Grand Teton NP : Glacial Lakes...Part 1

Colter Bay RV Park
July 9-22, 2019
Grand Teton NP

To say we loved the Tetons would be an understatement. Around every turn was one jaw dropping moment after another. 









 I thought maybe a July visit would be crowded, and there were folks there, but we hardly ever saw them.  We headed out early each morning and on our way home in the early afternoon, the parking lots were jammed and vehicles were parked along the roads for miles.  While these folks were dodging crowds, we were at home playing with our pups, maybe napping, and enjoying the solitude.   

Jackson Lake with Mt. Moran in the background was our front yard.

The pups enjoyed morning and evening walks.  

We saw a fox one morning...even Sally was startled!

Grand Teton was established in 1929.  The original park only included the Teton Range and the six glacial lakes at the base of the mountains.  Now that seems like a plan...hike the six original lakes. 

Part 1 includes the three lakes in the Cascade Canyon.  Cascade Canyon lies between the Cathedral Group (Teewinot Mt., Mt. Owen, and the Grand Teton) to the south and the St. John Group (Symmetry Mt., Spire, and Rock of Ages) to the north.  It is spectacular! 

1. Jenny Lake (July 12)
 Hiking to Hidden Falls was at the top of the hiking list so our first glacial lake was Jenny Lake, one of the most visited spots in Grand Teton NP.  Jenny Lake was formed about 12,000 years ago by glaciers pushing rock debris which carved Cascade Canyon.  The plan was to take the shuttle boat (a minimal fee...Its nice to be seniors!) across the lake and hike to the falls then take the lake trail back to the Visitor Center.  Total was just under 5 miles RT.

As we were crossing the bridge to the boat, we were excited to see a mama moose and her baby.  Seeing a moose was at the top of the list for wildlife...two "top of the list" things checked off in one day. 

Leaving the dock...

For most of the hike to the falls we followed  Cascade Creek.  It sounded and flowed more like a river...

 Hidden Falls...

The trail around the lake was full of views in all directions and lined with gorgeous wildflowers.

2. String Lake (July 18) 
String Lake Trail is a loop around this narrow lake.  We did it counter clockwise veering left at every juncture and logged in 6.7 miles.  I was so excited because the morning sunlight was perfect for reflections ! 

Mt. Moran

We were not completely alone...

Once we crossed the bridge over the Leigh Lake outlet, the trail climbed through a lodgepole pine forest...  





(Lodgepole pine trees are the most common tree in the Tetons.)  

...and eventually came to an alpine clearing.

 As we were closing the loop and nearing the trailhead, we crossed the bridge for the String Lake outlet, we had a very nice view of the Cathedral Group...Teewinot Mt, Mt. Owen, and the Grant Teton.

3. Leigh Lake (July 21)
The last of the three lakes in Cascade Canyon is Leigh Lake.  To reach the trailhead, we had to retrace our steps from the String Lake hike for about a mile.  The outlet for Leigh Lake flows into String Lake.  At the juncture where we turned left at the outlet bridge to loop String Lake, this day, we turned right.  The trail is an in-out hike all the way to the end of Leigh Lake. It is 8.5 miles RT...mostly flat thank goodness.  

The first part of the trail meanders along the bank of Leigh Lake.

 Once we entered the "forest", we were delighted to experience our second bear sighting.  There are no pictures. Just when Joe was about to snap his photo, I moved to the side of him, the bear looked up and made eye contact so we both began to back up very slowly and continue our hike.  

We did see a very handsome buck...

 ...and these cute little fellas always put a smile on my face.

 We entered into a burn area that opened up to a meadow.

 A left turn at the next juncture took us to the end of the lake.

As with most in-out trails, the out is just as pretty as the in.

 It's nice after a few weeks to go back and look at these pictures again.  Stay tuned for part 2.

I'll close with a few pictures...

So until next time...

HAPPY TRAILS !

A Peek Into Spring Canyon

Sand Creek RV Park
Torrey, UT
July 6, 2019

Our last hike in Capital Reef for this trip was to do some exploring in Spring Canyon.  Our friend Roy confirmed that it is indeed a gorgeous canyon not to be missed.  From start to finish, it is nearly a 10 mile hike one way so we knew going in we would only get a sneak peek.  This would be a great over-night hike (not likely for us) or a hike with someone else so that a vehicle could be parked at the finish.  


You might remember that we came across the intersection to Spring Canyon when we hiked the Chimney Rock Trail.  


For Spring Canyon, we went straight
at the first intersection and then took a left at the second intersection.




And we're off.  I love canyon hikes !

We hadn't gone very far when we came to a section of trail completely blocked by huge boulders...some boulder scrambling was in order. 




 And that wasn't the only place the trail was blocked...there were a couple more boulder scrambles.  Fun !

The walk in the wash was easy.  The cliff walls grew taller and taller.   The trail became more and more narrow.  And the shade was glorious. 

We walked 3.5 miles in.  The 3.5 miles out were like a totally different hike.  That's often the case on in and out hikes...we always see new things.  

A few of my favorite pictures...

We saw a mountain lion...do you?

Interesting surface to walk on...

So nice to see trees in the canyon...

The only people we saw were these three young people who were hiking the entire trail.  We were taking a snack break when they walked up.   Corey, Allie, and Meghan

This really is a great hike.  Next time I hope to figure out how to hike the entire trail.  Speaking of next time, there is so much left to do here that I just know we will return.  Between the hiking and off-roading we barely scratched the surface.  And a huge bonus...the weather has been awesome !

Capital Reef is near the little town of Torrey.  There isn't a grocery store, but The Chuck Wagon Market has milk and bread.  There are a few restaurants, but we didn't try any of them.  One gas station, a trading post, and several motels finish out Main Street.  It's quiet, quaint, and it is Utah's first International Dark Sky Community.     

Tonight we are settled in at Phillips RV Park in Evanston, WY and excited to be arriving at Colter Bay Village tomorrow.  We have never been to the Tetons either...soooo excited !  So stay tuned !

Until next time,

HAPPY TRAILS !

Last night we drove to Panorama Point in CR to see the sun set.  It wasn't a particularly colorful sunset, but the views from there are majestic.

And this was our front yard when we got home...sweet dreams !