July 27, 2012

Running all over the Tetons



As you might expect, we did more than our fair share of running during our 5 days in the Tetons. Our favorite runs, by far, were in Grand Teton National Park. Even though it was "vacation" I kept pumping out 20+ mile days simply because it was so much fun to run in a new place!

The first run of the trip was a neat loop - we started at River Road, ran the trail to Taggart and Bradley Lakes, then out to Lupine Meadows and back on the bike path (which runs from the Moose entrance to Jenny Lake, and is probably the most amazing bike path in the entire world).

Another great run we did in the park was an out & back that hit 4 lakes - Jenny, String, Leigh, and Bearpaw. We even saw a bear on that one!

Since we were staying in Teton Village, we did a few runs on the Moose-Wilson path - a very convenient spot for a FLAT run. You can take that path north into the park and it becomes a dirt road through the forest... on our last morning, while running that dirt road, we saw 2 moose near the Granite Canyon trailhead. Very cool!

Really, you can't go wrong running anywhere up in this area. If you are headed out early on the trails, run with a friend and talk loudly, or carry some bearspray. There is an abundance of wildlife.

Next time were in the Tetons, I want to run to the top of the Jackson Hole tram. I didn't get the chance to on this trip (or... I should say, couldn't muster up the energy!)... its a 7.2 mile trail that climbs about 4000 feet! I would have taken the tram back down, obviously :-)

Here's some running actions shots and some scenery from the runs...

These first few were taken at the south end of River Road - what a backdrop!





On the trail to Taggart Lake...
Taggart Lake


The bike path in Grand Teton National Park
The next set is from our Jenny-String-Leigh-Bearpaw Lakes trail run...
Leigh Lake
Bear on the trail!
Leigh Lake - a lot of the trail goes along this shore with some BIG views
Bearpaw Lake


Running along the edge of Jenny Lake

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