Stats, trail tips and important information regarding this trail are located at the bottom of the blog post. Unless explicitly noted, all pictures in this blog are owned by me and should otherwise not be used without expressed written consent.
This is my last Grand Tetons hike to post from our September trip to Idaho and the Grand Tetons. This was an absolutely magical trip. In particular, if you are a fan of wildlife spotting you are likely in for a real treat. The Grant Tetons is one of the greatest areas of the United States to spot wildlife: bears, moose, elk, deer, squirrels, wolves and mountain lions are all possibilities. We took a wildlife tour during our stay and found it definitely worth the money. But can you really replace just randomly being out with nature and spotting something interesting? I don’t think so. Moose Pond in Grand Teton National Park is a perfect natural setting to spot wildlife and quite close to the popular Jenny Lake. What, might you ask, can be spotted on the Moose Pond trail? Hmmm, well that one should be a no brainer huh? 🙂
This hike appears to be less used than some of the more popular hikes in the area (see my Cascade Canyon Trail hike as an example). But don’t let the lack of popularity fool you. If you’re looking to see moose, this is the place to be! Of course, it is best to do this hike early in the morning or right before dusk for your best chances of spotting them.
We used AllTrails to track our hike. Maybe the start of our hike wasn’t the most interesting? Being in a sun-drenched meadow wasn’t the coolest part of the hike, for sure. But looking back at the pictures taken, you can see how beautiful it is. Check out how the sun cascades over the various mountains in the Grand Teton mountain range…
In the moment, this part of the hike was less interesting but I’ve learned to absolutely love this picture. A few steps ahead I took another picture as the sun’s rays burst through the clouds and directed towards nearby foliage.
It doesn’t take long before you’re in the woods and close up with nature. The squirrels in the Grand Teton are an absolute hoot to watch. You’ll see a hilarious video later in this blogpost, but the first interesting squirrel we found was bouncing across a tree limb with a nut in its mouth…
This started as a video and I found the perfect screen capture for it. If you’re looking to see busy squirrels at the Grand Tetons, this time of the year is going to be great for you. The squirrels are stocking up before the first freeze!
As we kept walking, we finally spotted what we hit this trail to see – a moose! As we learned on this hike, moose love ponds for their nutritionally-dense aquatic plant life. Sounds extremely…. not tasty. But I’m not a moose!
Moose? Check. Pond? Check. *dmm dmm tss*
And just in case you’d like to see the moose munching on aquatic plant life in action… here goes…
Another photo I ended up loving is below. This is the same moose exiting the pond with some coneflowers in the foreground and the mountains in the background. What a lovely site…
We kept walking and went through this creek crossing on the way towards the “main attraction”. If you’re read my other blogs, some pictures I take are not meant to win a photography award but to make you aware of the trail and its features. In this case, think about the shoes you plan to wear! They will likely get wet.
Below is our first glimpse at the main ponds on the trail. So far, all you can see is the ponds and treelike…
As we kept walking, we were graced with our second sighting of a moose…
And here is a zoomed out view because I’m a sucker for pond/lake reflections. It was not windy so the ripples in the pond are likely from the moose.
Is the moose posing for his Tinder profile here? haha It certainly appears so. Just to put things into perspective – fully grown moose are between 800 and 1500 pounds (362 to 680 kgs)!!!
And one last pic of this particular moose…
How many moose did we see? Well, we actually spotted three in this spot but only have two on video. So here goes!…
As we were walking back I noticed some bouncing around on a tree limb about 30 feet up near the trail. You’ll just have to see this to believe it…
This squirrel needs nuts for the winter and it means business! 😂 I have never seen this before but it was super cool to watch.
As we hiked away from the ponds, we were graced with this beautiful view of the banks of Jenny Lake, Jenny Lake itself and the Grand Teton mountain range. How absolutely beautiful.
At this spot we met this amazing Aussie couple whom we chatted with for awhile. We actually exchanged social media. Jason is visiting Australia right now for work. I forget where they were located but perhaps they can hang out? 🙂
This hike wasn’t originally on my bucket list but I made room. What I’m learning is that there is a huge diversity in motivations for hiking – and I love just about every single one of them. If you’re looking for exercise, this hike is a modest workout and isn’t a huge challenge for most. What it doesn’t have in “fitness-building” it has in gorgeous wildlife, lake and mountain views, peace and serenity. Those are excellent reasons to hike, eh?
Total Distance/Time: 3.39 miles in 2 hr 12 min
Calories Burned: 845
Trail Type: Loop
Trail Features: Mooses….and ponds (lol)
Best Time to Hike: July-September
Difficulty Rating: 6/10
Trailhead Coordinates: 43.7507400, -110.7243200
Trail Tips:
- Parking: If you are planning to arrive early (e.g., before 9:00 AM) or late (just before dark), there’s a chance you’ll find a parking spot at the primary Jenny Lake parking lot. But be prepared to search eleswhere. A small gravel area near Lupine Meadows Rd is also available if you need additional parking.
- Moose Danger: Moose are not inherently aggressive animals but they will attack if they feel threatened. Given that they’re 800-1500 pounds fully grown, this mean they can do quite a bit of damage. It goes without saying that keeping a safe distance is a wise move.