Day One

Jackson to Headwaters Lodge, Grand Teton National Park

The first day of the ride we leave Jackson on a paved bike trail. Tucked into Wyoming’s scenic northwestern corner, the Grand Teton National Park Pathway is what cyclists will use heading north to Grand Teton National Park. From the charming town of Jackson—the gateway to two national parks—the paved pathway unwinds 20 miles north through a backdrop of sagebrush meadows and the unparalleled beauty of the Grand Teton mountain range. The trail ends at Jenny Lake.

Pedaling through a National Elk Refuge and Grand Teton National Park, which draws nearly 5 million visitors a year, chances are good that cyclists will see the majestic animals of the American West, including elk, moose, pronghorns, bison, eagles and even the occasional bear.

The “hole” in the region’s Jackson Hole name comes from its location in a river valley surrounded by mountains. As the trail is nestled in this valley, it’s relatively flat, never exceeding a grade of 5 percent. There is a gradual hill in the trail just over 3 miles north of its southern end at the Jackson National Fish Hatchery.

There is an entrance fee (valid for seven days) for Grand Teton National Park, though it is less for those coming by foot or on a bicycle than by car ($20 vs. $35).

Grand Teton National Park is approximately 310,000 acres (480 sq mi), the park includes the major peaks of the 40-mile-long Teton Range as well as most of the northern sections of the valley known as Jackson Hole. Grand Teton National Park is 10 miles (16 km) south of Yellowstone National Park, to which it is connected by the John D. Rockefeller Jr. Memorial Parkway. Along with surrounding national forests, these three protected areas constitute the almost 22-million-acre Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, one of the world’s largest intact mid-latitude temperate ecosystems.

The human history of the Grand Teton region dates back at least 11,000 years. In the early 19th century, the first European colonizers encountered the eastern Shoshone people. Between 1810 and 1840, the region attracted fur trading companies that vied for control of the lucrative beaver pelt trade. U.S. government expeditions to the region commenced in the mid-19th century, with the first permanent white colonizers arriving in the 1880s.

Efforts to preserve the region as a national park began in the late 19th century, and in 1929 Grand Teton National Park was established, protecting the Teton Range’s major peaks. In the 1930s, conservationists led by John D. Rockefeller Jr. began purchasing land in Jackson Hole to be added to the existing national park.[4] Against public opinion and with repeated Congressional efforts to repeal the measures, much of Jackson Hole was set aside for protection as Jackson Hole National Monument in 1943. The monument was abolished in 1950 and most of the monument land was added to Grand Teton National Park.

Grand Teton National Park is named for Grand Teton, the tallest mountain in the Teton Range. At 13,775 feet, Grand Teton rises more than 7,000 feet above Jackson Hole. The park has numerous lakes, including 15-mile-long Jackson Lake as well as streams and the upper main stem of the Snake River. Though in recession, a dozen small glaciers persist at the higher elevations near the highest peaks in the range. Some of the rocks in the park are the oldest found in any American national park and have been dated at nearly 2.7 billion years.

Grand Teton National Park is an almost pristine ecosystem and the same species of flora and fauna that have existed since prehistoric times can still be found there. More than 1,000 species of vascular plants, dozens of species of mammals, 300 species of birds, more than a dozen fish species, and a few species of reptiles and amphibians inhabit the park. Due to changes in the ecosystem, some of them human-induced, efforts have been made to provide enhanced protection to some species of native fish and the increasingly threatened whitebark pine.

Grand Teton National Park is a popular destination for mountaineering, hiking, fishing, and recreation. There are more than 1,000 drive-in campsites and over 200 miles of hiking trails that provide access to backcountry camping. Noted for world-renowned trout fishing, the park is one of the few places to catch Snake River fine-spotted cutthroat trout. Grand Teton has several National Park Service–run visitor centers and privately operated concessions for motels, lodges, gas stations, and marinas.

Day Two

Headwaters Lodge to Old Faithful Lodge

The second day you will head north along Highway 191, John D. Rockefeller Jr. Parkway toward Yellowstone National Park. There will be views of the Snake River at various points in the first few miles. At mile 2.3 you will enter Yellowstone National Park through the South Entrance and pay the $20 entrance fee. At mile 12.2 you will see Lewis Falls and you will cross the Continental Divide at mile 19.5. The route joins the Grand Loop at West Thumb where Thumb Geyser is located along side West Thumb Lake. You will cross the Continental Divide again at mile 27.7 and again at mile 33.4. The days ends at Old Faithful Geyser and Lodge. The Old Faithful Inn is also an interesting attraction in this area.

Watching Old Faithful Geyser erupt is a Yellowstone National Park tradition. People from all over the world have journeyed here to watch this famous geyser. The park’s wildlife and scenery might be as well-known today, but it was the unique thermal features like Old Faithful Geyser that inspired the establishment of Yellowstone as the world’s first national park in 1872.

Old Faithful is one of nearly 500 geysers in Yellowstone and one of six that park rangers currently predict. It is uncommon to be able to predict geyser eruptions with regularity and Old Faithful has lived up to its name, only lengthening the time between eruptions by about 30 minutes in the last 30 years.

Thermal features change constantly and it is possible Old Faithful may stop erupting someday. Geysers and other thermal features are evidence of ongoing volcanic activity beneath the surface and change is part of this natural system. Yellowstone preserves the natural geologic processes so that visitors may continue to enjoy this natural system.

Watch eruptions from the Old Faithful viewing area or along the boardwalks that weave around the geyser and through the Upper Geyser Basin. When visiting Old Faithful, you can find when next eruption is predicted at the Old Faithful Visitor Education Center, at the lodges, and in the NPS App.

Day Three

IS COMING!

Day Four

IS COMING!