2,793 miles of the western states

I think 2,793 miles and five western states qualifies as epic. And that was only the portion of the trip I went on! My parents were at the St. Anthony Sand Dunes for a week where they had spent a week riding 10,000 acres of dunes. I joined them for the second leg of the trip where we visited Grand Teton National Park, Moab, and the Ruby Mountains – look for a post on each destination, starting with the Tetons!

This first day I drove to St. Anthony, on the way I stopped to check on my geocache near Winnemucca, Nevada – We Do It Outdoors, which gave the pup and me an opportunity for a short hike. Then we stopped for another break at Geode-Cache, just over the Idaho border. If you’re a geocacher, caching along your route is a great way to take a break from sitting in the car. All and all I estimate I spent about 14 hours in the car that day, but thanks to the audio book To Kill a Mockingbird it didn’t seem quite that long.

Bridger-Teton NF – Red Hills

The next day we got up and drove to Grand Teton National Park. This is where it gets tricky – I wanted my parents to see the amazingly-dramatic landscape of the Tetons, but we had three dogs with us. At a National Park with strict pet regulations, activities are limited. We got our site at Gros Ventre Campground and headed to Bridger-Teton National Forest along Gros Ventre Road. We found the Cache Across America – Wyoming and walked to the marrying tree. There are a number of hikes along Forest Service roads in the area, but if you want to get up close to the Tetons during the summer you’re limited to touring in the car, pull outs, and picnic areas. We also visited the Snake River Brewery for a drink and dinner – I recommend the mac and cheese.

Next time I head to Wyoming I’m going to explore the dog-friendly Wind River Range, I’ve got my eye specifically on Island Lake as a backpacking base camp.

Don’t forget your bear spray though, you’re in grizzly country!

Safe travels,
Trails

Don’t miss the rest of the road trip when we dogged about Moab – Part 1 and Part 2 – and then hiked Lamoille Canyon!