Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming

Grand Teton was our first of our two park tour in Wyoming. We only had one full day to dedicate to it, as we spent the remaining days on seeing Yellowstone. My friend actually liked Grand Teton more, but I found each to be splendid in their own ways, though I think there was quite a bit more to do and more unique sights in Yellowstone. Despite that, the photos show that it's stiff competition in terms of beauty. The parks are basically next to each other so you should be able to really fit both into the same trip.

We stayed at a very cozy Airbnb, pictured above. It had all the rustic wood cabin charm you would expect out here in the mid-west. The only downside is that while we were quite close to Grand Teton, we were quite far from Yellowstone, so using this as our base camp meant trekking a few hours each way each day to see Yellowstone. Unfortunately, we were there during the 4th of July weekend, and so there were really limited lodging options available!

The drive into the Grand Teton valley. Had to pull over for the view, and of course capture it on camera.

Me looking out at the Teton range in a picturesque field.

We did the popular Hidden Falls hike, but unfortunately, it was closed part of the way in so had to turn around before we got to see the best parts.

By the way, when you come to this part of the country they advise you to carry bear spray (which is quite big considering it needs to take down a grown bear) or a bell so that you can make noise anytime before you turn a blind corner so you do not take any bears by surprise. I am told last thing you want to do is startle a bear, or even worse, startle a mother bear with cubs. We opted for the latter option, although we did not see any bears in Grand Teton on our hike

I took some of the most beautiful photos on this trip. You would literally have to work very hard to take a bad photo in a backdrop such as this.

While you're here, stop by the town of Jackson Hole right outside Grand Teton, a very quaint town with boutique clothing stores, restaurants, and bars, set against the slopes.

We ate at the Cowboy Steakhouse there, which was a very fun vibe. Lots of pool tables, big bar area and cozy dinner ambiance.