The big day has finally arrived with our team entering our first national park of the ride, the Grand Tetons! Many of us had this place listed as the location we were looking forward to seeing the most on this ride, and it did not disappoint! The mountains, lakes, and wildlife gave us many choices on how we wanted to spend our time in the Tetons, whether that was through a hike or some leisurely time at the beach. We also got to have more camping time! Which meant more hotdogs, smores, campfire talks, and stargazing.
quote of the day
“I don’t know why mosquitoes leave my arms and legs alone and prefer my face. Maybe I talk too much so I have lots of face muscles that make it taste good”
ride overview
Mileage: 48.2 Miles
Elevation: 1,858 ft.
Points of Interest Grand Tetons Visitors Center, Jenny Lake, Jackson Lake, Lizard Creek Campground, Cascade Canyon Trail, Paintbrush Canyon, Leigh Lake, String Lake
Ride Dedication: Ivan Pidzamki
tales of the trail
Day 51
We started the morning with a brief visit to the downtown area of Jackson, where we got coffee at Snake River and walked through shops and galleries. It was only a couple of miles before the beautiful views of the Grand Tetons opened up to us, and we took some pictures at the entrance sign before heading into the park — the Tetons were absolutely stunning! We stopped at the visitors center to get stamps, buy some gifts, and learn about the history of the Tetons before venturing into the park. Each group waited to be shuttled into the park, and we soon found ourselves on a bike path riding past the Tetons as we took in the grandiose mountains. Our third stop of the day was at Jenny Lake, where we took in more amazing views and took a dip in the water. Jenny Lake is one of the most visited places in the Grand Tetons and is a centerpiece of the park, and the scenery was simply stunning. At Jenny Lake, we got to take a look at the gift shop, the visitors center, and we even talked to a park ranger and learned some facts about the park!
As we continued on our ride through the Tetons, we got further and further from the main mountains, but we still had great views! Our next rest stop was near the trailhead of Signal Mountain, where we got some lunch, ice cream, and relaxed as we enjoyed the scenery of Jackson Lake. At the rest stop, we even got to briefly see a majestic Elk before it made its way back into the woods! Soon, we got back on the road to make our way to the campsite, and we briefly stopped again to take in views of Jackson Lake and the mountains in the distance. After a quick stretch, we finally made it to Lizard Creek Campground, where we set up our tents and prepared some hot dogs for dinner. Shout-out to Sofia and Stephanie for their campfire hotdog cooking skills! After dinner, we stopped by the lake again to take in views of the sunset, and we shuttled over to the showers. Unfortunately, we found out the showers were closed upon our arrival, and we had to shuttle back to the campground showerless. The night ended with some s’mores and campfire fun before everyone went back to their tents to get some rest.
Day 52
The team had many plans today for the Grand Tetons. Some took a more relaxing approach, while others decided to explore what the Grand Tetons had to offer. We had a group who decided to get up around five in the morning to hike 18 miles through the Cascade Canyon Trail and go down Paintbrush Canyon, a trek that took the whole day! A commonality among I4k rest days is that our rest days don't typically result in rest, but for exploring off our bikes! Many of us also joined this group at five in the morning to drop them off at the trailhead and watch the sunrise. Once the group was dropped off, those who watched the sunrise decided to head back to the campgrounds and continue their cycle of sleep.
When the time became reasonable (9ish am), everyone who decided to not trek 18 miles got ready to explore the Tetons in a more leisurely manner. We went to the visitor center to learn more about the park and get some much needed souvenirs, followed by heading to String Lake for a lake day! The van spent around 20+ minutes trying to find a parking spot near the lake before we managed to find a place to park down the road somewhere and walk down to String Lake. Many people took this time to catch up on writing postcards, dip in the lake, and nap. Another group decided to do some trekking of their own (with less mileage), hiking down the String Lake Loop, part of Paintbrush Canyon, and Leigh Lake.
As we were wrapping up our leisurely day by the lake, we ended up going to showers and getting some much-needed laundry done. This is when the 18-mile hiking group joined us again after their adventurous day, and surprise, surprise, turns out they did 21 miles because they started off further from the trailhead! It made an unforgettable journey for them. Reunited at the campgrounds, we had some good old hot dogs and s’mores to end the night. Those who were tired hit the hay early, while some others stayed up a little longer to watch a meteor shower! We saw many shooting stars, and the sky itself was riddled with tiny speckled dots that we all admired. A sight only to be seen out in the wild, away from light pollution. It was breathtaking!