Inspiring travel stories, tips, and guides from a couple exploring the world one destination at a time.
Elk rut typically occurs in September and October. This is one of the best times to visit Grand Teton National Park because of fall foliage, cooler weather and less tourists. Grand Teton National Park is a wildlife lover’s paradise, with a wide range of animals to see throughout the year. From West Yellowstone, it took about 2.5 hours to drive to Colter Bay in the Tetons.
Last Updated: July 17, 2026
Grand Teton National Park is in northwestern Wyoming, just south of Yellowstone National Park, established in 1929 and covering approximately 310,000 acres of some of the most spectacular mountain scenery in North America. We hadn’t been here in over ten years, and were looking forward to reuniting with the striking Teton Range — though wildfire smoke from blazes across the West would test our patience, nearly obscuring the peaks on some days. From Thayne, Wyoming it was a two-hour drive north along the Snake River corridor.
