RV travel allows you to get close to places those in hotels or on tours just can’t reach. RV living gives you time to settle in and watch the world from a different angle each day. Our seven days in Grand Teton National Park was all that and more. From the Colter Bay RV Campground in the northern end of the park, we took our time and explored the park from top to bottom, on foot, on bike, and in the truck.
Taggert Lake TrailScenic DrivesPark South EntranceColter Bay RV Campground
Over two days we rode the 13 mile paved trail that runs from the town of Jackson, WY to the center of the national park at Jenny Lake both directions.
Biking into Jackson
Along the way we were able to check out the historic area of Menors Ferry and the Church of the Transfiguration, built in 1925 to serve guests and employees of nearby dude ranches. Check out that view from the altar window!
Biking near Jenny LakeChurch of the TransfigurationView from the altar
Riding through the National Elk Refuge and into the cute town of Jackson was also a treat. The elk have moved up into the mountains and are no longer visible in the refuge but in the winter more than 7,000 elk call the 24,000 acre refuge home. Elk are certainly the mascot of this area.
Just north of JacksonTown Square in JacksonTrail from Jackson to Jenny Lake
Besides elk, which live throughout the park in the summer, we saw coyotes, moose, black bear, and grizzly bears. In fact, a common evening activity here is to join the people with big cameras at Oxbow Bend or Pilgrims Creek to look for wildlife. Even when you don’t see anything, it’s a beautiful experience.
BisonChipmunkBull ElkYoung MooseBlack Bear
Grand Teton National Park is filled with hiking trails, many of which were still snow covered while we were here in mid-May. That didn’t stop us from hiking the lakeshore trail at Colter Bay and trekking to Taggart Lake and beyond. Well, the snow did stop us, but we went as far as comfortable.
Colter Bay Lakeshore TrailSchwabacher LandingBradley Lake TrailOkay, we’re done!Taggert Lake Trail
Visiting Mormon Row is a must-do in Grand Teton. The turn-of-the-century farmhouses and barns reflect the farming heritage of this area. The area also captures the community spirit that was required to live in such an unforgiving environment year-round. The photos are pretty epic.
We did have a tough day when Mia got sick this week. Luckily a vet in Jackson was able to get her in right away, gave her some new food, some medicine, and sent her on her way. We are happy to say she’s back to “normal” or as normal as a 17 year old blind dog with dementia can be. We are happy for every day with her!
Happy with her DadWarm under the blankies
Grand Teton National Park is really about the views, and they are spectacular! Enjoy a few of the many photos we took along the way.
We’re back on the road with a huge itinerary ahead of us. Over the next six months we’ll be traveling in our beloved Solitude fifth wheel from almost coast to coast. We’ll bring you regular updates, as usual, and our first stop was a doozie!
Zion National Park, located in southern Utah, is the third most visited national park in the country. The crowds we met proved the statistic accurate. We learned that arriving early in the morning was the best strategy for getting into the park, getting a parking space, getting onto the required shuttles, and enjoying the trails. By noon the place is swarmed!
Waiting for the shuttleWaiting to enter the park
With a whole week here we paced ourselves with a day or two of relaxation at our beautiful RV park, Zion River Resort, where we had a riverside site and could hear the Virgin River roaring past.
The Virgin River is what created this incredible landscape, cutting canyons large and small into the ancient sandstone. One morning we followed the river from the main visitors center to the end of the park road with our bikes. My new pedal-assist mountain bike was an awesome way to make this gradual eight mile climb while keeping up with Steve. We saw great wildlife along the way and reached the Riverwalk trail before most of the crowds.
From there we walked the one mile easy trail to the end where the famed Narrows hike begins. We would have loved to hike the Narrows, a walk up the river through narrow slot canyons, but the water levels this time of year made that impossible.
Early on the Virgin RiverRiverwalk TrailSun coming up on the Riverwalk TrailRiverwalk TrailStart of the Narrows with high water levelsSteps into the Narrows
Another popular hike in Zion Canyon is to the Emerald Pools. Again, we started early one chilly morning and beat most of the crowds to the Lower, Middle and Upper Pools. Each stop on the four mile round trip brought us to a lush oasis amidst the red sandstone cliffs. Along the way there are incredible views of the canyon.
Not all of the action is found in Zion Canyon, so we made a few roadtrips to explore the outlying areas. On Saturday we hit up a great farmer’s market in St. George and replenished supplies. We also spent one day driving north out of the park towards what we thought would be the highway to Cedar Breaks National Monument. We would never recommend heading out without a little research about the roads, but we don’t always follow our own rules. We drove north on a dirt road for about an hour and half, expecting to hit the northern highway. Beautiful views, lots of wildlife, it was a very pleasant drive…until we hit snow. Using our Garmin GPS we could see that we had climbed from an elevation of about 3500 feet in Zion to over 9000 feet. Suddenly we started seeing more and more snow until we hit pavement, which was a relief. Until we got stuck!
Luckily Steve is an expert driver and our four-wheel drive worked like a charm, and we were able to back out of the snow and back out onto the dirt road where we could turn around and head back the way we came. Scary? A little. And adventure? You bet!
Our drive back to Zion took us through the Zion-Mt. Carmel tunnel. Built in 1930, the tunnel is restricted to vehicles under 11’4”. We couldn’t drive through with our RV, but the truck fit just fine!
We also did a roadtrip to the north unit of Zion National Park, where most visitors do not visit. The area is called Kolob Canyon, and we enjoyed the five mile scenic road and the short one mile hike to the Timber Creek Overlook. The views of snow-covered peaks, red rock monoliths, and the Kaibab Plateau all the way to the north rim of the Grand Canyon were spectacular.
Our Zion grand finale was the hike up the West Rim Trail to Scouts Lookout and beyond. Originally we had planned to hike to the top of Angels Landing via this route and had even received a permit for the dangerous climb.
However, after seeing the crowds attempting to ascend the narrow precipice, using only a chain as a guide, we opted to just watch. Nevertheless, the challenging hike took us over five miles with an elevation gain of over 1,500 feet. Walters Wiggles, the 21 switchbacks that leads to the overlook, is quite a trail-building fete.
See the trail cut into the rock?Beginning Walters WigglesScouts LookoutHope you like switchbacks!Slowly uphillWalters WigglesScouts LookoutWest Rim Trail above Scouts Lookout and Angels LandingWatch your step!It’s all downhill from hereWatching climbers on Angels Landing in the distance
We feel like we hit the highlights of Zion National Park but realize this area has so much more to offer in terms of hiking, mountain biking, and other fun activities. And, while we are ready to move on to our next adventure, it’s likely we’ll be back to beautiful Zion!
We are about to arrive home after a five month road trip that has taken us over 10,000 miles through 14 states. There have been highs and some lows (thanks, COVID), and we continue to focus on the highs and the tremendous opportunity we have to explore our country while towing our home behind us.
Camping in Palo Duro Canyon State Park, Canyon, Texas
When we travel towards home, we always reflect on our journey and discuss our personal highlights. Here’s what we came up with this time around. Details about each can be found in earlier blog posts and we’ve linked to those where possible.
Marnie’s highlights
Kentucky’s Horse Experiences – From a semi-private, backstretch tour of Churchill Downs to meeting some of the world’s most famous (and expensive) stallions at Claiborne Farms, our time in and around Louisville and Lexington was unforgettable.
Trackside at KeenelandKentucky Horse ParkSecretariat
Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta– Attending the world famous event is a bucket list experience for most RVers. From early morning launches of hundreds of balloons to evening glows, we took it all in from every angle.
Biking during the morning launchUp close and personal with the launch teamEvening glow
Taylor Swift’s Era’s Tour Movie with Brynn and other kid activities – Spending time with our nieces and nephews is always fun. We went to soccer games, basketball games, tumbling practice, to the golf course, Top Golf, and the shopping mall. Thanks to Lydia, Nate, Brynn, and Hudson for letting us hang out! The most memorable for me was seeing Taylor Swift’s concert movie with Brynn and sharing the excitement with her.
Steve’s highlights
Kayaking Fishing in the Florida Keys – Most mornings while we were in the Keys, Steve took his fishing kayak out around the bridges of the Overseas Highway. On most mornings he’d snag (and release) at least a dozen or more fish. Being on the open water, under the sunshine is a paradise for him.
Completing Four More Marathons – Races often determine our itinerary. This year we spent the fall passing through Indianapolis, Louisville, Huntsville, and Jackson to explore each city and for Steve to run 26.2 miles. Including this trip’s races he has now completed a marathon in 34 states and 44 total marathons. Races are always a highlight!
IndianapolisLouisvilleJacksonHuntsville
Bourbon Tasting– The first thing we did when we got into Kentucky was to buy the Bourbon Trail Passport book and begin to check the distilleries off page by page. We visited 15 distilleries and tasted at least four bourbons at each facility. You do the math. Steve says his favorite bourbon is the one in his hand!
A five-month trip, of course, has many memorable moments. The big events and the little moments all make this lifestyle so rewarding. Between seeing great RV friends in Tampa, discovering wonderful restaurants in the Keys, watching sunset over Mobile Bay, and visiting with family, this has been a great journey.
We’ve been RVing almost full time for almost four years. A lot people ask us about the details of our travels. Just for fun, here are some stats about this winter’s cross-country adventure.
Nights in the RV: 153
Nights parked in the family’s driveways: 10 (thanks Brian, Heidi, Gary, and Kristy!)
Number of KOA campgrounds visited: 6 (Grants, NM; Nashville, TN; Orlando, FL; Sugarloaf Key, FL; St. Petersburg/Madiera Beach, FL; Shreveport/Bossier City, LA)
Number of Harvest Host overnights: 6 (Fireside Winery, Marengo, IA; Epiphany Farms, Downs, IL; Corbin Farms Winery, Calera, AL; Lane Southern Orchards, Fort Valley, GA, NRS Ranch, Decatur, TX; Sierra Blanca Brewing Co., Moriarity, NM)
Wine at Corbin Farms WineryNRS RanchRoping event at NRS Ranch
Nights camping on a landfill: 7 (during the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta)
View from our campsiteCamping on former landfill
Number of state parks visited: 10 (My Old Kentucky Home, Bardstown, KY; Gulf State Park, Gulf Shores, AL; Paynes Prairie Preserve, Micanopy, FL; Jonathan Dickinson, Jupiter, FL; John Pennekamp Coral Reef, Key Largo, FL; Little Manatee River, Wimauma, FL; Fort Desoto, Tierra Verde, FL; Meaher, Mobile, AL; Palo Duro Canyon, Canyon, TX; Homolovi, Winslow, AZ)
Gulf State ParkFt DeSotoPalo Duro Canyon
Number of books read by Marnie: 24 (favorite titles include Between Two Kingdoms by Sulieka Jaouad, Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult, Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty by Patrick Radden Keefe, America’s First Daughter by Stephanie Dray, and Horse by Geraldine Brooks)
The first photo in this post is from our stop at Palo Duro Canyon, where we stopped on our way home. Here’s roughly the same photo from the next morning. We experienced ash and smoke in Amarillo two days ago from the massive Texas fires. Now it’s snowing just 30 miles south of Amarillo. RV travel never ceases to surprie!
We’ll be at home in Arizona for awhile to repair, refresh, and renew ourselves and the RV. Stay tuned as we have some pretty incredible travel plans ahead.
Marnie and Steve Travel 