Weather forecast
Mon, Jun 22Start
Laramie, WY
74°
43°
💧 31% · 0.04″
En route
Colter Bay, Grand Teton
71°
42°
💧 7%
Overnight
Moran, WY
72°
42°
💧 7% · 0.01″
Forecast via Open-Meteo
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Grand Teton National Park
Jr. Ranger Badge
Junior Ranger badge — Colter Bay VC closes 5:00 PM
Game Plan
Arrive ~3:00 PM. Get badge books immediately — 2 hrs is enough for books + the Lakeshore Trail. Turn in by 4:50 PM.
- Colter Bay Lakeshore Trail (2 mi loop · flat) — Starts right at the VC — Jackson Lake shoreline with full Teton panorama; perfect badge-book hike.
- Heron Pond & Swan Lake (3 mi loop) — Optional add-on from the same trailhead; lily pads, swans, occasional moose.
- Oxbow Bend turnout — 10 min south, the most photographed spot in the park
- Willow Flats Overlook — scan for moose
- Jackson Lake Overlook on the parkway drive north
Sunrise, Sunset & Golden Hour ★
Sunrise
5:40 AM MDT
Sunset
9:09 PM MDT
Be set up by (sunrise)
5:10 AM
Be set up by (sunset)
8:49 PM
Sunrise spot — Colter Bay boat launch, Jackson Lake — east-rising sun reflects gold across the water with the Tetons rising to the southwest. Oxbow Bend at dawn is mirror-flat and extraordinary.
Sunrise 5:40 AM — you depart at 6:30 AM, so a 5:10 AM wake-up for a Flagg Ranch meadow sunrise is very feasible.
Sunset spot — Oxbow Bend or Snake River Overlook on Teton Park Road — both face the Teton skyline. Headwaters Lodge at Flagg Ranch also has a westward Snake River meadow. You arrive by 5:30 PM with 3+ hrs of golden light.
Best sunset opportunity of the first week. Drive south to Oxbow Bend (25 min from Flagg Ranch) by 8:49 PM — the Tetons hit full alpenglow by 9:05.
Heads Up
Grand Teton needs no entry reservation, but Colter Bay VC closes at 5 PM sharp — badge books in hand by early afternoon.
Trip Journal — Day 3
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