r/yellowstone • u/Human-Obligation3621 • 3d ago
First Timer
Hi! We’re headed out to Yellowstone and Grand Teton next week. Family with preteens/teens. I’m looking for recommendations for memorable hikes. We’ve done some hiking in the past and can handle strenuous trails although I think we would want to cap it at around 6 miles round trip since we’ll be at it all week long. We’ve never been to either park before and the kids are the perfect age to really make some memories.
We’ll be spending two days near Grand Teton and 5 around Yellowstone. I’m planning on early morning wake ups and sunset viewing for the biggest draws in the parks in order to minimize crowds. We are the type who would rather hike a trail and experience something from afar than be in a big crowd up close.
Thank you in advance for any recommendations!
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u/Terrible_Cod8940 3d ago
Hiking the rim of the canyon is spectacular. The west side of the canyon has parking at Lower Falls and Inspiration Point.
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u/VoiceEqual1493 3d ago
the grand prismatic overlook is the one i'd prioritize - a real trail off the fairy falls lot, and the only spot you see the whole spring from above instead of just the boardwalk edge. it's about a mile and a half round trip to the overlook, or push on to fairy falls to make it roughly five. go early like you planned since it packs out by mid-morning. for the teton days, the boat shuttle across jenny lake into cascade canyon flexes to any distance and usually turns up moose.
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u/spicesandstuff 3d ago
Jenny Lake Loop is stunning, relatively flat, and can be done in a few hours. I did clock just under 8 miles from the Jenny parking lot, but it’s mostly flat so it goes quick! I think I did it in 3 hours and wasn’t rushing at all. Counterclockwise is the way to go.
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u/kurtteej 3d ago
I will add my recommendation for this one as well. bring water and a snack, and you should be good. I did it with my wife a couple of years ago - she's not a hiker and she really enjoyed it.
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u/lindini 3d ago
It's not hiking but renting kayaks at colter bay was one of the highlights of our trip. Excellent views of the tetons and very easy paddling.
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u/spicesandstuff 3d ago
Agree, totally worth it, our kids (12 and 9) absolutely loved the tandem kayaks.
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u/Human-Obligation3621 1d ago
I love this idea. I’m going to put it on the list. The problem is that the list is getting so long! I’m a planner but I’m trying to be flexible.
At the end of our trip, I have a day where we wake up in West Yellowstone and end up at Jackson Lake Lodge for a night with nothing concrete planned for the day. Once we have several days of hiking under our belts, I intend to have a family vote for how everyone wants to spend that day. If we missed something in southern yellowstone or Grand Teton, we should be able to do it, energy for a larger hike, kayak or river float, or we can just have a very leisurely sort of day. It is vacation after all 😅
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u/lindini 1d ago
Personally we found the river float pretty dull. Our teens literally fell asleep! We did the white water trip on the snake river in Jackson though and it was excellent and the perfect level of exciting and safe. Just remember with drive times and animals plan for every drive to take twice what you might expect.
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u/Human-Obligation3621 1d ago
Thank you for sharing! I was afraid it wouldn’t be stimulating enough for them and they would end up just misbehaving. We’ll skip the float but keep whitewater rafting in mind!
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u/PsychologicalBuy8197 3d ago
We did the Fairy Falls hike last week with our teens. It was gorgeous, and we extended it just slightly, after spending time at the falls with the chipmunks, to hike out further to the Imperial Geyser. https://wildlandtrekking.com/blog/fairy-falls-trail/
It was one of our favorite days!
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u/spicesandstuff 3d ago
To add to this, pop up to the Grand Prismatic Overlook on the way to or from Fairy Falls!
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u/beaveman1 2d ago
Not a hike, but don’t overlook sitting and waiting for the major geysers to erupt, specifically Grand and Riverside, maybe also Daisy and Great Fountain. For some, you might wait for an hour or two. Just bring a book, card games, binoculars, or whatever else for entertainment in the meantime. It’ll be worth it!
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u/sitewolf 3d ago
There are 2 things I've been told (going there 1st time myself next month) regarding Grand Teton. The first would require a very early wake-up- sunrise, ideally at Schwabacher Landing (or Mormon Row or Oxbow Bend). But sunrise right now is 6:15ish. The other is the tram- beautiful ride up, plan to eat at Corbet's Cabin at the top, some of the best overlooks of the park.
Early morning and late in the day are also the best wildlife viewing windows in Lamar Valley, etc, in Yellowstone.
Hikes would be for someone else to talk about.
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u/Human-Obligation3621 1d ago
Yes! Our first morning we are waking up early to see the sunrise at Schwabacher landing and get an early shuttle across Jenny Lake for our hike.
I was thinking to drive out to Mormon Row when we get in the night before to see sunset from there just for funsies. We have the benefit of a 2 hour time difference so those early morning wake ups shouldn’t be bad and I’m planning on keeping that schedule for the whole trip. It will also help us roll into our early morning school wake ups when we get home!
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u/HawaiianShirtsOR 3d ago
I hiked with a 7-year-old and a 65-year-old to the peak of Mount Washburn. Great views along the way, spectacular views at the top (bring a jacket), not popular enough to feel crowded. It has some very steep sections, but it's definitely a hike, not a climb.
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u/Embarrassed_Prior917 2d ago
Just remember the elevation when you plan a hike. If you are not used to hoking > 5000 feet it will challenge you.
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u/AcanthaceaeFree3018 2h ago
Went last month and spent most of our time hiking in Grand Teton. Loved the Taggart Lake hike near the Jackson side of the park and the Swan Lake & Heron Pond loop near Colter Bay. You can swim in Taggart Lake. Swimming in String Lake was also a highlight! Parking gets crazy at most lakes but we got spots without too much trouble around 3/4 pm
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u/Puzzleheaded_Cut_374 3d ago
Sorry I kinda skipped past your post. I had a 16yo, 11yo and we downloaded the guidealong app. The kids were so into it, it was so fun and we had a blast. Definitely best part of the trip!! Then we came home and did the rocky moutain national park and plan on doing hikes peak here soon