JACKSON HOLE, Wyo. — When I pitched a work trip to Grand Teton National Park, I expected a lot of "nice try" and "good luck next time." Instead, I'm in the Tetons, typing this while sitting on a plush couch at the Jackson Lake Lodge. Don't worry, I'll be retiring to a tent at the Colter Bay Campground, but for now, I'll revel in the idea that my job is the best and nature is the cure. Also, I dig tents and this site is SICK.
I want to get you the best tips for the park, so I asked someone who has been working in public lands for 32 years. She knows her stuff and is rad. She actually lives in the park (can I live in her guestroom, please?). Denise Germann is the public information officer for Grand Teton National Park, and she and I had a heart to heart about best hikes, best hammock hangs, best chill zones, and what it's like to do her job. My stoke is high every time I talk to someone who works in the park service, so forgive my fan girl issues.
Stunning photos of the Grand Tetons
What’s your favorite hike in the park?
Any hike that goes into the canyons, into the backcountry, into those peaks, is probably my favorite. Cascade Canyon is probably one of the most beautiful places around. I love that hike. I love the wildflowers. It’s the water. It’s the wildlife.
If you have kids, where can you take them?
There’s a couple hikes up at Coulter Bay along the water, to Swan Lake. Taggart Lake is another one, one of those glacial lakes, that’s very accessible. It’s about two miles in, not steep terrain.
WATCH BELOW: Grand Teton National Park ranger proposes during campfire bear talk
Stop. Hammock time. Where are the best hammock hangs?
There would be several places where you could just chill and see the peaks. The valley is here and then all of a sudden these peaks just jump up, they just rise up before you. So the visuals you have anywhere in the valley are spectacular, so I think you could probably put a hammock about anywhere.
Author's note: Every time I find a hammock spot I say, “Stop. Hammock time.” It's because I’m a dork, but that's cool now, right? On my last trip to Grand Teton, my husband and I made it a priority to find the perfect hammock hang. A great spot we found was above Bear Paw lake. The views of the mountains were nuts, the hike was pretty easy, and no one bothered us on a busy weekend. Pack in a beer or two and a cheese plate. You won’t regret it. Runner up hammock time? Anywhere around Leigh Lake. Wow. We also did some chill time at String Lake. Can I live here?
But where can you get a beer and a view? Because that seems important.
My backyard would be the first choice because living in the park is such a privilege. We’ve got several concessioners in the park I don’t know that I could pick one—and it’s probably not appropriate for me to do so!
Author's note: Yeah. Denise is right. While it’s inappropriate for her to answer my dumb question about picking a place to grab a beer (and a snack), I can hook you up. Dornan’s has the most killer back deck. The view is bananas and the beer and snacks are rad. If it’s raining, hit up Jackson Lodge and nab a seat on the couch in front of the huge windows. Those windows? They frame one of the best views ever. Trust me. The hubs and I had a beer there and were stoked to have found some dry land.
There are so many rad lakes! What if you want to explore the park by water?
If you’re on a motorboat, Jackson Lake would probably be the place to go. If you’re kayaking or paddle boarding, I’d probably suggest any of the smaller lakes—Jenny Lake, String Lake, or Leigh Lake.
I fancy myself a photographer…where’s the best shot?
One of the most popular is the historic Moulton Barn, over on Mormon Row. The best time to get that photo is sunrise. It is so worth getting up early and getting that spectacular view, because you get that historic barn, you get the Tetons in the background, and you get the sun coming up shining on both.
Author's note: I did not get up at sunrise. Because that seems hard. But yup. It’s pretty there any time of day.
Another very popular location is Oxbow Bend, which is in the north part of the park. You see the reflection of the Tetons on the water, plus the wildlife that you’ll see in that area, it doesn’t get any better.
Speaking of wildlife…where can I see those bears? I have bear spray, don’t worry.
You could see wildlife anywhere in about any location in the park. It can be the middle of winter and you’re driving down the road and you can see five moose. Grizzly bears, it’s always a treat, not matter how many times you’ve seen a grizzly bear.
Author’s note: no thank you on the grizzly.
What do I do at night besides eat junk food around a campfire? Because that’s essentially what I like to do while camping.
Go to a ranger program. And that might be a ranger-led hike, it might be an evening campfire program, it might be a map talk. I know that you’ll walk away knowing more about this national park. We do a variety of night sky programs and if you can get to one of those I highly encourage you to attend one of those
Author’s note: the patient husband indulged my need to go to both the nighttime ranger talk AND the night sky program. Both were rad. The ranger was so cool that gave a talk on grizzly bears, and after, we met another ranger who gave us a lesson in planets and constellations. It would’ve been romantic had we not been camping for a week with no showers. That’s love, kids.
How do I get your job? Seriously. How do I get to work here? I’m not kidding.
I hope folks are thinking about that because the opportunities are endless. We have park rangers that talk to people and do interpretive programs, we have law enforcement officers, but we’ve also got the folks who work on budget and human resources, and IT. There are so many career opportunities.
Author's note: Sign me up! except for anything with numbers and computers. I like that park service too much to wish that upon them.
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