Grand Teton National PArk

Hikes:

Inspiration Point, Hidden Falls and Cascade Canyon

You start this hike at the Jenny Lake Visitor’s Center (on the map), from here you can walk two miles around the lake, or you can take a shuttle boat to save yourself two miles of walking, each way.
Once across the lake it is 1.1 miles and 450 of elevation to Inspiration Point that will give you an incredible view back across Jenny Lake and the Teton Valley, on the way up to Inspiration Point you will pass Hidden Falls, another great stop. I would recommend packing some snacks/lunch. After Inspiration Point you can continue up Cascade Canyon for as long as you would like. This hike would be a good opportunity to see wildflowers, and you could also see wildlife ranging from moose to bears. On the left side of the canyon you can also see some cascades and waterfalls.
I would recommend hiking a bit up the canyon, stopping for lunch, and then returning to the boat dock to head back across Jenny Lake, you can access their website here: Jenny Lake Boat Shuttle

Phelps Lake

The Phelps Lake Loop trail starts at the Laurance S. Rockefeller Preserve, from the preserve it is about 1.3 miles to the lake. There is longer trail that takes a loop around the lake, but you can head in either direction around the lake and have a nice picnic on the shores. While this part of the park does get some traffic, it will be significantly less busy than Jenny and String Lakes, and should hopefully get you a bit off the beaten path.

OVerlooks and Photography Spots:

These locations are all iconic views in Grand Teton National Park. Unfortunately, I can’t promise that you’ll see a moose or a bear, but hopefully by spending some time in these spots you will see some wildlife. Either way, you’ll get a beautiful view of the mountains.

Willow Flats Overlook

Willow Flats is known for wildlife viewing and a good place to spot a moose or a bear.

Schwabacher Landing

Schwabacher is another iconic Grand Teton spot, if you want to see a moose crossing the river in front of the Teton’s, this is your spot. I would recommend going at sunrise and sunset as you can get some great light over the mountains. It took me five visits to Schwabacher Landing before I caught this photo. My best advice, is to talk to the people with cameras. Usually, they have an idea of where, when, and how frequently wildlife are being seen. Ask them if they are seeing wildlife in other places as well, they usually have the scoop, and are great resources.

Snake River Overlook

The photo above is the iconic Ansel Adams picture taken from near this overlook. It’s a quick, but worthy stop.

OXbow Bend

Like Snake River Overlook, Oxbow Bend is another quick and iconic stop. You will get to see Mount Moran reflected in the Snake River

T.A. Moulton Barn

Mormon Row and the T.A. Moulton Barn are easy to get to and a great stop to make at sunrise, sunset, or during the middle of the day. Above is a photo that I took during sunrise.

Chapel of Transfiguration

Another quick, but beautiful stop is the Chapel of Transfiguration.

Yellowstone National Park

Yellowstone National Park is massive, so I tried to divide things up into chunks of things that you could visit in a single day. You’ll see these as color coded on the map.

MAmmoth Hot Springs and Lamar Valley - Roosevelt Lodge

You will likely want to see Mammoth Hot Springs and Lamar Valley when you are staying at Roosevelt Lodge. You will also pass by Tower Falls, and Undine Falls on the drive. Make sure to stop at both of these waterfall spots.

Mammoth Hot Springs are a series of interesting geothermal features. There is a short boardwalk trail. While at Mammoth Hot Springs you will have access to spots to eat lunch, get gas, go to the post office, and see elk!

Lamar Valley is known for animals, you will almost certainly see bison, antelope, and will have the chance to see wolves as well. Be careful when driving through areas with wildlife, cars will stop frequently. Also, look out for cars that are pulled over on the side of the road. The way to look for wolves is to look for people with spotting scopes. Safely park your car, and ask if you can look through their scope. Generally, these folks are incredibly kind and knowledgable about the park and its wildlife.

Yellowstone Falls and Hayden Valley - Canyon Lodge

When you are staying at Canyon Lodge you will want to visit Yellowstone Falls and the Hayden Valley

Yellowstone Falls is the largest volume waterfall in the Rocky Mountains, and nearly twice as tall as Niagara Falls! I didn’t include a photo here, because I wanted you to experience in person!

There are numerous spots to experience the falls, there is a road on both the north and south side of the Yellowstone River. There are numerous overlooks on each road and I would heartily recommend stopping at each of these spots to enjoy the view. Artist Point is especially astounding.

The picture of this bison was taken while driving through the Hayden Valley. Similar to the Lamar Valley, you just have to drive, and cross your fingers that you see wildlife. There are numerous stops on the side of the road, stop at the places that look interesting to you!

Norris and Biscuit BAsin

Norris and Biscuit Basin are probably just as easily access when you are staying at Canyon Lodge or Roosevelt Lodge. This day is purposefully light, because I want to give you the opportunity to spend some time at Steamboat Geyser.

Steamboat Geyser is the tallest geyser in the world! This past year it set a record for the highest number of eruptions in one year
Here is an NPR Article about it: Steam On, Steamboat: The World's Tallest Active Geyser Has Another Record Year
Here is a website that gives information about how frequently geysers in Yellowstone erupt: Geyser Times - Steamboat Geyser

I also included Gibbon Falls, Firehole Falls and a stop at Biscuit Geyser Basin where you can take a short hike to Mystic Falls. Make sure to check the map at Biscuit Geyser Basin, but this is a 2.4 mile out-and-back hike.

Grand Prismatic and Old Faithful

This is a bit of a longer day, but one that I think you will find to be quite enjoyable.
First you will want to stop at and walk around Grand Prismatic Spring, I will warn you that it can get a little busy with people. If you don’t want to wait for parking then head to Fairy Falls Trailhead.

Fairy Falls Trailhead - Again parking can be a problem, but I think this is a must stop for your trip. First of all, you will be able to hike to get a view of Grand Prismatic Spring (above). This is a very heavily trafficked area of the park, so I am going to suggest that you continue past this overlook and hike to Fairy Falls. It is a 3.2 mile out-and-back hike to the falls, and they are much less frequented than the overlook photographed above.

Old Faithful - After Fairy Falls and Grand Prismatic I would recommend some time at Old Faithful. This area is kind of the heart of Yellowstone National Park. It will be overloaded with people, but there is ample parking, and you will be able to get lunch and watch Yellowstone erupt about every hour. I really enjoy taking the boardwalks and walking out to Morning Glory Pool. Additionally, I like to get dinner at the Old Faithful Inn, a long wait is actually preferred, because you can grab a drink and sit on the observation porch and watch Old Faithful erupt.

Lone Star Geyser

Yellowstone is a pretty busy National Park, and one of my favorite days was spent at Lone Star Geyser. There were massive crowds at Grand Prismatic, Norris, and Old Faithful. I hiked the 2.4 miles out to Lone Star Geyser and got to watch an eruption and rainbow in complete solitude. The hike is flat and goes along an old road. Make sure to check-in at the ranger station about eruption times, or check the Geyser Times website: Geyser Times - Lone Star Geyser.

Like many of the other days, I included stops at Kepler Cascades and Lewis Falls on this day as well.

Thanks for reaching out, and I hope that you have a wonderful time in two extremely beautiful National Parks!!