5 Things to Make Grand Teton National Park Fun and Memorable for the Kids

Be honest.

One of the reasons you are here at Grand Teton National Park (GTNP) with your kids is to make some good, lasting memories with your family, replicating the ones you have or ones you want for your kids.

Here’s the truth:

Most likely, the kids aren’t going to be into it as much as you are or want them to be…

Sorry, speaking from experience.

Kids will not find walks and hikes beautiful and/or inspiring. They will find them long and boring, and not needed.

The waterfall will be cool for about 5 minutes and then it will be “I’m hungry”, “I’m tired”, and/or “when do we get to go swimming?”

The early mornings will be just that: early. Early and COLD.

What the hell?

Okay, the kids probably won’t say “what the hell?”, but it’s funny to think so.

So, now that you have this sad and defeating information, let’s get to some solutions to make sure the kids have a good time and GTNP is a memorable trip for them.

It’s All About the Kids

First, let’s set our frame of mind concerning the solutions:

They are going to be all about the kids.

Yes, yes, I know, when we were kids, we did as our parents said and wanted and we didn’t complain in fear of making said parents upset with us. They didn’t worry if we were unhappy like we do with our kids.

But, please know, by trying to make the trip fun for the kids, there is a secret pay off for you:

When the kids have fun – it will be because of you!

You will be the one who provided this great family memory they will talk about for years to come.

Go Swimming – All Ages

Swimming at String Lake – Photo Credit Ryan Dorgan / Jackson Hole News & Guide

Ages 0 – 3  – Nothing is cuter than dipping a baby’s toes in the water and have them shriek with laughter.

Ages 3 – 12 – Will stop asking “when do we get to go swimming?” Even after learning the super fascinating fact that these mountains have been here for millions of years before them.

Ages 12 and up – Will just enjoy being out of the car, off the dusty trail, and the cool relief from the hot sun.

Best place to swim?

My personal opinion is that String Lake is the best place in Grand Teton National Park to swim.

String Lake is shallow and therefore the water is a tad warmer than close by, deeper lakes. (Believe me, the term “warm” is relative here.) The shallowness makes most of the lake accessible. There are some deep parts – mostly to the southwest end, but the rest is super shallow that you can wade through – all the way up to the footbridge to Paintbrush Canyon.

Do go around the corner from the main swimming area of String Lake, to the right, towards Leigh Lake, especially if there are a lot of people. Many people don’t wander past the main swimming area. If you go to the right, you’ll find a lot of open area, shallow water, and can stand in the middle with the water not even coming to your knees!

Pro Tip: If you have time before you swim, walk the one-mile trail along String Lake to the footbridge. (Also, since you are so close, you may want to walk the extra 1/10th of a mile from the footbridge to Leigh Lake Portage to get a fabulous view of Leigh Lake – then retrace your steps back along String Lake). By walking this trail, you will get to see most of String Lake and pick out places you’d like to swim/wade.

Go Horseback Riding – Minimum of 8 years old

Horseback Ride at Colter Bay

You’re in the west, in the mountains, in the land of cowboys and Indians (literally!). The kids will love a horse ride.

There are many horse riding trips available throughout the park, but I highly recommend the horse rides at Colter Bay.

The rides are close to Jackson Lake, and part of the ride is in the trees where you can take advantage of the shade.

At Colter Bay, there are many options for rides. In addition to one and two-hour horse rides, there are also breakfast and dinner rides that include a wagon ride option for those who don’t meet height and weight requirements or don’t want to ride a horse.

All horse and wagon rides at Colter Bay can be found here: Horseback Rides.

Be sure to read all the information, requirements and restrictions found on the page.

Pro Tip: Colter Bay states that the breakfast and dinner horse and wagon rides are some of their most popular rides, do make a reservation! Call: Activities Desk 307-543-2811   

Pony Rides – 8 and under – For kids younger than 8 years old – there are pony rides. These are at Jackson Lake Lodge. The rides are 10 minutes. Rides are available from 12:00 – 1:30 pm, first come, first serve. No reservations required. Pony Ride Information – $5 per child, call the Activities Desk 307-543-2811 (Colter Bay and Jackson Lake Lodge are owned by the same parent company).

Directions to Colter Bay

Directions to Jackson Lake Lodge

Eat in a Teepee – All Ages

Teepee at Dornan’s Chuckwagon Grill

If you go to Dornans Village, just outside the south entrance to GTNP, there is a large teepee outside the “Chuckwagon Grill Restaurant”. Inside the teepee are tables to enjoy your meal from the Chuckwagon Grill. Be sure to take pictures of everyone in front of the teepee and inside it. You’ll be amazed at how much room there is inside the teepee.

On rainy and/or cold days they sometimes have a fire going in the teepee. The full, authentic teepee experience.

Breakfast: 7:30 am – 11:00 am
Lunch: 12:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Dinner: 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Chuckwagon Grill Menu
307-733-2415

Pro Tip: At Dornans they have a gift shop that you will find a slightly different variety of t-shirts and sweatshirts than the rest of the gift shops throughout the park. Address: 12170 Dornan Rd, Moose, WY 83012 www.dornans.com

See The Wolves Movie – Ages vary

Wolves Documentary seen at Colter Bay Visitor’s Center: 55 min run time

Okay, full disclosure – this may not be for kids of all ages.

National Geographic’s: Wolves: A Legend Returns to Yellowstone is a fabulous movie about how the wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone in 1995 and how important wolves are to the balance of the ecosystem.

The wolves are beautiful, as is the film’s scenery, and everything is explained so easily and simply, most people walk out with a new understanding and appreciation of wolves.

Here’s the rub: wolves are predators.

Wolves are cute when they are pups and beautiful as adults, but they are wild and they are animals and they have to kill their prey to live.

—-Spoiler Alert—-

The movie will show wolves going after other animals and failing, and it will show them going after elk and bison and succeeding. These are not easy scenes and may be too much for some. I even look away during those parts. I took my daughter and niece who were both 9 at the time, (first time for all of us to see, so I didn’t know all the details), one closed her eyes for a lot of it, the other didn’t blink, finding it all fascinating.

To help you decide if your kids would like the movie, check out the detailed list of scenes. Scroll down the page to “Spoiler Alerts”. This list denotes every hunting scene and the result of the hunt/interaction with other animals. Please note, viewing the list will “spoil” or tell you all the scenes in the movie, leaving no surprises for you.

Film length: 55 minutes
Viewing Times: Noon and 5:15 pm every day (At the time of this post)
Where: Colter Bay Visitor’s Center
307-739-3594

Have a Campfire – All Ages

Kids Roasting Marshmallows at a Campfire

Depending on where you are staying, you might be able to build a campfire at your campsite.

If you are staying at a place where you can’t build one, no worries! We have the perfect place for you to go! Swimming Beach at Colter Bay Village.

Picnic Table at Colter Bay’s Swimming Beach by Fire Pit

At the far north end of the swimming beach, there are picnic tables, campfire pits and grills, free for the public to use. There are also picnic tables to sit at. This is a great place to have a campfire, maybe roast marshmallows and make s’mores.

You bring supplies to build a fire, which you can purchase at the General Store in Colter Bay Village. There you can buy charcoal/firewood, lighter fluid, lighter, beverages, marshmallows, food etc.

This is a great place to see the sunset behind the Tetons, roast some marshmallows, talk and have lots of laughs.

Ghost stories optional.

COLTER BAY CAMPFIRE TIPS:

• If possible, bring folding chairs to sit around the campfire. There are picnic tables, but folding/camping chairs will be more comfortable to place around the fire.
• If you are going to roast marshmallows – use clothes hangers if you don’t want to use sticks found on the ground or buy roasting forks at the store.
• To save money, buy and bring supplies from home or outside the park. All items bought in the park are going to be more expensive. 

Good luck parents/adults!

Here’s to happy kids, blown away with these memorable experiences, provided by YOU!

Have any questions about these kid activities or others not mentioned here? Post them in the comments section and we’ll do our best to help you make your vacation a great one for the kids and you!

Keep Your Eye Peeled for a Moose!

Jenn Cunningham
Founder, Explore GTNP