What makes the Grand Tetons a favorite?

I pick the Grand Teton National Park as one of my favorite places.

The scenery, the animals and that wonderful range of mountains make it a grand place to visit. The biggest attraction is how the mountains make you feel.

On one visit, I took the raft float trip through the park on the Snake River. It was dirt early in the morning, scheduled so you could see the sun illuminating the snow-capped mountain range. It seemed to change color as the sun had its way with the view.

It was cold – bitter cold. There was just me and my oldest son, Paul, the Alaskan one. The raft just drifted along. The person in charge of the raft service just had to keep it in the mainstream. On other occasions I have taken the white water rafting run on the Snake, an adventure you can never forget.

This was so casual and cold with the mountain range as a backdrop. We didn’t see any animals on this drift, and I must admit I was happy to get out of the raft and try to warm up.

We have made more than a half dozen trips to the Tetons and usually stayed in the Colter Bay area. They have what they call tent cabins, like a cabin but one side is canvas. In the summer it’s fine, and cheaper than the log cabins that are available. Nearby is a fine restaurant that’s open early for breakfast.

One of the to-do features is a boat trip across the lake to the falls and walking trails right into the mountains. We took the boat across the lake and started on a walking trail that took us right between the mountains. You could look up and see two different mountains and their snow-capped peaks. We came around the corner to face two massive male moose. They were standing in the creek and paid little attention to us. However, we were paying a lot of attention to them.

We got behind a large rock and just watched the moose for a long while before we headed back.

We continued back by boat across the lake for a late lunch.

The boat leaves and returns for you at a specific time. Don’t miss it.

On our visits, moose seemed to be everywhere. We walked on another trail and saw 13 moose together in the same area. They tell you to stay away from animals in the park, and we did.

In an evening drive at the south end of the park we had a herd of about 50 elk run across the road in front of us.

On another occasion, we stood at the window and watched a grizzly make its way along the lake about 100 yards from us.

You can see why the Tetons can capture your emotions and call you back for return trips.

On one occasion, near what is called “Moose,” we followed a trail and came across a bearded man dressed in frontier clothing scraping a deer hide. He talked about life in the mountains and how he lived. There were several mountain men stationed along the trail who made you feel that you were in the late 1800s.