Hi there!
So you want to go to Grand Teton National Park!
If you’re doing a Wyoming national parks road trip or a greater road trip to see more of the best places to visit in Wyoming, is it reasonable to spend only one day in Grand Teton National Park?! (Or maybe more importantly, is it worth it?)
Of course, longer is always better, but plenty of people spend just one day in Grand Teton National Park and leave feeling good about it!
So if one day is all you have, then one day is better than no time at all!
So yes, you can totally make it a perfect one day in Grand Teton National Park!
One day will give you the chance to drive the roads of Grand Teton National Park with amazing mountain views in front of you as you drive, and you will also have time to do some hiking with more grand views of the mountains!
Grand Teton National Park is one of the national parks in Wyoming.
Grand Teton National Park is best known for its magnificent views of the mountains.
This means that it can be a perfect day trip to Grand Teton National Park by making it all about the mountain views!
You can get these amazing views of the Teton mountain range by making some quick stops, by hiking, or even just driving through Grand Teton National Park without stepping foot out of your car!
So, this Grand Teton itinerary of one day in Grand Teton will focus on seeing these amazing mountain views in all of the above ways!
3+ things to do in Grand Teton National Park in one day with amazing mountain views
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Everything on this list is along the Grand Teton National Park 42-mile scenic loop drive. But the list below doesn’t cover the whole loop, just a part of it.
Be sure to check the list of things to see along the Grand Teton loop drive so you’ll know if you want to do the whole loop!
1. Potholes Turnout
When you are driving from the direction of Bridger-Teton National Forest, the Potholes Turnout can be a perfect first stop in Grand Teton National Park!
Go for a short walk across the field for epic views of the Tetons!
See more about this Grand Teton activity: Driving to Potholes turnout
2. Driving south to Mount Moran Turnout
Continue driving from the Potholes turnout to the Mount Moran turnout and you will see one of the most epic views you can get while driving through Grand Teton National Park!
3. Jenny Lake Overlook
Continue the drive along Teton Park Road and you will come across the road called Jenny Lake Scenic Drive which will take you to the parking area for the Jenny Lake Overlook.
This can be another quick stop for epic views of a mountain lake with the Tetons in the background.
4. Hike to Surprise Lake and Amphitheater Lake
OR…
Hike to Delta Lake
OR…
Hike to Taggart Lake
Take your pick on which Grand Teton lake hike you want to make as your one epic Grand Teton National Park hike based on how long you want to hike!
There are some details below about hiking to each of these lakes as part of your Grand Teton day trip!
Grand Teton in September or October
First, you will have to prepare for cooler temperatures, but September can be a GREAT time to go to Grand Teton National Park… I think!
Yes, you can drive through Grand Teton National Park in September.
Yes, Grand Teton National Park in September is worth it!
September is a good time to visit Grand Teton National Park!
I was in Grand Teton National Park in late September. The next day was October.
So similarly, early October at least seems like a good time to go to Grand Teton National Park too!
MAP: Driving through Grand Teton National Park
Explore the map.
There are several entrances for Grand Teton National Park.
I stayed along US-26 / US-287 just outside of Bridger-Teton National Forest in a budget room at the Hatchet Resort.*
*Partner website to read the reviews and look at cost.
This means that my day in Grand Teton National Park started at the Moran entrance.
From the Moran entrance, it was a drive south along the Teton Park Road.
If you find yourself with more time after hiking in Grand Teton National Park, you can go for another hike to a Teton mountain lake.
Or you can complete the Grand Teton National Park 42-mile scenic loop drive (map) for more scenic views of the Teton mountain range by driving US-89/126/191 from Moose to Moran (map). There are a number of popular photography spots along this driving route.
See the pictures of driving through Grand Teton National Park.
👆 The 42-mile scenic loop drive in Grand Teton National Park. Explore the map.
Jackson WY is a popular gateway town of Grand Teton National Park. Jackson WY to Moose WY is around a 20 minute drive.
That said, I drove that section from Moran to Moose the following day (along with the hike to Taggart Lake), which was the day I did the drive from Grand Teton to Yellowstone.
Surely there were amazing views, but I found myself thinking that even if I didn’t do that part of the drive, I would have thought that the previous day (as listed above!) was a perfect day in Grand Teton National Park!
More for your Grand Teton road trip
- Driving from Grand Teton National Park to Yellowstone
- Driving from Devils Tower to Grand Teton National Park
- Driving from Mount Rushmore to Grand Teton National Park
- Driving from Badlands National Park to Grand Teton National Park
More below about hiking in Grand Teton National Park to the above mentioned Teton lakes!
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Hiking in Grand Teton National Park
You can make your “main event” a longer hike in Grand Teton National Park!
There are many hikes to choose from in the Tetons, and if you want to make it a hike to more than one mountain lake, hiking to Surprise Lake, Amphitheater Lake, and/or Delta Lake can be perfect!
Hike to Surprise Lake and Amphitheater Lake
You’ll take the same trail for both of these lakes. You’ll start at the Lupine Meadows trailhead. First you’ll come across Surprise Lake, and then you can continue onwards to Amphitheater Lake!
This is a 10 mile round trip hike, and you might want to give yourself 6-7 hours to complete the hike to Surprise Lake and Amphitheater Lake.
Hike to Delta Lake
The hike to Delta Lake also starts from the Lupine Meadows trailhead.
You’ll start off by taking the same trail that as the hike to Surprise Lake and Amphitheater Lake. Then part way you will look for a somewhat hidden trail to continue hiking to Delta Lake.
This is an unofficial hiking trail in Grand Teton National Park, and there is no sign for it.
It can be called a difficult trail to find, as it can be easy to miss. I highly recommend downloading the mapsme app (it’s free!), and with your GPS locator on, it will be easy to find the trail! You will need to make sure to download the Wyoming map within mapsme.
This is around an 8 mile round trip hike, and you might want to give yourself 5 hours to complete the hike to Delta Lake. Maybe more time depending on how much time you want to spend at Delta Lake!
See more about this Grand Teton National Park activity: How to get to the hidden Delta Lake trail
Hike to Surprise Lake, Amphitheater Lake, and Delta Lake
Or… along with hiking to Delta Lake… if you don’t mind a big day hike, you can hike to all 3 lakes of Surprise Lake, Amphitheater Lake, and Delta Lake!
This might be around a 12 mile hike, and you might want to give yourself 7-8 hours to complete this hike, although this is highly variable based on your pace!
Maybe decide which is more important to you, Surprise Lake and Amphitheater Lake OR Delta Lake.
And then after you go to your priority lake(s), you can decide how you’re feeling and how much time you have left before sunset, see if you want to go to the other lake(s).
I actually only intended to hike to Delta Lake, but then once I finished that, I couldn’t help myself but to hike up to Surprise Lake and Amphitheater Lake too. 😜
Hike to Taggart Lake
If you are looking for a shorter hike, instead of the above mentioned alpine lake hikes, there are a number of easier hiking trails in Grand Teton National Park that will take you to mountain lakes!
The Taggart Lake Trail is one such trail.
You can make it a hike to Taggart Lake only, or it’s also a popular option to hike to both Taggart Lake and Bradley Lake as one hike.
Hiking the Taggart Lake Loop Trail is around a 4 mile round trip hike, and you might give yourself 2 hours to complete this hike.
Hiking the Taggart Lake and Bradley Lake loop is around a 6 mile round trip hike, and you might give yourself 3 hours to complete this hike.
And that’s a bit about making it a day trip to the Tetons!
Plan more of your Wyoming road trip:
- Driving through Grand Teton National Park
- Grand Teton to Yellowstone
- One day in Yellowstone National Park
- Yellowstone to Craters of the Moon National Monument
- Mount Rushmore National Memorial to Wyoming
- Snowy Range Scenic Byway
- Best of hiking in Wyoming
HAPPY DRIVING THROUGH GRAND TETON NATIONAL PARK IN ONE DAY!
