Yellowstone National Park/Grand Teton National Park, 9.26.21 - 10.6.21, Part 11 of 11
The following morning was our twenty-ninth wedding anniversary and we were in the car driving by 6:45AM. I’ve been making my dear wife get up at all kinds of ungodly hours since the very beginning. Hell, even on our honeymoon in Maui I made her get up at 2:30AM to drive to the top of the Haleakala crater to shoot the sunrise (well worth it too). So I think she likes the fall because the sun comes up later which in turn means she can sleep a little later before my alarm goes off and it’s up and at ‘em.
Our first plan was to get coffee. Then we headed over to Wilson and drove slowly up the Moose/Wilson Road looking for wildlife. On our last trip through here we saw a bear and a moose so we had our eyes peeled but the morning was quiet and we saw no animals. At the north end of Moose/Wilson Road we entered Grand Teton National Park and just a tad further we pulled into the parking lot for the Taggart Lake Trail. I’d had my eye on this hike since the last time we came here and just didn’t have the time to fit it in. The overlooks from the highway give you a broad picture of the Tetons but Taggart Lake was nestled right at the base of these great mountains.
The Tetons from Taggart Lake Trailhead
Bridgit and I could not believe what a glorious day we were having. An easy trail, bluebird skies and crisp, cool temperatures made this hike an absolute joy. We were also some of the first people up the trail right after sunrise so it was far from busy on the trail.
The Tetons from near the trailhead
Grand Teton, Mount Owen and Teewinot Mountain
Taggart Lake/Bradley Lake junction
The shortest trail to Taggart Lake was only 1.7 miles. It is a beautiful trail the whole way with several spots that open up to jaw-dropping views of the Tetons. When we arrived at the lake it was still very early. Only one other couple was there and the lake was like glass it was so smooth. Not a single ripple disturbed the surface of the lake and the reflections of the Tetons in the water were perfect.
Taggart Lake
Taggart Lake
Peakfinder App view of the Tetons from Taggart Lake
Lovely Taggart Lake
Taggart Lake
Anniversaries don’t get much better than hiking to a mountain lake underneath the Tetons!
Trail to Taggart Lake
After we got back to the car we decided to drive back down Moose/Wilson Road. The road goes right by the entrance to Jackson Hole Ski Resort and we wanted to check the place out. There wasn’t a whole lot to see there but we did grab some lunch before continuing down the Moose/Wilson Road to get back to our hotel in Jackson. As we came around a sharp bend in the road we came upon a park ranger. Now park rangers don’t just stand in the road in the middle of nowhere for nothing so Bridgit rolled down her window and asked him why he was there. “Did you see the bear”? Huh? Right behind us up in a tree was a black bear munching on leaves. There was a small pullout and the ranger said we could park and shoot a couple of photos but he couldn’t let us leave the vehicle. Since we were the first car to arrive, we pulled to the end of the pullout, rolled back the sun roof and stood on our seats with our upper bodies out the top. Bridgit shot video while I shot stills.
Black bear on Moose/Wilson Road
That evening we had a delicious meal at The Local, a really nice restaurant in downtown Jackson. We had made reservations a couple of months ago to make sure we could get seated. I had an amazing Buffalo Wellington and Bridgit had the fresh Trout Almondine. What a great anniversary! Taggart Lake, a bear sighting and Buffalo Wellington were all amazing, but going into my thirtieth year of marriage to Bridgit makes everything else pale in comparison. She’s a keeper!
29 years and going strong
We had to start heading home the next morning so rather than waste it, once again I made Bridgit get up and go with me to the barns on Mormon Row. Sunrise on the Tetons with the barn in the foreground is one of the most famous mountain scenes in the world. It is right up there with the Maroon Bells reflected in Maroon Lake, Mt. Shuksan reflected in Picture Lake or El Capitan rising above the valley floor in Yosemite. We arrived about forty-five minutes before sunrise and there was only three other people there. I basically had my pick of spots and set up my tripod to wait. Rather than a clear sunrise where the sun kisses the summit of the highest peak and slowly works its way down the face, on this morning there was a low layer of thin clouds on the eastern horizon. As the sun rose the mountains just gradually got brighter until the sun slowly broke through and lit up the peaks, the barn and the trees.
Sunrise from Mormon Row
Sunrise from Mormon Row
Once the sun was up we left Jackson and drove over Teton Pass, down to Driggs, Idaho and up to the west entrance into Yellowstone. We re-entered Yellowstone which meant we had now been through all five entrances to the park. Taking this road over to Madison Junction, we then drove north past Mammoth Hot Springs and left via the north entrance at Gardiner, Montana. Another hour north and we arrived at my old friend John Lowell’s house. He and his wife Joanne hosted us that evening and we had a great time sitting in their beautiful back yard looking out over the town of Livingston, the Absaroka Mountains in the distance and barbecued chicken on the grill. It was a really enjoyable way to wrap up our entire trip and it was great to see John and finally meet Joanne!
Bridgit, Joanne and John
The entire trip was so wonderful. We still can’t believe we got away with being on the road for eleven days and had perfect weather the entire time. Is that even possible? Kent and Candice were a blast to vacation with. It’s hard to believe that this was the first time we had ever vacationed together with just the four of us. Our Yellowstone experience vastly exceeded our expectations, maybe even our wildest hopes. It is truly a very special place.
And that’s about it for this trip report. I hope at the very least that it didn’t bore you and if you decide to go visit Yellowstone after reading this then I’d be pleased to know this served a worthy purpose.