Grand Tetons trip transportationFor the De Anza College trips to the Grand Tetons, our trip can start and end when people traveling together mutually want it to. The official days of each trip will be posted at: Grand Tetons
We could not find any bus or train line that serves Jackson Hole. But
http://www.jacksonholealltrans.com/jacksonholeexpress.html can take you from the Salt Lake airport to Jackson.
NO CAR ON OUR TRIP?
During our trip, if your driver has plans for the day that you don't want to participate in, or if you arrive by plane before the main group, or if your driver stayed up late and slept in all morning, there is plenty to do at or from Colter Bay without access to your own vehicle. See below at NO CAR ON OUR TRIP?
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DRIVE
Carpools are arranged among the students going on the trips, not by the club or the college. For info on how to get/give a ride and links to advice on how to do basic maintenance to get your car ready for a club trip go to Carpool FAQs
The drive from Silicon Valley to the Tetons, as estimated from AAA tour maps, going through Reno, and across Nevada, is about 21 hours without many stops or heavy traffic. In 2002 it took one van 31 hours with lots of stops. In 2009 one guy said it was a 17 hour drive and he swears he didn't speed.
We advise people who intend to drive straight through to leave town in the afternoon or evening to be able to drive across the desert at night. A Tetons road trip veteran advises:
"add the Great Salt Lake
to that, too. That was one of the absolute worst hours of the drive. The
sun was scorching; there was absolutely nothing out there but salt to look
at; and, as far as I recall, there were absolutely no overpasses,
underpasses, trees, or buildings to stop in for shade; it was horrible. I
guess it took only about an hour or two to drive through there, but I just
remember it as being torture."
Whoa, does this make you think you can't endure a road trip across the US desert? Will you die of boredom? Go to:
Road trip advice and etiquette for ways to save your sanity and save friendships on a long expedition.
The Grand Tetons road trip drive can be as much as 3,000 miles round trip with lots of driving in the park. (The trip odometer for one vehicle ran up 1000.2 miles between the home driveway and the town limits of Jackson, Wyoming.) A van/SUV full of people with a current tune-up could be expected to get at least 15 miles per gallon. 3,000 miles divided by 15 = 200 gallons. If we imagine gas gets to $4.50 per gallon, this equals $900. (Remember that gas is often cheaper outside of our area; in August, 2009, gas in Jackson was as low as $2.38, Pocatello (Idaho) $2.39 and Salt Lake as low as $2.45.) These are ESTIMATIONS! Prices change.
If no van/truck is available, we might go with the example of the 2000 trip. One rental car transported two kayaks and three people. At 28 mpg this came to 107 gallons or (if $4.50 per gallon) $481.15 divided by three = $160.50 each, or potentially half that much at lower gas prices.
If you rent a vehicle, try to get the typical AAA rate with unlimited mileage. Remember that most rental agencies will not let you tow anything.
Road trip advice and etiquette has links to gasoline prices across the country.
below: rental cars with kayaks loaded on top and the stuffed Bullwinkle trip mascot (photos by Wendy Sato).
 
The club and the College are not responsible in any way for your transportation on trips, but they expect that everyone will wear seatbelts and obey all traffic laws, drivers will have sufficient
insurance, and vehicles will be in good repair. Please have the courtesy to let your driver/ passengers know of any changes to your ride needs or ability to drive.
  
A Wyoming law, (with fines of up to $200 and jail terms of up to 20 days, or both), requires that drivers slow to 20 mph under the posted speed limit when passing stopped emergency vehicles with flashing lights, unless directed otherwise by law enforcement.
The faculty advisor advises that the drivers bring and use the club-owned family band radios, and cars in a caravan stay at all times in sight of each other. If you decide to drive to Wyoming straight through, remember that it doesn't matter if you arrive later than expected, and each driver should get enough sleep.
Can you pass the "Winnebago test"? It's a test discovered by a friend of the Outdoor Club faculty advisor. If you are stuck on a winding mountain road behind a huge, slow moving motorhome and you realize they are not going to pull over and let the dozen cars behind them pass, will you wreck your vacation? The test is at: Road trip advice and etiquette.
If there is an emergency in the park call 911 from a pay phone or (307)739-3300 from a cell phone for park dispatch. (Please verify this phone number when you get there.)
If you ride in a carpool driving straight through, pack a small bag with the items you will wish you had for 24 hours so that you don't need to stop and go through your luggage looking for: your toothbrush/floss, flashlight, rain jacket, pillow, book, journal, camera, headphone CD player. Other people in the vehicle will appreciate it if you wear freshly laundered clothing without perfume or cologne and have recently washed yourself. There's more on packing at, you guessed it: Road trip advice and etiquette.
Don't exceed the speed limit. According to the FTC, "The faster you drive, the more fuel you use. For example, driving at 65 miles per hour (mph), rather than 55 mph, increases fuel consumption by 20 percent. Driving at 75 mph, rather than 65 mph, increases fuel consumption by another 25 percent...If you anticipate traffic conditions and don't tailgate, you can avoid unnecessary braking and acceleration, and improve your fuel economy by 5 to 10 percent."
A park report said: "by September, 2005, more than 110 animals have been killed by motorists; this number includes two wolves, five bears, five moose, eight bison, and thirty-eight elk, among others. These fatal encounters between park wildlife and vehicles serve as a reminder that motorists must drive with extra caution and be especially alert for wildlife.
Motorists are reminded to drive the posted speed limit and to be prepared to stop suddenly for wildlife along or on park roadways. Driving slower than indicated speed limits, especially at night, can increase the margin of safety for people and wildlife. Collisions between motor vehicles and wildlife may result in severe damage to a vehicle, serious or fatal injuries to the wildlife."
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Driving notes for the Tetons trip.
The major brand gas station right at a freeway exit in Lovelock had (in 2009) gas at 33 cents a gallon more than the non-name brand station two blocks down a side street in town.
In Carlin the Pilot station posted their prices on a large overhead sign and the major name brand station next door didn’t even have fully readable ones at the pump, but they were at least ten cents a gallon higher. The Pilot station also had a Subway sandwich shop and lots of possibly needed fuses, bulbs, hose clamps, etc.
It’s faster to go across Idaho than through Salt Lake.
You can’t get through Twin Falls, Idaho without going through some downtown, but you can spend a great deal of time on slow side roads if you don’t watch out. Coming from Jackpot do not take the Twin Falls city center #74 exit. Continue along as the road widens to a four lane and take the exit that circles around down to town. In 2009 it followed Addison and turned on to Blue Lakes. If you are going through at all late in the day you will find even the fast food places closed. The gas stations in town were (2009) 11 cents to 14 cents more than just outside of town at the freeway 84 entrance Flying J station, which is open 24 hours and at night might be the only restrooms and food you can find.
When you get to Idaho Falls do not take the first exit that says towards Grand Teton/Jackson, Wyoming, That exit forces you to drive for many narrow downtown blocks (not especially fun when towing a trailer). Instead, get a street map and (2009) take exit 119, following route 20 for a bit, go right on an exit to Science Center drive, which becomes Anderson as it crosses Holmes, then bear left onto Yellowstone Highway (route 26). You will save as much as a half hour, perhaps more, as the directional signs have been previously missing on the usually indicated route the city would have you take from the freeway.
Going through Jackson, Wyoming into the park the main route takes you past the Town Square with a lot of slow traffic and pedestrians. It can be fun to take that route at least once, but the faster route is the one marked as a truck route. Get a street map from the club with the alternate route, as well as the main grocery, a video rental place, hardware store, Dairy Queen, library, Kmart, whole-food-type grocer, Visitor Center etc, marked on it.
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Important safety considerations for a long road trip, and ways to keep from being bored, are at:
Road trip advice and etiquette
You will be so much happier if you actually read this and plan ahead!
Just before you leave, consult:
park fire news http://www.nps.gov/grte/news/fireinfo.htm
Jackson Hole weather
http://www.mountainweather.com/JACKSON.htm
http://www.crh.noaa.gov/ifps/MapClick.php?MapType=3&site=RIW&CiTemplate=1&map.x=34&map.y=115
Tetons area road conditions (Wyoming Department of Transportation)
http://www.wyoroad.info/highway/conditions/Dist3.html
Grand Teton Park road construction (possible delays) is at:
http://www.nps.gov/grte/trip/roadconstruct.htm
FLY
Jackson Hole airport, located between the town of Jackson and the park, is served by Sky West / Delta (through Salt Lake City), United and American Airlines. Alaska Air only gets as close as Idaho Falls. If you look online for tickets, the airport code for San Jose is SJC and for Jackson it's JAC.
A July 2009 search found round trip tickets from San Jose to Jackson for as low as $286.
We recommend if you fly and rent a car that you head into town and get a spare door key made for convenience and so you can't wreck part of your trip by locking yourself out of the car far away from the rental location. On the trip into town you can stock up at the huge grocery with a complete deli, bakery and lots of produce.
In 2004 trip participants got early cheap tickets to Salt Lake City, Utah, rented a tiny car and drove the remaining 6 hours. A July 2009 search online found round trip tickets from San Jose to Salt Lake for $210. If you look online for tickets, the airport code for San Jose is SJC, for Salt Lake it's SLC.
In 2007 a guy who wanted to ride in a carpool one way and fly home at the end of the trip found that the round trip ticket was less than the one-way. But in 2009 a one way from San Jose to Jackson was found for $121.
If you fly in and/or out and are not old enough to rent a car, you could make arrangements in advance to be picked up by a carpool. If you arrive at a time when carpools can't get you, you can take an airport shuttle. See below at NO CAR ON OUR TRIP?
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If you fly or stuff a lot of people in a car, you will be limited in what you can bring. If we can transport the kayaks we will also bring your lifejacket, paddle and dry bag(s). We might also have room on the trailer a tent or small duffle bag (or more, depending on how may people sign up). The club and/or the drivers will not be responsible for the safety of items we transport for you.
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TOTAL COST???
Since different people will have different budgets: drive or fly; some may camp, (but in fall they should expect regular rain, possible snow and cold overnight temperatures and well as warm sunny days), some may get a hotel room, some may get a cheap cabin, the trip cost will vary.
Grand Tetons trip cost has examples of
The cheap trip,
The not-so cheap trip,
The slightly more costly trip, but less driving time, also known as the I-can't-get-much-time-off-work trip,
and The expensive trip.
Grand Tetons trip pages index has brief descriptions of most of the pages about this trip.
NO CAR ON OUR TRIP?
During our trip, if your driver has plans for the day that you don't want to participate in, or if you arrive by plane before the main group, or if your driver stayed up late and slept in all morning, there is plenty to do at or from Colter Bay without access to your own vehicle.
The airport shuttle requires reservations at least 24 hours in advance. (2009 prices) into the park $35 to $55 plus tax one way, plus the park entrance fee (unless you have a park pass). 307-733-3135
http://jacksonholealltrans.com
A short walk from the cabins or campground, at the Visitor Center, there are Ranger walks, talks and campfire programs, and a great museum grand tour.
TRAILS: At the north end of Colter Bay there is a 1.5 mile trail with a small causeway to an island. A self-guiding nature trail goes around the island. The trail starts behind the visitor center or at the day use area. Swan Lake is about a half mile from the cabins. From there you can take the Hermitage Point trail along Third creek, out to a peninsula on the lake and follow the shoreline of Jackson Lake back to the marina.
There is a free shuttle bus back and forth a few times a day from Colter Bay to Jackson Lake Lodge, Jenny Lake Lodge and into town. http://www.gtlc.com/activities/transportation-town.aspx
activities 2008/9 prices
In the fall the corral at Colter Bay closes before we are there, but at JL lodge you can take a horseback trail ride: (543-3100)
Short Ride (Approx. 1 hr) $36.00/adult
Standard Ride (Approx. 2 hrs) $54.00/adult
If you driver doesn't want to go on a general sightseeing tour, doesn't want to go to Yellowstone:
Scenic Park Bus Tour Rates 2009
Grand Teton 1/2 day tour $36.00/adult
Yellowstone full day tour $66.00/adult
If the kayaking we do is not enough for you, or you want to be on the water on a day we have planned for a huge hike:
Scenic Snake River Float Trips 2009
Scenic Float Trip $53.00/adult
Luncheon Float Trip $64.00/adult
Dinner Float Trip $70.00/adult
On many of your fall trips the 'bay' at Colter Bay is a mud flat due to irrigation water being drained from Jackson Lake. If it is not:
Jackson Lake Cruises (2008)
Scenic Lake Cruise $22.00/adult
Breakfast Cruise $34.00/adult
Evening Steak-Fry Cruise $57.00/adult
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