 and Teton Park Road. You will be on these two roads for most of the loop.

It takes about 4 hours to do this drive and see all the stops along the way. It’s best to do this drive early in the morning or in the evening. This will give you the best chance to see wildlife and there will be less traffic on the road.

The mistake that a lot of people make when starting this drive is not doing the entire loop. They get to one of the major spots like Jenny Lake or one of the many incredible viewpoints and then think that they’ve seen enough. Completing the full loop will give you so many perspectives of the park and take you to places that have fewer tourists and are incredibly beautiful.

Some of the highlights of this trip are Moose (the place, not the animal), Jenny Lake, Signal Mountain, Oxbow Bend, Snake River Overlook, Schwabacher Landing, and Mormon Row (just to name a few).

#3 Not spending enough time in the park/ exploring all of the park

View of snow-capped mountains, and below are colorful trees and a lake in Grand Teton National Park.

If you are looking for an adventure, then Grand Teton National Park for you. It has over 250 miles of hiking trails, over 800 climbing routes with 200 peaks, tons of wildlife, and so much more!

Many people just give Grand Teton a day, but I think this is a big mistake. I’d recommend staying minimum 3 days, and even more depending on what you are planning on doing. You can use my Grand Teton National Park Itineraries to plan out your days.

Of course, if one day is all you have, then it’s still worth it and you’ll have an amazing time, but there is just so much to see and do in Grand Teton National Park that you’ll be glad you added extra days to your trip, if you can manage it.

With one day in the park, you’ll have less of a chance to see wildlife like moose, black and brown bears, elk, foxes, and wolves. However, if this is what you want to see, there are several tours that will take you on a “safari” around the park to all the best places to see these amazing animals.

BOOK A HALF-DAY WILDLIFE SAFARI TOUR HERE

Another thing to keep in mind if you don’t stay here long enough is all the activities you’ll be missing out on. This national park truly does have it all. Some of the best activities to do in the park include world-class mountain biking, fly-fishing in the Snake River, kayaking in Jenny Lake, and even swimming in String Lake.

You’ll also be missing out on being able to see the entirety of the park. There are lots of secret locations around the park that not a lot of people know about, like Avalanche Canyon, Amphitheatre Lake, and Hidden Falls.

So, make sure that when you’re booking your Grand Teton trip, you book a couple of extra days. You won’t regret it!

#4 Skipping all the views

Behind the forest in Grand Teton National Park is a lake surrounded by mountains and trees.

If you’re anything like me, then you’ll agree that there’s nothing better than a good viewpoint. Believe it or not, a lot of people skip some of the best viewpoints in the park just because they don’t know where to find them.

For the best views in the park, you need to take a couple of things into account.

First is what time of day you’ll be getting to these viewpoints. In the morning, you can pretty much go anywhere and get a magnificent view of the mountains glowing orange, illuminated by the rising sun. Sunset is the next best time because the clouds around the mountain will glow pink and purple and make the Tetons look incredible.

The next thing you will want to consider is the weather. If there is a storm then the mountains will be covered in clouds and you’ll not be able to see them.

Now that we got those out of the way, let’s talk about all the viewpoints that you cannot miss.

First, we’ve got Mormon Row. This spot will give you a perspective of the mountains like none other. Here, there are beautiful historic barns and houses that have some of the best views of the Tetons in the whole Park. You won’t want to miss getting a picture of the T.A. Moulton Barn, which is the most photographed barn in America.

Next, we have the Snake River Overlook, which was made famous by Ansel Adams when he took a picture from this viewpoint back in 1942. This perspective gives you a view of the Snake River and the Tetons in one shot that you’ll definitely want to hang in your house.

The last one that I’ll mention is Signal Mountain. The top viewpoint isn’t focused on the Tetons, but on the Gros Ventre Mountains that you can see way off in the distance. It also has stunning views of Antelope Flats with its lakes and pine trees. However, there’s also a stunning view over Jackson Lake with the Tetons behind from a viewpoint near the summit.

There are lots of other viewpoints that you can see in this park so make sure you try your best to hit them all!

#5 Only visiting in summer

A lot of people think that summer is the only time that you should visit Grand Teton National Park. However, this couldn’t be farther from the truth!

Winter is one of my favorite times to go to this national park because there are fewer people, the views are just as amazing, and it’s a great time of year to see the local wildlife. Plus, the park is open and ideal for winter activities like snowshoeing, cross country skiing and snow hiking.

Out of the 3 million people who visit this park each year, about 1/12 of these visitors come during the winter. That means you’ll have the park almost to yourself!

Much of the wildlife in the park is also very active during the winter. Some animals that you might end up seeing are moose, elk, bison, wolves, and swans.

There are many tours that you can take around the Park that will take you to where the wildlife is. Some of the most popular tours go on are the National Elk Refuge tour and the National Bighorn Sheep Center tour.

BOOK A WINTER TOUR TO SEE ELK HERE

Coming during the winter does have its disadvantages. For example, Teton Park Road is closed, which means you’ll not be able to complete the scenic loop. There are still plenty of amazing spots you can hit along Highway 191, so don’t worry about not being able to see the views around the park.

You will not want to miss this National Park during the winter!

Top Things to Do in Grand Teton National Park in Winter

You can also go in early May or late October to escape the crowds while still being able to access Teton Park Road. These are all things that you can do to see this National Park at a different time of year when fewer people are going to be there.

#6 Not having a detailed (and flexible) plan

Shuttles on the lake and beside a building filled with people in Grand Teton National Park.

With Grand Teton National Park being so popular and with so many things to do, having a plan is essential. This is not a park where you can wing it as you go, especially if you have only a few days.

You’ll want to make sure that you are planning for the season that you are going in. Like I said, during the winter there are road and trail closures that you need to plan for. But in the summer, you need to plan your activities around the busy times and places in the park.

Some things that you’ll want to include in your itinerary are mountain hikes, scenic drives, and any activities that you like doing. Several activities also need to be planned for ahead of time. If you like fishing, what are the lakes and rivers you can fish in and what license do you need? If you like boating, what time will you need to get to the boat rental place before they sell out? These are just a few questions to ask yourself before planning your Grand Teton trip.

Check out my detailed Grand Teton National Park Itineraries if you want some help with your itinerary planning.

#7 Not Visiting Yellowstone National Park on the same trip

Lake surrounded by trees in Yellowstone National Park

Last up on the list of Grand Teton mistakes we have not visiting Yellowstone.

The distance from the northernmost entrance of Grand Teton to the southernmost entrance of Yellowstone is just 40 miles (or 1 hour)! Getting between the two parks is easy. You just follow U.S. Highway 191 north and you’ll be there in no time.

Yellowstone is one of the most famous national parks in the US (the 7th most visited to be exact) and not going here when it’s so close would be a real shame.

Yellowstone’s most famous attractions are Old Faithful, Grand Prismatic Spring, Morning Glory Pool, Yellowstone Falls, and the wildlife in Lamar Valley – and these are just the ones that are easily accessed by car.

Then we have hikes like the Fairy Falls hike, Artist Point hike, and the Sky Rim Trail hike. Some other things to do are see bison up close and personal (just don’t get too personal with them) and take a boat ride or even horseback ride.

Don’t miss the opportunity to visit this magical National Park that’s just a short drive from Grand Teton National Park.

Travel insurance for Grand Teton National Park

Good travel insurance also covers things like medical expenses, lost or stolen property, trip cancellation, and emergency repatriation.

Of course, not all insurance coverage is equal and you need to check the policy very carefully to see what is – and isn’t – covered. If you want to learn more about all this, check out my Guide to Buying Travel Insurance (on my other website) before getting your insurance.

A great insurance option is Travelex. You can compare Travel Insurance plans here or get a quote right now:

Additional Planning Resources for Grand Teton National Park

Enjoy your trip to Grand Teton National Park? Do you have any other mistakes to avoid when visiting Grand Teton National Park? I’d love to hear about them. Join my private Facebook group National Parks Collectors and comment and let me know (you can also pick up extra planning tips, share your photos and stories with other national park lovers and more).

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About the Author

James Ian is a national park, camping and hiking expert.

He has dedicated his life to travel, visiting more than 80 countries, all 7 continents and most of the national parks in the United States. With over 35 years experience in the travel industry, James has worked on cruise ships, at resorts and hotels, and as a travel planner who’s helped hundreds of people plan successful trips to US national parks.

Based on his experience visiting our national parks multiple times, in-depth research and expertise as a travel planner, James has published detailed itineraries for most of the major national parks in the US. These itineraries, as well as in-depth park guides, comprehensive camping and hiking gear reviews and buying guides, and helpful packing lists and gift guides will help you have your own incredible trip to US national parks without stress and hassle.

As a national park expert, James has contributed to many publications, including USA Today, Time Business News, Savoteur, Best Trip, and Wired.