Today we decided to go for a bike ride along the most scenic bike trail we have ever ridden. We left Victor early and on our way to Jackson we spotted a moose right beside the road. They are as prolific as deer are in Ohio. We arrived at the Visitor Center in Moose where we parked the jeep and started our bike ride on the 8-mile long multi-use bike trail through the magnificent Grand Teton National Park that opened in 2008. We had spectacular views of the Tetons all the way to Jenny Lake. We continued to ride to Leigh Lake along the road and came back to Jenny Lake to catch the boat to Inspiration Point. Beautiful glacially-carved Jenny Lake is the second largest lake in the Grand Tetons, and the deepest at 423 feet.
After taking the 12-minute shuttle boat ride across Jenny Lake we started the 2.2 RT hike, climbing upward through a pristine conifer forest. This trail is one of the most popular hiking destinations in Grand Teton NP and a lot of maintenance has been done to protect the area, some of the trail was under construction so we could not get to Hidden Falls. We had to traverse a fairly steep ledge carved into the granite face in the 1930’s by the CCC to gain access to Inspiration Point. As we climbed higher we had outstanding views of the “Cathedral Group” towering above the canyon towards the west. This group includes 12,325′ Teewinot Mountain, 13,770′ Grand Teton and 12,928′ Mt Owen. From the lofty perch of Inspiration Point we had great views of Jenny Lake and the distant mountains cloaked in a veil of clouds. On our way back to Victor we stopped at Antelope Flats to get the iconic photo of the Tetons. The afternoon light was not the best time to take this shot, but this is probably the most photographed barn (Moulton Barn) in Wyoming, if not the world! However, we were greeted with a spectacular rising full moon as we drove over the pass back to Victor. Click on thumbnail to view images
