Colter Bay, Grand Teton National Park

To participate in this event you must be an active member of the club. That means that you should be either a trip leader or, if not a trip leader, you must have participated in several hikes or backpacking trips during the last year and be recommended by a trip leader that we know well. This event is designed so that you will not be able to get directly into the list of participants. When registration opens you need to get into the waiting list. If you are not a trip leader you have two weeks from the time this event is posted to furnish the necessary recommendation, which must vouch for your physical fitness and your ability to get along with other people in a group setting. If we know you well enough we will tell you by email that you do not need a recommendation. After the two weeks are over, we will move to the list of participants all those that qualify, in the order in which they are ranked in the waiting list. We will continue moving to the list of participants qualified members  according to their ranking in the waiting list until the event is full.

Once you are moved to the list of participants, you must pay the event cost ASAP, but no later than April 30. If you do not pay in time we will move you to the end of the waiting list and move into the list of participants the first qualifying member in the waiting list. This person will have two weeks, from the moment we move her or him to the list of participants, to pay for the event. Payment must be sent to Richard Zalik by PayPal to zalikri@me.com. Bear in mind that this is not a commercial transaction, so to avoid paying fees when using PayPal, select the option "send money to friends and family".

In assigning a difficulty rating to each trail, we took into account the altitude of the trail which, except for the last day, ranges between 6,000 ft and 8,000 ft. 

Day 1. Arrive in Jackson Hole Airport and drive the 35 miles to Colter Bay. This should take around 45 minutes. Check in. Settle in. Do basic shopping. Go to the beach or hike the Lakeshore trail (see below). Cook out for dinner.

Day 2. Option 1: Swan Lake and Heron Pond loop (D2), 3.1 miles and Lakeshore Trail (D2), 2 miles. The distance between trailheads (paved) is 1/2 mile.Total distance: 5.6 miles. Elevation change: less than 200ft. Both trailheads are within 1 mile of our cabins. 

Option 2:  Hermitage Point loop (D3), 10 miles. This trail traverses rolling terrain through forests, meadows, ponds, streams and wildlife habitat, but the elevation change is not very large. Hermitage Point provides panoramic and stunning views of Jackson Lake and the Teton Mountain Range. 

The Swan Lake and Heron Pond loop in Option 1 is part of the Hermitage Point loop.

Day 3. In the morning we do the Christian Pond/Emma Matilda Lake loop (D2), 4.5 miles. Elevation change: 400 ft. This hike starts from Jackson Lake Lodge, 5 miles away from our cabins. In the afternoon we could do either the Lakeshore trail or Signal Mountain (D3), 7.4 miles. Elevation change: 800 ft. The hike starts from the Signal Mountain Lodge, around 10 miles from our cabins. We go up on the ridge route and come back on the lake route.  

Day 4. Inspiration Point (D3), 5.5  miles. Elevation change: 600 ft. This is probably the most popular trail in the park. This hike starts 20 miles away from our cabins and it will take us about 30 minutes to get there.  We cross Jenny Lake by boat from the Southern dock to the West side. The trail gently slopes up 200 ft in elevation towards Hidden Falls, a 100 ft tall cascade fed by snowmelt. Inspiration Point is a further 300 ft up. There are  several sections of rock stairs. The trail crosses exposed rock and features several steep switchbacks. Once we return to the lake, we walk 1.5 miles in a counterclockwise direction back to the Southern dock. This hike is a D3 because there is a lot of exposure and we reach an altitude above 7000 ft.

Day 5. Two Ocean/Emma Matilda loop (D4), 9.75 miles. Elevation change: 1400 ft. Starting from Two Ocean Lake Picnic Area and Trailhead, we walk 1 mile Southwest to the trail by Emma Matilda Lake. We then turn West and walk 2.65 miles to the Grand View Point trail. Turning North, we arrive at Grand View Point after 1.8 miles and a moderate climb. A further 1.3 miles, of which the first 0.9 miles are quite steep, will take us down to Two Ocean trail, where we turn East to return to our starting point after 1.3 miles.

We reach an altitude of 7823 ft. at Grand View Point.

Day 6. Trip to Yellowstone (D2), 3.5 miles. Elevation change: 350 ft. Although the southern boundary of Yellowstone is 17 miles from Colter Bay, Old Faithful is 60 miles away and will take us about one hour and 20 minutes to get there. We will do a geyser loop, walking past the following:  Old Faithful, Solitary, North Goggles and Beehives, among others, and will go up on a trail to an observation point. We can do a longer hike if time permits and participants are willing. Lunch in Yellowstone.

Day 7. Option 1: Rendezvous Mountain (D4), 4.5 miles. Elevation change: 1,350 ft. We drive to Teton Village. If the Wilson to Moose road is open it will be 35 miles away and take us around an hour an 10 minutes, but if it is closed for repaving it may add up to 34 miles and about half an hour to our trip, since we may have to drive through downtown Jackson. Once in Teton Village we take the Bridger Gondola, which will lift us in about 15 minutes from 6350 ft to the restaurant and bar at 9100 ft. From there we walk on the Cirque trail to the summit of Rendezvous Mountain at 10,450 ft. The trail rises slowly and the trail surface is wide and smooth until an altitude of around 9,800 ft, where we reach a rock stair of about 50 ft, which Richard climbed up and down without any difficulty and without even using walking poles. From that point on the trail narrows and goes up another 600 ft by the side of the mountain.

Option 2: Wildflower Trail (D2), 6.9 miles. This trail roughly follows the Bridger gondola from the bar and restaurant all the way down to Teton Village

Day 8 (Saturday). Return to  Jackson Hole Airport  in the morning, and fly back  to Atlanta. The checkout time at the cabins is 11:00 am. The first plane back to Atlanta leaves at around 7:20 am. It should take us 45 minutes to get back  to the airport, but we cannot guarantee it.

For more information about Grand Teton National Park go to https://www.nps.gov/grte/index.htm

Apart from hiking, there are other activities at Colter Village: kayaking, canoeing, horseback riding, fishing, and swimming, so you could go hiking in the morning and swimming in the afternoon, or skip a hike altogether and go fishing.

Bears. Bears are common in the park, but incidents involving groups of three or more people are extremely rare. Both trip leaders will carry bear spray. If you wish, you can buy your bear spray when you arrive, but you cannot carry it on the plane.

Health. There is a clinic 5 miles from our cabins. It closes at 5 pm.

Laundry. Colter Bay  Village has the only laundry facility in GTNP. It is open to anyone 24 hours a day from mid-May until the last Saturday in September. It is also a Wi-Fi hotspot so it gets very crowded between 9a.m and 9p.m.

WiFi. There are a number of hotspots, but there is too much traffic and the system is often overloaded.

Showers. There are public showers near the laundry, in addition to those in our cabins, but to use these additional showers you have to pay a fee.

DISCLAIMER: The Trip Leaders for this event have elected either to personally collect the funds that event participants are required to pay, or to require participants to pay funds directly to a third party. No funds will be paid to the Atlanta Outdoor Club for this event, except the $25.00 administrative fee and, if there is a small surplus not exceeding $10.00 per participant this surplus will be transferred to the club. Therefore, by registering for this event, you acknowledge and agree to the following: (1) the monies paid by registrants will not be monitored, managed, or otherwise accounted for by the Atlanta Outdoor Club; (2) that the Atlanta Outdoor Club bears no financial responsibility for this event; and (3) you waive any and all claims against the Atlanta Outdoor Club, and hold the Atlanta Outdoor Club harmless for the loss of any monies you paid for this event.

The cost covers four things: Cabin rental, car rental, a $25.00 AOC administrative fee, and incidentals as described below. It does not cover the cost of food or any other expense.

Cabin Rental. Richard reserved three two-room wood cabins In Colter Bay Village and paid a deposit of one day rental for each cabin. Daily housekeeping service, linens and towels are provided. There is no air conditioning. Each  cabin has a bathroom and a shower. Each room has two double beds, for a total of four beds per cabin. We may bring a coffee pot, but no cooking is allowed inside the cabins because it would be a fire hazard. There are fire pits near the cabins, and grills near the beach, which is about half a mile away, next to a parking lot. Colter Bay Village has free Wi Fi, a (mediocre) restaurant and an excellent General Store which is well stocked for every type of visitor. In addition to a wide selection of groceries, it offers snacks and beverages including liquor, wine, and beer. It offers an organic section with fresh fruit and homemade pastries. It also has some gear and clothing, and you can buy a cup of coffee. There are several restaurants 5 to 20 miles from the Village. The cost of the cabins, approximately $8,700 will be divided by 12. 

For more details go to the following website: https://www.nationalparkreservations.com/lodge/grandteton-colter- bay-village/

Car Rental. We reserved two large SUV's, with capacity for 7 pasengers and 4 suitcases each. With liability insurance and an additional driver we estimate the cost, including taxes, at around $1,200 for each car. Richard will also bring a vehicle, so that we will have enough room for all twelve of us and at least 12 suitcases. The cost of renting the two SUV's will be divided by 10.

Incidentals. $120 for each of us, for a total of $1440.00. This includes gas (which is very expensive in this area), tickets for the Bridger Gondola on day 7 (around $40 per person, but we can get a discount if we buy them in advance, and maybe an additional discount if we buy them as a group), and tickets to cross Jenny Lake by boat (around $10.00 per person). Also bear spray for the trip leaders (around $35.00 a can). If anybody in a car has a suitable pass (such as a senior pass), the car she or he is in does not need to pay a fee to enter the park. Otherwise the entry fee right now is $35.00. It is valid for a week and is good for Yellowstone as well. If payment of a fee is needed, it will come out of this miscellaneous fund.

Any surplus in excess of $10.00 per person will be reimbursed. If less that $10.00 per person it will be transferred to AOC.

Payment. Once you are moved to the list of participants, you must pay the event cost ASAP, but no later than April 30. If you do not pay in time we will move you to the end of the waiting list and move into the list of participants the first qualifying member in the waiting list. This person will have two weeks, from the moment we move her or him to the list of participants, to pay for the event. Payment must be sent to Richard Zalik by PayPal to zalikri@me.com. Bear in mind that this is not a commercial transaction, so to avoid paying fees when using PayPal, select the option "send money to friends and family".

If you have already paid the cost of the event and wish to cancel your participation, we will move to the list of participants the first person in the waiting list, if any, and once that person pays for the event you will be reimbursed in full.