At the beach, we sat next to a woman while the kids played and struck up conversation. As she and Michelle talked, I was struck by how awesome my wife is at listening and seeing the heart of others, and being able to minister to their needs, even if strangers. A master class on just being there for people. What a gift from God she stewards well in the lives of others.
Weather forecast
Mon, Jun 22Start
Laramie, WY
80°
51°
💧 4%
En route
Colter Bay, Grand Teton
72°
44°
💧 9%
Overnight
Moran, WY
74°
44°
💧 11%
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
👨 Jason
📝 Day summary
Memory of the day
We started early to make our way across Wyoming to Grand Teton. The drive was amazing. The landscape changed at least 5 times, and sometimes was even different on either side of the highway, with lush green rolling hills on the south side of the valley with multi-colored rocky crags on the north side. We played tag with views of the waters of Wind River Canyon into Dubois, where we had the privilege of meeting sasquatch leading a jackalope riding a unicorn. Yeah, you read that right. Once we got to the park, the kids knocked out their Jr Ranger badges like bosses and then we skipped the hike and just played at the beach under the supervision of the majestic Grand Teton. Simply breathtaking views.
Grateful for
weather,wyoming backcountry, sasquatch
Notes
We were driving through a town in Wyoming and saw a tank. So we turned around to check it out. And in front of it, was a marker for Sacajawea, noting that her grave site was just 2 miles down the road. Pretty sure the tank was real-life clickbait! Anyway, of course we went to check it out. And then we had a Sacajawea history lesson in the car on the way to the Tetons. Homeschooling for the win!!
📷 Photos
👩 Michelle
📝 Day summary
Memory of the day
Sometimes the sweetest joys are found in the unexpected, unplanned things that we stumble on in spite of ourselves. On today’s grand adventure to the Grand Tetons, we found some surprising treasures outside our itinerary: Sacajawea’s cemetery (and subsequent history lesson!), a cowboy herding cattle on the range, a military tank from World War I (I believe), saddling up atop a roadside jackalope, talking and praying with a stranger we met who’s not a stranger anymore, and playing on a beach at the base of a mountain range. These were not on my bingo card for today, but what fun they were!
As believers, we know the unplanned is never really unplanned, as our good God is sovereign and brings all things together for our good and His glory!!
“A person’s heart plans his way,
but the Lord determines his steps.” Proverbs 16:9
Notes
🚂 Elijah
📝 Day summary
Grateful for
seeing deer, riding on a jackalope
🙂
“The best part of my day was swimming in the lake with the rocks at Grand Teton”
★★★★★
🏅 Badge earned
Notes
📷 Photos
💜 Nevaeh
🙂
“The best part of today was learning about Sacajawea's history”
★★★★★
🏅 Badge earned
Notes
📷 Photos
🏎️ Greyson
📝 Day summary
Grateful for
seeing Sacajawea's grave
🙂
“Making rock towers on the beach was the best.”
★★★★★
🏅 Badge earned
Notes
📷 Photos
