Who is Explore GTNP?

Hi, I’m Jennifer, pictured here on Jackson Lake in Grand Teton National Park. I am a Wyoming native (Casper) and have vacationed every year  of my 40+ years in Grand Teton National Park. I know this park inside and out and can help you plan and experience your perfect trip to GTNP.

Early Years – 0 – 18

My brother and I were brought here by my parents. My Mom was brought here by her parents, and before that, my Grampa was brought here by his dad.

GTNP has existed as a national park 5 years longer than my family has been coming here.

In the early years, there were times I felt I was brought here against my will. The 70’s and 80’s were pre-cell phone and internet and therefore, vacationing here was cutting off my lifeline to my friends and social life.

If I wanted to talk to my friends, I had to use a payphone! And I had to have enough change to talk for three minutes while my family yelled: “what do you have to talk about?” “You’ll see them soon.”

I couldn’t send posts, texts, or pictures, I had to buy and send postcards! I often returned home beating the postcard.

Grampa with David and big fish.

But no matter how much I missed my friends, I always did like at least some of our vacation.  My Grampa had a boat and we went out on it every day and fished. Coming in only when the lake “blew up”. We sometimes cruised around the lake and my grandparents would let us kids drive the boat. We went swimming and walking. We took drives to look for moose (“Keep your eye peeled for a moose!” My Grampa would always say).  We went to Jackson Lake Lodge on rainy days and watched Shane! And Spencer’s Mountain – both movies were made in the GTNP area.

My absolute favorite was going to String Lake to swim.  We only got to do this one time every trip and I loved it!

Thank goodness my parents kept making me come here through the “challenging” years, as it cemented my love of this place that I make a point to return to every year.

College Years

My parents and grandparents came here every year. It was just a given.

So while I was in college it didn’t have to be a given for me, I could choose to stay home.

But I came every summer anyway.

Starting to grow up and realizing there was more to life than the next party, I started to appreciate that I spent my childhood summers here and that my family would be here, anytime I wanted to join them. Some of my favorite years were when I would come up when it was just my grandparents and me. We camped in their motorhome, took the boat out on Jackson Lake to fish and cruise, took walks, went exploring, took naps, played cards, and watched VHS taped movies on their VCR.

Husband and Daughter

I started bringing my then boyfriend, now husband, to GTNP in 1996. He opened my eyes to the backcountry.

Me with husband and daughter

Hikes to Lake Solitude, Amphitheater, Surprise Lake, Holly Lake, Granite Canyon, Death Canyon…all the fabulous, beautiful backcountry. We get in shape to do backcountry hiking every year.

My daughter came along in 2004 and I got the opportunity to see GTNP through her eyes. I’m trying to show her and have her experience all the things I have.  She loves it here but has about the same enthusiasm I did at her age. The only difference is she has a cell phone, texts, and internet. Does that make her the lucky one?

Today

As the years go on, I make a point to bring my family here, camp with my parents, relive all the funny and great memories of my grandparents and do all my childhood favorite activities, and some that aren’t my favorite, but are a tradition.  I drag my daughter and niece to do things my parents dragged me to do, and some things I didn’t get to do.  We try and cover the park from end to end – doing all the old things, (walking, looking for animals, license state bingo) and trying the new things (like paddle boarding, kayaking, camping overnight on Leigh Lake). We try and pack in as many things as we can.

Beyond

While I have logged a lot of hours and experiences here in GTNP, there is always more to do and see.  I will add any new activity and/or location reviews as I do them.

It is my hope that I can help people experience and enjoy Grand Teton National Park. I will share my first-hand knowledge on as many areas as I can, that will help people have their best trip.

I’ll be sure to give you my honest opinion on anything I’ve done and experienced, including:

• Which things are a “must”
• Telling you what things are overrated
• What to avoid
• Tips and tricks for each activity, location, and/or point of interest
• Anything else you and/or I can think of!

Keep Your Eye Peeled for a Moose!

Jenn Cunningham
Founder, Explore GTNP