Western National Park Trip: Part 1 (July 2025)
We had been planning a national park to the west and northwest United States for about a year. Our plan was to visit 7 states, 3 national monuments, and 9 national parks in just less that 3 weeks.
Day 1
We began our trip one day before our 47th anniversary. We flew on Southwest Airlines first to Nashville, then to Denver, and finally to Boise, Idaho. We arrived late afternoon, picked up a rental SUV from Enterprise, and stayed our first night at a Hampton Inn in Boise. Our first stop in Boise was to a Walmart where we loaded up on bread, lunch items, a case of water, and a couple cartons of Pepsi Zero. We pack a collapsable cooler in our luggage, so we almost always have a picnic lunch each day. Of course, we usually eat breakfast at the motel in the morning. That means we generally only eat out at a restaurant for our evening meal while we travel. That keeps our food budget very reasonable on these trips.
Day 2
The next day was our anniversary which we celebrated by driving for 2 3/4 hours to Craters of the Moon National Monument in Idaho. We began our visit by walking the 1/2-mile paved loop called the Devil’s Orchard. It is basically a lava bed from an eruption that occurred about 2,000 years ago.
From there we drove a portion of the Scenic Loop so that we could hike to the top of Inferno Cone. The cone was formed over many years when molten rock was ejected into the air, then cooled and hardened into cinders that piled up to create the cone shape. The hike up the cone, exploring at the top, and walking back down is about a 1/2-mile total hike. From the bottom of the cone to the top is a 164-foot elevation climb. At the top is a wonderful view of the Great Rift, Snake River Plain, and Pioneer Mountains. Because of the loose cinders that make up the cone and the steepness of the climb it was a moderately challenging hike for us but well worth the view.
We then continued our drive on the Scenic Loop and arrived at Spatter Cones. There is a paved trail that leads to two small spatter cones. Visiting both spatter cones would be about a 1/2-mile hike. There is a 25-foot elevation gain at both spatter cones. A spatter cone is formed when lava is ejected from a vent. There is a safety fence at the top of the cones to keep you from falling into the vent.
When we first arrived at the Visitor’s Center, we stopped to get our permit to enter two of the four lava tubes (caves). We continued to drive the Scenic Loop and arrived at the Cave Trail. The entire trail is 1.5 miles, but we only visited the first two lava tubes which were Dewdrop Cave and Indian Tunnel. Dewdrop Cave comes at the beginning of the trail and is a very small lava tube that has basically collapsed. We only went in a few feet, and it was rough going. We did need flashlights to see at the bottom of the cave.
We walked another 1/2 mile down the trail to get to Indian Tunnel. This is the largest lava tube, measuring 30 feet tall and 800 feet long with several massive skylights. The skylights provide so much sunlight; a flashlight isn’t necessary but is helpful in some areas.
There is a big, metal ladder that drops you into the darkness below, and starts your underground adventure through a lava tube. The trail winds its way around broken basalt boulders and remains that once hung from the ceiling of the tube, coursing its way past multiple openings.
At the very end of the tube, there was a fun climb to get out of the tube that narrows itself down to a small opening that we popped through to reach the surface once again. There are markers that led us back to the opening of the cave (less than ¼ mile), but we also stopped along the way to take a peek down into the lava tube we just hiked through.
We finished our anniversary day by driving 1 3/4 hours to Idaho Falls, ID and having dinner at a local steakhouse, Stockman’s Restaurant. We had a nice dessert to celebrate our 47th anniversary. My wife chose Huckleberry Cheesecake. Huckleberries are wild berries that grow in mountainous regions at altitudes between 2,000 and 11,000 feet. They ripen in the late summer and are usually harvested in mid-to-late August. In the US one of the best places for harvesting wild huckleberries is the area around Glacier National Park in northern Montana. It’s where the phrase “I’m your huckleberry” comes from.
Day 3
Our day began with a 2-hour drive to Grand Tetons National Park in Wyoming. This was our 39th national park that we have visited together. Our plan was to complete the Scenic Loop which encompasses the entire 40-mile length of the Grand Tetons. We began by visiting Mormon Row which is a historic district featuring well-preserved Mormon homesteads and barns, offering iconic photo opportunities with the Teton Range as a backdrop.
We continued driving to Schwabacher Landing which is a scenic area known for its stunning views of the Teton Range reflected in the Snake River. It's a popular spot for photographers, wildlife viewing, and hiking, offering easy access to the river and surrounding trails. The area is named after a family of early settlers.
Schwabacher Landing
Our next stop was the Snake River Overlook which is a scenic viewpoint famous for its association with Ansel Adams' iconic photograph, "The Tetons and the Snake River". It offers a panoramic view of the Teton Range and the Snake River winding through the valley below. Unfortunately, we couldn’t get a similar view like Adams’ famous photograph because he had a raised platform, there has been lots of overgrowth, and some other visitors wouldn’t give up their prime location after having us wait 15 minutes. But we still got a nice picture.
Photo by Ansel Adams
Photo by Don Jacobs
Oxbow Bend is the most photographed location in the Grand Teton National Park and it was our next stop. The iconic view of the Snake River with Mt Moran's reflection is easily the most recognized image of the area. This classic location has been photographed thousands of times
Oxbow Bend with Mt Moran
Our next stop was the Chapel of the Sacred Heart. This chapel was built in 1937 and overlooks Jackson Lake.
Chapel of the Sacred Heart
After leaving Chapel of the Heart we drove up Signal Mountain to Jackson Point Overlook. We took a weaving mountain road up to the overlook for a fantastic view of Jackson Lake and the Grand Tetons.
We were planning on driving to Jenny Lake and taking a boat shuttle across the lake to then hike to Inspiration Point and Hidden Falls. However, the day was getting late, and we wanted to make sure we got to our last activity for the day. So instead, we drove to Teton Village and got tickets for the Aerial Tram. In just 9 minutes, the Aerial Tram glides skyward 4,139 vertical feet to the top of the 10,450-foot mountain peak. The summit offers staggering 360-degree views of the Tetons, Jackson Hole valley, and surrounding mountain ranges. While at the top of the mountain, we ate waffles at the famous Corbet’s Cabin. I got the Trad which has brown sugar and butter, and my wife decided to have The Cobbler which contained huckleberries, of course, and whipped cream. The waffles at the top of the mountain were delicious and the tram ride was fun. After exiting the tram, we drove 1/2 hour to our motel in Jackson, Wyoming.
