June 26th ~ Jackson, WY
The only moose I have seen so far – and this one was not breathing
I’m on the hunt! A few years ago we spent 10 days in Yellowstone and saw about a gazillion elk, but not a single moose. So I have made it my mission to find a moose on this trip. Tim says we are not leaving The Tetons until I see one, lol.
Our site here in Grand Teton National Park is wonderful. We do not have any hook ups, but we are amongst the trees and it is not crowded. Also the price was fabulous. With my senior pass we paid only $14.50 per night and decided to stay put for three nights.
We drove Jethro along the back roads from where we were staying at Gros Ventre, past Mormon Row. The wild flowers were in full bloom and wonderful contrast against the mountain backdrop.
The Tetons with plentiful yellow flowers
Part of John Moulton Homestead – Mormon Row
At Mormon Row, we found an entire colony of Uinta ground squirrels, many sitting up to beg and hinting they would be happy for a handout.
Uinta Ground Squirrel
We continued along Antelope Flats toward Moose Junction. Spoke to a gentleman who had just seen a bull moose beside the road, plus a mother and calf about a mile ahead. We jumped in the car and headed in the direction he pointed. Well, we did spot a ranger on the side of the road insisting we not stop, and Tim spotted the hind end of a moose off in the bushes.
I saw nothing…
Continuing into the town of Jackson, I managed to snag a mani/pedi in Jackson, but it ended up costing $85 plus tip which is double what I normally play. There went our campground savings 😦
The town itself is cute, rustic, historic, and FILLED with tourists.
Downtown Jackson, WY with ski slopes in the background
Elk Antler Arches on each corner of the town square
About the Elk Antler Arches
Bears in a raft – why not!
We found the service lacking. Perhaps since the majority of the business is “one time only”, they do not feel the need to be on their best behavior.
Example #1 – First restaurant we went into, the menu said a dish was pork but marinated in something I did not recognize the name of. When I ask the waitress what it was she said, “It is pork.”. I tried again, saying I realized that, but due to Tim’s allergies, I wanted to know what it was marinated in. She again said it is pork. We were getting nowhere fast. I asked if there was perhaps someone else who might be able to help us. She left, went into the back and returned a few minutes later with a sample for us to taste. I realized that she just did not understand our request, or what an allergy was, or anything else about the dish other than it was “pork”. We got up and left.
Example #2 – We found another restaurant right in the center of town and both ordered. As we were waiting to be served, Tim had a view into the kitchen where the food was placed by the chef for the server to collect and bring to the table. On FOUR different occasions, Tim witnessed the same waitress use her bare fingers to take a “sample bite” from a plate before serving it. Now just maybe this is their version of quality control, but it certainly left us with a sour taste regarding their cleanliness and hygiene standards. Perhaps someone in the food industry can educate me if this is normal???
Example #3 – In line at the grocery store at checkout. The grocery bagger realized he had missed an item from the previous customer and let out an “F” bomb. Yes, I’ve heard it before. No, don’t appreciate the pollution.
So, the town of Jackson itself did not leave a warm and fuzzy impression on us, but the Tetons are another story. The scenery is dramatic, mountains crisp and jagged, early summer wild flowers are in bloom, the air is warm but not hot.
Swift creek
The only moose I did see was in town and stuffed. We did get to see a bushy-tailed red fox scamper across the road, several bison right next to the road and a young buck with velvet horns right next to our campsite.
Bison having a meal beside the road
Young buck right in our campground
I’ll have to settle for that for now…
GRATITUDE MOMENT: Today I am grateful for the park naturalist who educated us about moose habitat and habits, as well as where we might have the best chance of finding one. There are only about 60 left in Grand Teton National Park, however we found out we had one wander into our camp the night before. Sorry I missed it!
A Note From Abroad 
Is there a moose in the hoose?!
It seems that Mother Nature was better behaved than some humans…on this occasion!
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Yes, on this day Jackson was not at her finest, but we came her for the nature and it has certainly not disappointed!
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Sad to hear of the service in Jackson, what popularity does for a place is just sad. Wish you could have seen your moose. Can not wait to et up there the first week in August. I will be staying 1 night in Jackson then a week in a cabin outside of Yellowstone West Entrance. Don’t know anything else as it was all set up by family and I am along for the adventure. Enjoy your trip.
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Terry, one night in the Teton’s will only give you a tiny taste, but happy you will get to see it. A week in Yellowstone – now you are talking!
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I will have 1 1/2 days in the Tetons. 1/2 day when I get there and a full day when I check out of Jackson and slowly make my way to the cabin. Hoping I see enough to wet my appetite to return on a future trip.
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Everyone seems to rave about the boat ride and hike at Jenny Lake. By the time you go, I will have scoped out our favorites for you.
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Thanks
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No, testing the food that way is not normal. I would have complained on that one, too.
I loved the Tetons when we were there several years ago. Did you get to Jenny Lake? It is just lovely – we had a fun boat ride and a short hike on our trip. And I don’t recall seeing any moose. We were there before school got out, early in June, so the tourists weren’t so bad.
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We are planning on doing the boat ride and hike on Jenny Lake on Friday morning. Really looking forward to it. We have been advised to get there early.
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Ahead of the crowds? It will be peaceful and pretty. 😀 Enjoy!
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I didn’t have the same problems with Jackson, though I didn’t warm to it – too touristy, which is, of course, hypocritical when I am one myself. And we always seem to miss the moose too.
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I like to call myself a traveler. 🙂
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I hope we are more traveler than tourist too, but I’m sure we fall into the tourist category more often than we realize.
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Anabel, I’m hoping we can break that spell!
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Wow! What a horrible experience. Seasoned travelers like yourselves are not by nature overly critical or fussy, so no, you were not being unreasonable.
How sad that only about 60 moose remain. Forty-five years ago, the last time I was there, we saw huge herds of them in the fields. It was mid May. I wonder why their numbers dropped so?
What a disappointment for you all the way around. Times they are a changing. Sad.
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You are right, that we normally try to find the good and the positive, and not complain, but this time it bothered us. Oh well, next day was much better. I think there have been many factors in the decline of the moose population, but need to get more answers.
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Well, enjoy the rest of your journey. It’s like a bad hair day. Tomorrow and the next day are usually better.
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But sadly in the RV, I am having more and more bad hair days, lol.
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We didn’t see any moose there either 😦 There was a guy with his lady friend who told us that they saw one just 10 minutes ago, but we saw nothing 😦
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We will keep our eyes open, and camera at the ready, just in case…
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Once we rented a house in Jackson and there were about four moose that came to drink from a pond behind the house every morning. Those are the only Moose I’ve ever seen. Hope you Finns yours.
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How awesome that must have been to have them come right to you!
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Yeah, moose are overrated! I’d trade one of my many moose sightings in Canada (where there are still thousands of moose by the way) for one of your bison sightings. 🙂
The photo of the mountains and yellow wildflowers is gorgeous.
Alison
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Alison, if we don’t see them here, then there is still hope we will see them in Canada then!
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They like low, kinda swampy areas. You’ll find them in the forest, but not on the mountains.
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Sounds like you are having a great time. Moose can be a bit evasive. We’ve been to Tetons and Yellowstone multiple times over the past 20 years and have never seen a moose up there. Black Bear along Jenny lake trail, bison, elk, deer, eagles, but no Moose.
Come on down to Colorado and hit the west side of Rocky Mountain National Park, you’ll be sure to see them there or even on top of Cameron Pass near Walden, CO (Moose Capital of the state).
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OK, if we don’t see them here or in Canada, then I’m adding Walden, CO to our travel list 🙂
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If you drive towards the Hotel Terra coming from the center of town in Jackson Hole, after you cross the river and take a right towards the hotel we saw the same moose and a baby 3 times. On the right hand side of the road there is a little stream/ditch in front of some houses and wineries and it was hard to spot, but located right along the edge of the woods.
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If we head into Jackson again, we will have a look. Thanks!
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Sorry that you had such bad experiences in Jackson. I was glad that the picture of the moose you did post was of a stuffed one, or, from that angle, you would have been in trouble. 😉 I hope you do manage to see one before you leave. Your nature pictures are amazing. Love the Swift Creek picture.
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We have not given up! Still looking for the elusive moose!
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We were determined to see a moose in Vermont and scoured the countryside, picking out crepuscular meadows and marshes. Finally toward the end of our two-week stay, we gave up, returned to our campground to see a moose not far from our campsite. She stayed around long enough for a photo-op and then went back into the rough.
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Ricky, I love how nature can get the best of us and then when we least expect it – jump up and give you a surprise! Glad you got to see one!
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We had similar feelings about Jackson when we visited last year. We didn’t like the chaos and rudeness. Did have a great early breakfast at the Bunnery though.
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Thankfully it is a rare occasion when we just don’t hit it off with a place. Glad you had a nice breakfast. I hope you enjoyed the surrounding gorgeous scenery too!
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Away from the city was wonderful. My favorite part was the Laurence S. Rockefeller Preserve Center. So peaceful.
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It sounds like summer in Jackson hasn’t changed much in the past 40 years. As far as I remember, it was always a town with an attitude.
Leaving Yellowstone, if you take the road from West Yellowstone to Bozeman, you have a fair chance of seeing moose. If you go out the East entrance, be sure to check out the Buffalo Bill Museum in Cody, WY. If you go out the Northeast entrance, the road from Cooke City to Red Lodge is spectacular. And of course, there is great scenery going from Gardiner (North entrance) to Livingston through Paradise Valley (upper reaches of the Yellowstone River).
If you are going through Bozeman, plan to spend most of a day at the Museum of the Rockies. There’s something for everyone there, from homesteading history, to dinosaurs, to a planetarium. They also have an old farm home with old style farm work demonstrations.
Another chance for dinosaurs is between Yellowstone and Glacier in the Choteau area where the first dinosaur nest with eggs was discovered.
I am enjoying reading about your travels through this area and re-visiting some of the places I’ve been, especially since you are getting into my home stomping grounds.
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Thank you so much for your information. We flew into Cody about 10 years ago when we visited for the first time and LOVED the Buffalo Bill Museum. It is so well done. After Yellowstone we are heading to Glacier, probably out the North exit, but that scenic drive from the NE corner also sounds wonderful.
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Oh that is probably my only regret from our trip, not seeing a moose. We too had reports of moose sightings, but alas, not for us.
We had a similar experience in the town of Jackson re: service, but the surrounding area is so spectacular that it made up for it.
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