Colter Bay's Lakeshore Trail

Happy December friends!!
It’s also Travel Tuesday today! So, don’t forget to link up at the bottom of this post with all of your travel tales!
Today I’m going to be talking about one of my favorite hikes from this past summer’s road trip, Colter Bay’s Lakeshore Trail.
Colter Bay is the camping area that we stayed in during our quick stint in Grand Teton National Park. Grand Teton has long been one of my parent’s favorite national parks and they were really excited to share it with me, plus it was first up on our road trip itinerary!

Well, if you were actively following along on our journey, you already know that the beginning of the trip didn’t exactly go as planned. We started out real strong with a flat tire, a stomach bug and a water pipe explosion, all within the first 2 days. Part of the adventure I guess…
Unfortunately, we had only allotted two nights in Grand Teton and if we wanted to somewhat stick to our schedule, we would have to leave without fully exploring the park. Time just wasn’t on our side.
Still, after a long two days of travel and a bunch of bumps in the road along the way, we were finally ready to get out in the fresh air, stretch our legs a bit and see all that we could in the short time we had.

By the time we were dressed and ready, it was already starting to get dark. Luckily, Colter Bay’s Lakeshore Trail was just around the corner from our campsite, so we decided to give it a look anyway.



This family friendly trail begins right behind Colter Bay’s visitor center, in front of its picturesque marina. You follow a paved service road along the bay that soon turns into a single-track dirt footpath.


After crossing a narrow straightaway you are lead to a forested peninsula reaching out into Jackson Lake. The trail then parallels the Lake shoreline awarding panoramic views of the water with the mighty Teton Range as a backdrop. There are several openings along the trail where you can venture out onto a stretch of pebbly beach and admire your magnificent surroundings.


The views of Jackson Lake from the trail were absolutely stunning right at dusk. As we meandered along the circular path, we marveled at the cotton candy sky reflecting in the crystal clear bay. The further the sun retreated, the more dramatic the mountainous backdrop became.






Unfortunately, my time in Grand Teton was short [& a bit hectic] and I wasn’t able to experience the park the way that my parents had hoped. I would have loved to actually make it into the mountains and tackle some of the more challenging hikes. But hey, there’s always next time!
For now I’ll hold the curiosity of what else the Tetons have to offer close.

Colter Bay Lakeshore Trail Information:
Length: ~2 miles roundtrip
Level: Easy
What you’ll see: Panoramic views of Jackson Lake, a large stretch of secluded rocky beach, Teton Mountain Range, Forest, Wildlife such as bears, beavers, elk, deer, moose, species of birds and more

Have you ever visited Grand Teton National Park? If so, what did you think and which trails did you take?