Pass the hundred year old cabin, the general store, and the Flagg Ranch campground I come to a stop in the parking lot of the Grand Teton NP Information Center. I am here for direction. Not directions, that implies I have a destination and I don’t.  Not researching or planning ahead for this road trip frees one from research overload but it also means I’m relying on others to point me in the right direction. As I walk into the visitor’s center I bristle at the thought of being the “what do I do?” tourist but at the same time letting go and having someone intimately familiar with the park plan your day isn’t a bad way to go.

Inside the small center I bypass the maps and literature and approach the manned counter. Or in this case wo-manned counter. Maybe it’s the hats or the uniform but is there anyone easier to approach than a Park Ranger? While the where of what I want to do today is a mystery, what I want to do is not.

“Hi, I’m here for a half a day and I want to do a hike and a scenic drive, where do I go?”

Karen, the Ranger behind the counter has done this before. She whips out a map, a list of scenic drives, a list of hikes, and yellow hi-liter. Within thirty seconds both lists have multiple options hi-lighted for me and after a couple back and forth questions my day is planned. I gather my maps and lists, thank Karen, and decide whatever the National Park Service is paying Karen it is not enough and wonder if this “no planning/asking for direction” is my new normal?  Nah.

I head south down Hwy 89, the main road through Grand Teton NP and soon after leaving the Info Center, Jackson Lake appears on my right. I catch quick glimpses of the morning glass on the lake through trees but stay on the winding road until a better view appears. I don’t wait long.

While on my travels I like solitude. I’d rather enjoy a lesser attraction and the lesser crowds but sometimes the attraction is worth fighting through the crowd. The scenic turnout is packed and I consider passing it to avoid the people but the view looks spectacular so I pull over. The parking area is 300 yards from lake’s edge and to get a better view I follow a small trail through tall grass and a field of wildflowers to water’s edge.

The view is spectacular. The bright blue reflection of the morning light on Jackson Lake matches the blue of the cloudless Wyoming sky with rocky snowy peaks in the middle dividing the two blues. I’m anxious to get to my hiking point but it can wait. I take a deep breath, close my eyes, and open them. The view remains stunning every time I open my eyes. One can become spoiled with the endless beautiful scenery of Big Sky country but thankfully I have yet to reach that point. One last closing of the eyes, a deep inhalation of the crisp clean air, and I’m ready to continue my journey.

Further down Hwy 89 I turn on Signal Mountain Rd to the top of Signal Mountain. The narrow black top inclines steadily up the mountain through patchy forest. I pass a bicyclist and still don’t get it (See this blog post) but appreciate the effort. Starting at the 5000 ft level from the floor below it doesn’t take long to reach the top of the 7727 ft high peak. The parking lot is near empty and I walk to the overlook.

To the right lies Jackson Lake and the jagged peaks and to the left a river snakes through a dense hilly forest. In the middle a treeless prairie separates the two. The view is nice but barely removed from spectacular view of Jackson Lake it is just that….nice. I question my spoiled thought from earlier.

Next on the hi-lited list is the hike to Hidden Falls near Jenny Lake. Back down the black top I return to Hwy 89 and head south. In terms of popularity Jenny Lake is the area the next most popular to Jackson Lake. I turn into the South Jenny Lake area and parked cars line both sides of the road. The parking area is still a half mile away. The crowd debate stirs in my head.

It has nothing to do with people. I’m not a life of the party guy but at the same time I enjoy company. There is a time and a place and hiking in nature is not the place. I like hiking alone. Or a single companion. Sharing a trail with a number of other people especially….(wait for it) small children (“he hates children!”) and/or slow walkers drives me a little crazy. (Don’t roll your eyes, there’s a guy pushing a stroller halfway into the hike and it takes forever for me to pass them, luckily the baby is being carried by momma because the trail is filled with rocks and huge tree roots. I don’t get these people.) In Southern California getting away from crowds is not so easy, but here it is very doable. The parking lot situation has me anxious but I fight through it and somehow find a space near the trail head.

At a distance of five miles round-trip with a small elevation gain the trail to Hidden Falls is more stroll than hike. A boat/ferry is available to take visitors across Jenny Lake and shortens the hike to a mile but I want the exercise and guess the boat option cuts the trail crowd. I park, swig some water, and head out.

The trail itself is a small, tree-rooted, rocky path winding around the south side of Jenny Lake. Like most water features in Big Sky the water is a breathtaking bright blue which makes the view from any part of the trail gorgeous. Some angles have the tetons rising in the background and the view is smile-inducing. The trail isn’t empty but sparse enough to make good time. Taking a corner I find a family splashing and enjoying themselves in the cool water of the lake and even I crack a smile.

Outside the view of Jenny Lake the hike is a garden variety forest hike. Well, garden variety for this area. I have no idea what the falls are like. “Hidden” Falls sounds cool but it could be water trickling over a few rocks. I hear the rushing water as I get closer to the falls and it doesn’t sound like a trickle. A few more minutes and I come to a viewing area with a handful of people aiming their cameras and phones. The falls aren’t in sight until I look up the rocky embankment. The river parts the tall evergreen trees and falls 150 feet over several layers of rock. It’s one of the larger falls I’ve seen since coming here but the viewing area is far away from the falls. I’m not complaining but prefer the small falls of the Hyalite area than can be viewed from mere feet.

A literal boatload of people begin to arrive and after five minutes at the falls it’s time to head back. I pass the stroller family still making their way to the falls, they may get there by Labor Day, and though at a quick pace I catch glimpses of Jenny Lake at regular intervals. The two and half miles back go fast and I near the parking lot.

Before I reach the lot I pass two French couples. Throughout this National Park excursion I am amazed how many foreign tourists are here. This isn’t a bash on the foreigners, all of my interaction with them has been polite and pleasant. It does make me wonder why they come halfway across the globe to see our natural attractions and we as a nation tend to take them for granted. They don’t outnumber Americans but the ratio is close enough to wonder why more Americans don’t visit these parks.  And why we don’t visit their’s more often.

I get back in the car and check what’s next. My day in Grand Teton NP is done and I head towards Idaho. Where? I’ll know when I get there.