Grand Teton National Park Nightlife

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With Jackson a mere 20 miles away from the park, it would be easy to head down there each night for a nice meal and a few drinks. It would be fun too. The town has one of the top brewpubs in the region and I love trying different beers. Don't get me wrong, I did go there, three times but most nights we spent in the park. It is magic as the sun goes down. It's quiet too since many of the people in the park during the day are staying in Jackson!

The best spots were when were were backpacking. The sun sets on the west side of the range and all of the park's roads are on the east so to see them glowing, you have to be in the backcountry. But the sun behind the peaks is not so bad either and we saw some very nice light shows from the road too.

Dress Code: Dress warm once the sun goes down. At this elevation, it gets chilly.

The Blue Heron Lounge is just off the main seating area in the Jackson Lake Lodge, and shares the same stunning views.

We went there for cocktails before our meal in the Mural Room restaurant, and for a night cap after it. The cocktail list has the usual favourites but also includes some specialities such as the huckleberry margherita. I enjoyed the latter although I think I prefer the sharpness of the original (and the pips kept getting stuck in the straw!) There's also a good range of beers, including some local microbrews, and there are bar snacks available if you're looking for a lighter meal than is on offer in the restaurant. There was also live guitar music later in the evening.

Dress Code: Although the lounge is quite smart and the lodge not a cheap place to stay there didn't appear to be a dress code and many people were dressed fairly casually. But I wouldn't go there in shorts or scruffy jeans.

One of the popular pastimes at the lodge is moose watching at dusk. The lodge is situated on a bluff overlooking marshland which eventually gives way to Jackson Lake and eventually the Grand Teton Mountains. The marshland is prime moose habitat and moose like to eat at dawn and dusk. Therefore around sundown everyone congregates on the spacious patio out back of the lodge armed with binoculars and beverage of choice and settles in for some moose viewing. Even if the moose don't appear there is no finer place to relax at the end of the day.