9 Day Itinerary to Grand Teton, Yellowstone, and Glacier National Park!!

Recently I was able to go on a trip that I have been dreaming about for years, hopping from one national park to the next!! In this post I am going to share what we did each day during our trip to hopefully give you a guide to your next adventure.

DAY ONE: Travel Day

The first day of the trip we spent driving to our first destination, we stayed in Jackson Hole, WY. Depending on where you're located, you may have the evening to do some activities. I am from Utah so the drive was about 5 hours, once we got to our hotel and checked in we spent the evening in Jackson Hole exploring the shops and then ate dinner and rested for our day in Grand Teton.

DAY TWO: Grand Teton

The next day of our adventure we spent in Grand Teton, we hiked and went to some lookout points. We took the boat shuttle ($20 round trip per person) this shuttle took us across Jenny Lake where we were able to do some hiking, the hike we did was Inspiration point.

Trail: Inspiration Point

Length: 1.8 miles round trip via Jenny Lake boat shuttle

Difficulty: Moderate

Description: the first half mile of this trail was fairly easy, the scenery all around was gorgeous and after 0.5 miles you run into a gorgeous waterfall that you are able to take pictures of. After the waterfall there is quite an elevation clime, depending on your activity level this may be more difficult however I found it to be fairly easy considering it was only 0.5 miles of climb. On the top you get to experience a gorgeous lookout over Jenny Lake, my family and I ate lunch here.

After hiking Inspiration point, my family and I took the boat shuttle back to the other side of the lake and went to Mormon Row for some gorgeous views of the Tetons, we then took a scenic drive through the park and stopped along the way for some gorgeous views. Overall our day in Grand Teton was short, there is much more you could add to your itinerary to try and pack in as much as you can during your time in the park. We kept it slower to prepare us for the rest of our trip where we were planning to do more hiking, we also stopped at visitor centers and took our time enjoying the views.

DAY THREE: Drive to Yellowstone and Spend Time in the South of Yellowstone

The drive from Jackson Hole to the south entrance of Yellowstone is only an hour and 15 minutes, so we left early on day three and drove to the south end of Yellowstone where we started off the day by going to the visitor center, exploring the lodge, and then went on a walk around old faithful (absolutely gorgeous, so unique!) and then when it was time we watched old faithful erupt which was something I have never experienced before and it was such a cool experience!! After spending some time around old faithful we went to Grand Prismatic hot spring where we hiked about 2 miles to a lookout point which was breathe taking.

Trail: Grand Prismatic Hot Spring

Length: 1.5 miles round trip

Difficulty: Easy

Description: my family and I kind of stumbled upon this trail, the trail itself wasn't hard. There was a little elevation gain but it gradually inclined, the only thing more tricky was we went during the peak heat during the day so it was very hot and we weren't planning to go on a trail so I forgot my water which wasn't fun but if you come prepared with cold water it will be a breeze for most people.

After that hike, we drove to our hotel which was in Gardiner MT, unfortunately we booked this trip prior to the flood that came through Yellowstone, our hotel was about 5 minutes from the North entrance but it was closed during our stay due to road damage from the flood, so we drove roughly 3 hours to and from the park each day (resulting in us doing less activities, so when you plan your trip keep this in mind because if you aren't stuck making this drive each day then you can add more activities)

DAY FOUR: Another Day in Yellowstone

After our 3 hour drive to the park we went to the black sand basin trail, upper and lower falls, and mammoth. We didn't do too much hiking, just shorter walks around the areas we visited. There were lots of hiking in the upper and lower falls area that looked to be really beautiful but due to the time we spent driving, we weren't able to go on any of these trails. What I would recommend is going to these places and getting out of your car to enjoy the scenery and walk around, almost everywhere you go in Yellowstone there are pathways that you can walk on and explore the area, this is primarily what we did so we didn't do many official hikes in Yellowstone however we did get in lots of walking in. Another thing to remember is Yellowstone is a large national park so keep in mind depending on what you're planning to do, you may spend some time driving so be sure to account for that.

Picture at Mammoth Hot Springs in Yellowstone National Park right outside of the North entrance to the park (which as of now is closed due to flooding and road damage but will hopefully open soon)

DAY FIVE: Free Day and Exploring

During our trip, my step dad had to take a flight to and from Utah for work so we planned to have it more relaxed and to spend time just exploring the area and prepping for Glacier, however Yellowstone is massive and there is so much to do, I am hoping to go back someday and see more but for this specific trip we weren't able to explore as much. Some things we did is we walked in the South entrance and got to see the damage to the road from the flooding, we also shopped around, went to a river and hunted for rocks, and just spent time in nature without feeling rushed, the walk into the park was beautiful and there was no one there so it felt even more special.

DAY SIX: Drive to Your Hotel in Glacier

We stayed in Whitefish MT during our stay in Glacier, the drive from Gardiner was about 6 and a half hours so after the drive we explored Whitefish and ate a yummy dinner in preparation for the next days hiking.

DAY SEVEN: Glacier National Park

I have never been to Glacier before up until this day, and oh my gosh, it took my breathe away. Everywhere I looked I was speechless, I can't express enough how beautiful this place was. I have never felt more connected with nature in my life. Now to start, while you're in Glacier you'll want to reserve a ticket that allows you to drive the going-to-the-sun road. This road gives you access to a big chunk of the park, and it's just a completely magical experience just to drive on it. The reservations cost $2 and can be found on recreation.gov so ensure you look into reserving this prior to your travel dates. We started our day off by hiking avalanche lake, it is a very popular hike in the park that I couldn't recommend enough. Once you get to the lake you are able to swim if you desire, we were super lucky and saw two black bears playing in the lake! (One of my favorite things about Glacier is the wildlife), after our hike we went on a boat ride on lake McDonald, after our boat ride we drove going-to-the-sun road to Logan pass where we hiked hidden lake overlook. On this last trail we saw big horned sheep and mountain goats (my favorite animal) and it was my favorite hike I have ever done! You can really feel the connection to nature and the views were breathe taking.

Trail: Avalanche Lake

Length: 6 miles round trip

Difficulty: moderate

Description: the trail starts off on a little bridged pathway and then goes into more of a dirt trail later on. There is some elevation, overall the trail was pretty easy, however the length may be more difficult for some people. This trail was gorgeous from start to finish and I would highly recommend doing this trail while you're traveling through Glacier!

Trail: Hidden Lake Overlook

Length: 3 miles round trip

Difficulty: Moderate

Description: this trail starts from Logan pass visitor center, you can travel all the way down to the lake if you have time however we didn't so we just did the overlook. The entire hike to the overlook was just breath taking, you are surrounded by gorgeous mountains while trekking through a field. I have never seen anything like it, I could have easily spent all day just exploring this area. This area of the park is also super common for spotting wildlife which we saw a big horn sheep and a mountain goat, both came out of nowhere and got very close to us. However remember that we are in their home so keep your distance even if the wildlife appear friendly. If you were to only do one thing in Glacier, this would be what I recommend.

DAY EIGHT: Another Day in Glacier

We started off day eight with another hike, we hiked to Grinnell lake. After this we went on another hike to Redrock falls. After spending the day hiking and taking in our last day at the park we went to dinner at two sisters cafe which was AMAZING!! The food, service, and drinks were such an experience. Definitely a great way to end your trip and your time in Glacier. I got the huckleberry daiquiri (best alcoholic drink that I have ever had), BBQ sandwich, and the chocolate ice cream brownie dessert. It was a bitter sweet ending to our trip.

Trail: Grinnell Lake Trail

Length: 7.1 miles round trip

Difficulty: Easy

Description: this hike was long but one of the easiest hikes, if not the easiest, that I have ever done. It is flat pretty much until the last 0.2 miles and there are trees surrounding you which made it shady and protected us from the wind. The hole hike was gorgeous and I couldn't believe how blue the lake was. You can also play around in this lake and there is a gorgeous waterfall in the distance. It was a perfect morning hike that wasn't exhausting at all considering the length.

Trail: Redrock Falls via Swiftcurrent Pass

Length: 3.6 miles round trip

Difficulty: Easy

Description: we went on this trail with hopes to see a moose, everyone in the park was telling us it is more likely than not that you'll see a moose on this trail. However, we were the unlucky ones and did not get to see a moose. Besides that, the trail was still gorgeous. It was an easy trail and the waterfall was powerful. There were lots of areas to explore once you get to the top and there is a gorgeous lake along the trail as well.

DAY NINE: Drive or Fly Home

There is so much to do and explore in all of these gorgeous national parks and I am already planning on the day I get to go back, however we mostly focused on the highlights considering we had limited time in each park. I hope this guide can help give you an idea of some areas you can explore on your travels and how to go about planning your trip. If you have more time as well, you can drive up to Banff in Canada, that was our original plan but due to covid and the timing of our trip it didn't work out but it's an idea for anyone else with more time.

Always remember to stay on designated trails, leave the trail cleaner than you found it, and to keep your distance from the wildlife so we can better protect this gorgeous land. I hope you find something in this post beneficial, email me if you have any questions, or any recommendations for my future travels. Happy adventures!

(Mountain goat we saw in Glacier on Hidden Lake Overlook, my favorite animal! I am so happy we ran into a mountain goat. Some things that I love about Glacier is the wildlife and how each hike is as gorgeous on the way up as the destination is.)