Grand Teton Hike and Jackson

We had a good breakfast at TWR Grill in Driggs which was next to our hotel.  Our objective for the day was to take a nice hike in the Tetons.  We had seen recommendations from a number of sources to have bear spray with us for our hike, in case we had a bear encounter along the trail.  Although I like to take my chances, I thought everybody would be a little more comfortable on the trail if we had some spray along.  So we went to the corner drug store to buy our expensive "bear insurance" policy.

Waterfall just below Wind Cave

The original plan was to drive over the pass between Victor, ID and Jackson, WY and take a hike on a trail near Jenny Lake in Grand Teton Park.  However, after reading more information about the trail-heads the previous night, it became clear that we would probably have trouble finding parking near a trail-head  especially if we got a late start.  We went to the ranger station for Grand Targhee National Forest to get some ideas about hikes from the Idaho side in the National Forest.  The 2 rangers at the station were very helpful, and the provided a lot of good information about possible hikes, along with maps and descriptions. I also asked about the persistent haze in the sky, and they said it was smoke from the forest fires upwind in central and western Idaho.  They estimated the visibility at about 10-12 miles.

We drove south from Driggs a few miles and headed east to Darby Canyon Rd, which was a narrow dirt road that followed a stream about 5 miles into Darby Canyon.  The road eventually ended at a parking lot and trail-head in a clearing next to the stream.  With bear spray, water and other day-hike provisions, we headed out on the Trail toWind Cave

Wind Cave, worth the hike

The trail initially headed east, climbing gently along that stream and the bottom of Darby Canyon. After a short distance, it turned south and began climbing more steeply along the eastern flank of a side canyon. Our destination was Wind Cave, which the rangers said would be enjoyable destination for our family.  Along the way, the trail wound through many switchbacks and initially through a thick forest.  The trees began to thin and were shorter as we gained altitude.  There were also a many rock outcrops or small cliffs along the way. As we gained more elevation, we eventually started hiking through more open, alpine meadows with a beautiful mix of scrub brush, grasses  and wildflowers.  As the trail opened up, we were able see wider vistas of the ridge behind us and to the north, and the ridge across the canyon to our west.  Along the way we met a few groups of hikers either heading toward or returning from Wind Cave.

As the morning wore on, we scanned the canyon wall to our west looking for signs of Wind Cave, and eventually saw a small black spot a few hunded feet below the ridge, through the haze.  Although it was hard to judge distances, we now had it in our sights, and we realized we could make it.  As we approached, the trail crossed the bottom of the drainage feature and began to climb steeply toward the Cave.  Along the way and before the cave, the trail became very steep, even with rock steps and steep sections of trail that required grabbing trees, roots or anything you could find to pull yourself up.  Then we came alongside a waterfall
which had been eroded under the overhang, allowing us to walk behind the falls.

The cave had a huge entrance , about 50 feet tall by 20 ft wide, and the cave floor angled upward toward the flat roof, as you moved into its depths.  The walls curved in a parallel fashion.
 There was a stiff flow of cool air coming out of the cave, which was refreshing on a hot day such as this.  We explored the cave, but only to a reasonalble depth, where we still had plenty of natural light.  After finding a nice spot to eat lunch on the way back we had an uneventful hike back.  The bear spray worked much like an umbrella prevents you from seeing any rain.

Someone in Jackson must have been real bored.

Our evening destination was Riverton WY.  To get there, we headed back over the Teton Pass and into Jackson WY for some late afternoon shopping.  Jackson is a cowboy town, turned ski town with an active art community.  There were plenty of boutique shops with lots of unique, and very expensive items for sale.  One art shop had a dinosaur scull selling for $45,000.  It was too big to bring home so we chose not to buy it.  There is a small park in the middle of town.  At each entrance there is an arch made up of elk antlers, not something you see everywhere.  It was a hot day in town, so after a couple of hours we were "shopped out"

On the way out of town, we had to drive northeast before heading toward Riverton.  Alon the road, we got one last look at beautiful granite peaks of the Grand Tetons throught the haze.  We also did a drive-by view of  Jackson Lake.

Our best view of the Tetons in 2 days, through the haze.

We connected with 287/26 and headed toward Riverton.  There was major construction along the way as we gained altitude on the way to the Togwotee Pass in the Absaroka Range.  We had to stop 4 different times, where there was only one lane of traffic at a time.  Near the top of the pass, we passed two women cyclists climbing the pass with full touring gear, working real hard on a gravel section of road that was under construction.  Kudos to them.  I have heard this pass is on some more northern cross country bike routes.

After ascending from the pass we could see the Wind River range to the south.  For dinner, we stopped for Pizza at Paya' Deli along the main drag in the small town of Dubois WY.  It was a small town deli, with the local crowd.  We left town around dark and entered the Wind River Reservation.  There was very little development along the road, and saw few cars till we were within 5 miles of Riverton.