Let’s hear it for rich people who give back in enormous ways. John D. Rockefeller Jr. (1874.1960), of Standard Oil lineage, thought preservation instead of development when he donated 24,000 acres that connect Grand Teton National Park with Yellowstone, the world’s first national park.
Located a few miles outside Jackson, the Laurence Rockefeller Preserve, named after Junior’s son, offers some great hikes and lookouts. At left is a shot of the view just as you begin the trail. It is a pack it in, pack it out kind of place so you won’t find any trashcans.
This is bear country. That fact is top of mind at all times. I don’t know what I would do if I came face to face with a grizzly. One thing the signs consistently say is don’t run. So that doesn’t leave me many options, I’m afraid.
I highly recommend a jaunt to Phelps Lake. My Tracks app calculated it as 1.82 miles in and 1.88 miles back. I would consider this a moderate hike since there is a slight incline along the way. In the beinning of the hike you will come upon a creek. You can hike around the lake once you arrive. It’s a beauty.
