In early morning hours we started to Jenny Lake. At August it’s high season in Grand Teton National Park and we’ve read in all hiking guides to be before 9:00 A.M. or after 4:00 P.M. at the trailheads. We also know, that the hike around Jenny Lake is one of the most loved ones. You are hiking with a terrific view to the Teton Mountains!
For us, this hike was something special, but more at the end of this post.
We started into this hike at the south west shore of the lake near the boat launch. There is a little parking area and at the time we got there, we had several places to select from. So we avoided the crowds at the visitor center.
It was a good decision to start along the east shore, so we had a fantastic Teton Panorama in morning light. Our way was lead across the visitor center and back to the lake shore. Just short after the start I had this fantastic view along the Teton Range:
The hiking trail leads us close to the shoreline and we often had fantastic view throughout the trees.
Typical for the national parks is, that all fallen trees stay there until they are rotten. Sometimes we found great clearings that were made by storm or wildfires.
Short before String Lake there is a bridge over the inflow of the Jenny Lake. Is is near the Jenny Lake Lodge and so we met much people than on the first half of our hike.
Of course near a trailhead there where the warning signs how to avoid a bear attack. Yes, we where prepared! Each of my family was wearing bear spray and we trained ourself to catch it from our wrist and to unlock it.
We talked about it, if we will have a chance to see a bear on this hike. But we where sure, there where too many people on this trail, so a bear will stay away. But just 5 minute later, we met a ranger, who let us uphill from the trail. She said, around the corner would be a blackbear with two cubs!
She had a look after the bear and found it swimming in the lake. So we got down to the trail again and watched the bear, playing around with the two cubs!
It looked like a mother playing with her childs in an outdoor pool.
Later, when a tourist boat came near, the bear went out of the water and walked along the shore in the direction we came from. We were able to continue our hike.
The following mile we hiked through a bear paradise. The hillside was full of berries. Blue berries and wild raspberries. No wonder, that we met a bear on this hike!
We went on to the Hidden Falls and then took back the boat across Jenny Lake. The view back shows the Grant Teton with fantastic clouds:
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