3 Days at Grand Teton National Park Itinerary

In this 3 days at Grand Teton National Park itinerary + guide we’ll cover everything you need to know before you go, plus where to eat, where to stay, and things to do in Grand Teton National Park!

After finishing our van conversion this summer, our goal was to book it out of the Texas heat and find some cooler weather and mountain views. We set our sights on Wyoming and made the 1,377 mile drive to Jackson and Grand Teton National Park.

For about a week we called Grand Teton and Jackson our “home”. We boondocked in the forest with the best views. We headed into town for Wifi and food, and going for hikes in the park. You can see how we spent our two days in these vlogs: Day 1 and Day 2.

It was the perfect place to spend our first real week on the road and we’re so excited to share this 3 days at Grand Teton itinerary with you, filled with info about the park, where to stay, what to do, where to eat, and more!

Table of contents

Before embarking on your adventure, please review the Leave No Trace principles to ensure you leave every place better than you found it, so that others can enjoy these beautiful places for many years to come!

These seven principles include planning ahead and preparing, hiking and camping on durable surfaces, disposing of waste properly (pack out what you pack in!), understanding campfire rules and always fully extinguishing your fires, respecting wildlife, and being considerate of other visitors.

About Grand Teton National Park

Grand Teton National Park was first established in 1929. But in 1943, combined with the Jackson Hole National Monument to create the 310,000 acres that the park is today.

While Grand Teton National Park is slightly less visited compared to its neighbor to the north, Yellowstone, it’s still the 8th most visited National Park, with 3,491,151 visitors in 2018.

The park headquarters is just 13.2 miles from the cute Western town of Jackson, Wyoming. The proximity to restaurants, coffee shops, and stores makes Grand Teton even more appealing in our eyes.

During our 3 days at Grand Teton we loved that we could grab an excellent latte and meal before going on a hike. Or a delicious dinner after a day of adventuring, which isn’t always the case with National Parks.

In this guide we will share spots from both Grand Teton National Park and Jackson. Because in our opinion they go together like chips and queso. 🙂

Looking for more Wyoming adventures? Combine this 3 days at Grand Teton guide with our Yellowstone National Park guide for the ultimate trip!

Getting to Grand Teton National Park

There are a handful of ways to get to Grand Teton National Park. But with the park being a bit far from any major city, it’s definitely not the easiest park to get to. The closest option is the Jackson Hole Airport, which American Airlines, Delta, United, and SkyWest fly in and out of.

However, it is a smaller airport with limited flights and could be pricey. But if convenience is worth the extra cost, this airport is just minutes from the park and also the town of Jackson.

The next closest airport is in Idaho Falls, Idaho (104 miles). But this is a regional airport and may be trickier to fly into. As for larger airports, the two best options are Salt Lake City, which is a little under 300 miles away, and Denver, which is 505 miles away. So if you’re down for a road trip, these two airports are a good option for your 3 days at Grand Teton trip!

Where to stay at Grand Teton National Park

Jackson

If you want to be close to restaurants and shops, we highly recommend staying in Jackson! There are tons of places to stay in this area, from hotels to VRBOs, and we’re sharing some of our top picks below!

VRBO

Option #1: A 1 bathroom studio that’s one block from the town square
Option #2: A super cute 1 bathroom cabin
Option #3: A 1 bedroom, 1 bathroom apartment that’s beautifully decorated
Option #4: A 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom apartment near Snow King Mountain
Option #5: A 3 bedroom, 3.5 bathroom townhouse that’s perfect for 6-8 people

Hotels

Park lodges

There are a handful of lodges in the Grand Teton National Park if you want to be close to the action, but still have a bit of comfort.

Jenny Lake Lodge
The Jenny Lake lodge not only has a prime location, but is also a AAA 4-Diamond resort! The rooms are cabins with their own bathrooms and you definitely wouldn’t feel like you’re roughing it. This would be our top pick due to its proximity to many hikes on this guide, as well as the town of Jackson!

Triangle X
If you want the unique experience of staying at a Dude Ranch–this place is a must! Enjoy your own private cabin (with a private bathroom), horseback riding, cookouts, and more!

Jackson Lake Lodge
Looking for more of a hotel experience? Jackson Lake Lodge has hotel-like rooms to enjoy. But don’t be expecting a TV in your room–the lodge would prefer you spend your time outdoors (pretty cool!). They also have cottages available on the property.

Signal Mountain Lodge
With cabins, bungalows, and lakefront retreats, there are lots of accommodation options to choose from at this lodge located on Jackson Lake!

Colter Bay Cabins
If you want to feel like you’re camping, but with an actual bed and some amenities, this spot may be great for you!

Headwaters Lodge at Flagg Ranch
This spot is between both Grand Teton and Yellowstone, making it a good option if you plan to visit both! However, it may be a bit far from some activities in Jackson that are on this guide.

Campgrounds

There are a total of 6 campgrounds at Grand Teton National Park. However, 5 of them are first come first serve and do not accept reservations. According to the NPS, “reservations are accepted for group camping, the Colter Bay RV Park, and the Headwaters Campground & RV Sites at Flagg Ranch.”

There are also backcountry camping areas, which require advance planning to get permits. Permits go live on Monday, February 11 at 8 am MST and advance permits close on May 15. You can get a permit outside of the advance permit window, but it may be more difficult. All backcountry campers must carry a bear canister. But don’t worry if you do not own one, they do provide these for you!

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Boondocking

If you’re in a van like us, an RV, or don’t need any amenities while camping, boondocking (dry camping and free!) may be a good option for you during your 3 days at Grand Teton! We loved how many options there were to boondock around Grand Teton. And the best part? Almost every spot has great views! Here are the areas we stayed at, as well as some we didn’t try, but hear amazing things about!

Lower Teton View
Both nights we stayed here we arrived in the dark and didn’t really spend much time here. But we did have cell phone service with AT&T!

Upper Teton View
This is a spot we wanted to check out, but got nervous about driving the van up the road. We hear it’s beautiful though!

Antelope Flats
We LOVED this spot! There are multiple areas with designated sites to park and the view of the Tetons from our van windows was incredible! The sites are kind of close together, so don’t expect much privacy. We did have AT&T service here too, but ended up working in town. (The photo under “where to stay” is from this spot!)

Shadow Mountain
We met multiple people throughout the week who were staying here, both with trailers. We were going to make the drive up, but liked our spot at Antelope Flats a lot and didn’t want to leave.

Spread Creek Road
While not as scenic as the others, we tried this spot our last night to be a bit closer to Yellowstone and parked in the first site. While it was right on the road, we didn’t have anyone else parked by us which we liked!

Getting around Grand Teton National Park

If you want to fully enjoy the park, you will need to rent a car. While there are some tours that can take you to specific areas near the park, there are no inter park shuttles like some other National Parks have. Having a car for your 3 days at Grand Teton will allow you to see all of the sights and enjoy them at your own pace!

When to visit Grand Teton National Park

Grand Teton National Park | 3 Days at Grand Teton

This 3 days at Grand Teton itinerary is geared towards the summer months, but winter is also a popular time to visit! We visited over Labor Day weekend, which was not our first choice because of the crowds, but it ended up not being that bad! We tried to get an early start, which helped a ton, and mentally prepared ourselves for the amount of people we may see.

The busiest months are mid-May to late September, as that’s when the park becomes accessible after winter. Since Grand Teton does often have some closures from October to early May due to snow, your best bet is to come in this timeframe if you want to hike.

We’d suggest going in before Memorial Day or after Labor Day to try to avoid the summer break crowds. We noticed a big decline in crowds the Thursday after Labor Day compared to the days leading up to Labor Day.

Tips for 3 Days at Grand Teton National Park

Start early!

The Tetons are the most beautiful at sunrise since the sun rises in front of them and you get a beautiful alpenglow. Sunrise is definitely popular in specific areas for that reason, but you’ll still get to enjoy a bit more solitude than mid day all around the park.

Buy or rent bear spray!

The Tetons are home to both black and grizzly bears. While we didn’t see a bear (we’re both happy and sad about that!), we made sure we always had bear spray on us and learned what to do if you see a bear. If you’re road tripping or visit bear country often, you can buy bear spray in advance. But if you’re flying, we recommend either buying the spray there or renting it.

Wear sunscreen and drink lots of water!

While the temperature isn’t brutal in the summer, we got very hot hiking some of the trails and since we were at a higher elevation than normal, sunscreen and water were a must!