There's an indulgence about the Tetons that you only understand once you're standing in the landscape. It doesn't seem possible that a place that is so scenic, so rich with wildlife, yet so accessible, can exist. We briefly passed through here on our way to Alaska in 2019. We vowed to return one day, and chose two weeks in late June to enjoy watching this place spring to life after a cold winter.
An eye-watering amount of affluence chases the right to live here, making San Francisco Bay Area real estate problems seem fairly benign. 90% of Teton County is protected and therefore unbuildable due to national parks, national forest, and elk refuge. According to the Yonder Lies podcast, which provides a fascinating account of Jackson Hole history, Teton County is the wealthiest county in the US with an average net income (not to be confused with net worth) of: $23M 🤯. Average single family home price: $3M.
If I was one of those people, would I pay up for this view? Yeah, probably.
Jackson Hole is home to one of the most thriving wildlife corridors in the country. In our two weeks here, we encountered nearly every major type of wildlife. One thing we learned: it's sometimes better to wait for the wildlife to come to you than trying to find it.
This gorgeous bull elk frequented our campground at Signal Mountain for days. One morning Neska, our german shepherd, sensed it grazing in the bushes and started pulling hard in the opposite direction. She'd finally met her match!
When we were on the trail, we had to keep our head on a swivel for wildlife at all hours of the day. Upon descending from Amphitheater Lake one late morning, we spotted this beautiful black bear from the switchbacks above. If we weren't paying closer attention, we would have passed within two feet of it on the trail.
On the same hike, after getting into our car, we spotted a coyote trotting through Lupine Meadow.
You know when you went to the zoo as a kid and the sign says "lion" but you never saw any lions? Unlike the zoo, Moose Pond delivered *both* times that we went. On our first morning, we immediately spotted a young bull moose. To top it off, a bonus blonde-colored black bear sauntered by about an hour later. At one point we were actually standing between the moose and the bear about 40 yards apart!
On the second morning, we waited quietly on a rock for about 30 minutes and saw this young moose enter the pond. It looked like it was still perfecting its swimming strokes, as it would splash about occasionally.
Perhaps our most memorable wildlife encounter was on a 7 mile loop of Phelps Lake, which sits below Death Canyon. On the return leg, we passed a kid and his parents who excitedly shared there were two moose up ahead. A few minutes later, we encountered a cow and bull walking away from us, feeding along the narrow lakeshore trail. We finally used a brief opening to squeeze around them, and for the next two miles, the moose continued down the trail, creating a growing backup of hikers. One thing we learned very quickly is that moose deceive you with their long meandering gait; they cover ground extremely fast with those long legs! We really had to hustle at times to stay ahead of them.
More small critters, including a vixen with at least three voles in its mouth, collecting breakfast in a field of silver lupine. That marmot side-eye though...
Morning missions through the canyons of the Tetons to the high alpine lakes were a reminder of how far our own two feet can take us. Delta Lake, Amphitheater Lake, and Holly Lake were still thawing in late spring. The last few miles of every hike were over snow that softened up quickly by late morning. Microspikes and poles were a lifesaver.
Neska got her reps chasing her duck into Jackson Lake.
Sunrise was a vibe here. Unlike other national parks with their special angles and viewpoints that draw the crowds, you can enjoy a gorgeous view from nearly anywhere, either inside or outside the national park. The Teton Range is perfectly photogenic and craggy. They're the youngest mountain range in the Rockies (only 10 million years old!) and still growing.
We spent mornings along the shores of Jackson Lake and driving up and down Hwy 89 watching the peaks light up.
© 2026 Steven Yan
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