Grand Tetons trip cost

moon over mountain range

 

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The Outdoor Club is going on another adventure in Grand Teton National Park
any or all days, August 14 – 31, 2024 +/- (between summer and fall quarter).

Students sometimes plan on getting to the park a little earlier, because the peak nights for the Perseid meteor showers
(hundreds of shooting stars an hour)
according to various sources, are August 11–12 or August 13, 2024.
(The Persied Meteor showers “colorful, with frequent persistent trains, ” run from mid July through August.)

Participants can stay for a shorter, longer or much longer trip

(that could include ten-national-parks-in-three-weeks depending on the driving route people take).

The info below could change some for the 2024 trip.

 

sunset Lunch Tree Hill 2005 560 pixels:

– – – – If you are fairly sure (or completely sure) you are going on the 2024 Grand Teton trip, please email the club advisor at donahuemary@fhda.edu to get on the trip email list.

Include how sure you are that you are going, how you will get to Grand Teton park,
which days you think you will be there (or are sure you will be there).

2 moose

The club advisor does not have the time to answer questions about the trip that you could have found the answers to by reading the trip webpages thoroughly and carefully.

(And you will have an adventure that is much more fun
if you really understand everything before you sign up.)

Grand Tetons is the main trip page. Grand Tetons trip pages index has brief descriptions of most of the pages about this trip.

 

Once you have mostly figured out your trip plans, go to
How to sign up for the 2024 Grand Teton trip

sunset clouds and mountains

dark mountains a colored clouds

sunset behind mountains

If all goes as planned, the ten De Anza owned tandem (two or one person) kayaks, paddles, and life jackets (which will be fitted before the trip for each trip member) will be transported to the park. Beginners please note that the kayaks De Anza owns are not the kind you get your legs stuck in, they are more like user-friendly small canoes.

If we did not bring our own, we can expect:

(2023 canoe rentals mostly at Jackson Lake, Jenny Lake or Signal Mtn):

Sea Kayaks: 1 Person Hourly: $29 + tax, 1 Person Maximum daily rate: $110 + tax, 2 Person Hourly: $39 + tax, 2 Person Maximum daily rate: $125 + tax.

$25 per hour (1 hour minimum)/per boat – $100 per day

Another said for canoes “full day (8 hours): $85”, some are $20 to $40 an hour, some with a 2 hour minimum.

(“There will be a $50.00 fee for late returns after 6:30 pm.”)

(“A $10 fine per person will be assessed if Renter is on the Lake without the lifejacket.”)

Most “rentals are on a first-come, first-served basis.”

Some do not allow their boats on the Snake River, including the beginners section we like to do from Jackson Lake Dam to Pacific Creek takeout.

 

By transporting the kayaks to the park, if we only kayak part of our trip we can save at least $100 or $200 per boat,
even with the permit fees.

trailer with kayaks, canoe and storage pods

people working on loading kayaks on trailer

 

We will have three or four or … or . . . official kayaking days suitable for beginners. If we get a huge group, since only 20 can kayak at a time, each person might get fewer sunrise, etc. kayaking experiences
(or we might decide to kayak more times).

We plan to do a short to quite long (your choice of distance, with or without a Ranger Naturalist), hike into Cascade Canyon, the premier Grand Teton National Park hike, and people usually do many other hikes together if they are on the trip for enough time. People usually sightsee both Grand Teton and Yellowstone parks and have some or many meals (Lunch Tree Hill evening picnic or cookout at the Colter Bay swim beach or dine at a restaurant) together.

We know the best places to look for elk early in the morning, where a pair of bald eagles usually nest, and (some years) where to find and watch a beaver colony (and when we bring people to these locations we make certain they don’t disturb the animals).

 

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photos below used with permission from Ron Niebrugge: http://www.wildnatureimages.com/

Grand Teton sunset by Ron Niebrugge: In the foreground, sagebrush, then a row of aspen, at the top clouds behind the teton range, photo used with permission from the photographer, Ron Niebrugge Grand teton sunrise by Ron Niebrugge: bright clouds behind the top of the Grand Teton peak, used with permission from the photographer, Ron Niebrugge Teton range at sunset by Ron Niebrugge: At the top of this picture, bright clouds, below that, Teton peaks, below that, forest and in the foreground, water. used with permission from the photographer, Ron Niebrugge grand teton with bright cloud by Ron Niebrugge: snowy grand teton peak a with bright cloud in the lower foreground, used with permission from the photographer, Ron Niebrugge

Compare Outdoor Club trip costs below, to a few local outfitters who offer ( 2019 / 2020 / 2021 / 2022 prices)

1/2 day paddle $79, a one day paddle for $175, a 2 day/1 night kayak trip for $599.

A long weekend camping and kayaking for $1,099 – $1,249,

A half-day “wildlife” bus tour for $145, or all day for $275.

Another place offers a 4 hour tour for $125,

5 day photographers bus tour $2,150,

Or a four day, three nights camping with kayaking on Jackson Lake and a Snake River raft float trip, all meals included $1,476.

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two bears walking

The Outdoor Club pays substantial parts of the Grand Teton trip expenses, without charging trip participants.

The Outdoor Club has enough savings to pay for the gas expense and bridge toll fees as needed to transport the kayaks to, during and back home from the trip, so students will not be charged anything for this expense.

The 2024 trip cost paid to the club will be:

$165 club members and $180 other students

NO REFUNDS for no-shows or partial participation.

(Since boat permit expenses are going up, this is slightly higher than 2022.)

spent on:

(Many of these expenses are subject to change when the summer season begins in the park.)

$20 One round-trip ride on the hiker shuttle boat across Jenny Lake for the all day Cascade Canyon hike on a day picked by the group. (The boat shuttle takes four miles off the round trip hike, allowing people to hike farther into the mountains, or people can join a Ranger Naturalist for a shorter walk.) Day to be chosen once we are in the park. No refunds if you do not join us that day.

$30 There is also a kayak cleaning/loading/unloading fee. We need to clean all the kayaks between uses so we don’t risk spreading zebra mussels, etc.
dime size in comparison to dozens of Zebra Mussels
Everyone pays a $30 fee. If you help with all the kayak cleaning/loading/unloading chores you will get at least a $30 credit towards a club event within one year. If you don’t, as in you just don’t want to help, or you are not free on the days/times we choose to do the work, your share will go for a larger credit for someone else to do the work.

$40 per boat for the Grand Teton park permits ($17 in 2022, $25 in 2023, still listed in February 2024 as $25) and Wyoming annual Aquatic Invasive Species decals ($15). No refunds if you decide to not kayak with us or if weather/or . . . keeps us from going on any of the paddling, (which would not be likely).

All watercraft must be permitted and inspected.

$60 We fully expect to be able to bring all the kayaks, BUT if the club can’t transport the De Anza owned kayaks, $60 will go toward rental of canoes. We can expect canoe rental prices of at least $48 to $82 for 24 hours ($248 a week), so the trip fee won’t cover a lot of water adventures. If the De Anza owned kayaks can’t be transported. If we can transport the kayaks and do not need to rent anything, you can get a $60 refund if you give the club $60 worth of gas receipts from the trip by the deadline.

If they can be transported, (and we really do expect they will be), the club will provide: kayaks, paddles, drybags, and lifejackets (which must be worn and strapped/zipped securely). Again, all this is if the De Anza-owned kayaks can be transported, if not, we will rent canoes in the park. AND please note that if we have a really big group, the first signed up and paid will have priority for boat use, others will/might need to rent craft.

can of bear spray
$15 towards the purchase of bear spray, which is required for everyone to carry. Each trip member is required to attend a ranger program on safe bear spray use and watch an online video and read about bear spray before they go hiking, biking, kayaking or even walking away from developed areas. The ranger programs are offered every day at at least one Grand Teton National Park visitor center. (As we started signups for the 2024 trip, the Yellowstone National park webpages linked to below had a message that the pages “are being worked on.” https://www.nps.gov/grte/planyourvisit/bear_encounters.htm also has info.(The Yellowstone park material to read is at: https://www.nps.gov/yell/learn/nature/bearreact.htm and https://www.nps.gov/yell/learn/nature/bearspray.htm and the Yellowstone bear spray video is linked to at that page.) In a dozen years of club trips no one has had to use (spray) any bear spray. We expect that we will need to pay up to $60 per can. Since people will probably not actually use (spray) the bear spray (will only carry it), and might not return to the Rocky Mountains again soon, having each trip member pay for a can of bear spray seems too expensive. The club will buy the cans and charge people one fourth of the cost as a kind of rental (we expect to be able to find spray that does not expire for four years and can be carried again by future trip members). Trip participants will not “test” spray the spray, it should be returned unused (except in the incredibly rare instance it actually needs to be used on a bear). Bear spray will be returned promptly at the end of the trip or the student will be charged $60 for it.

herd of elk, bull with head raised to bugle

People who did at least 12 hours of volunteer work with the Outdoor Club this school year do not have to pay their share of bear spray ($15) or the $60 potential boat rentals and they will pay the club: club members $90, other students $105.

(Definition of volunteering will be at the discretion of the club advisor, but can include work as an officer at required ICC meetings, staffing the Club Day tables, or work on club documents.)

NPS photo Schwabacher landing: Schwabacher landing sunset 2010 120 pixels photo by Alan Ahlstrand: mostly clouds, some mountains and trees

Trip participants are responsible for all other arrangements and costs, including, but not limited to: food, park entrance fees, campsite, cabin or hotel cost, gas and other transportation costs, sleeping and eating gear and other personal gear.
Grand Teton trip equipment is really worth reading, whether you camp or stay in a cabin or hotel.

Photo below of one of the places we kayak:

mountain reflected on water

Carpools are arranged among the students going on the trips, not by the club or the college.
How many vehicles and how many people in each vehicle? Carpool FAQs

Sometimes people do whitewater rafting, a horseback trail ride, or go to a rodeo or show in town, but these are not club-sponsored events and the club does not pay for them.
More details of optional things to do are at: Grand Tetons .

Yup, this is all subject to change. For example, numbers I got from some websites in May 2017 changed by July 2017.

five national park entrance pass cards

Each carload will pay their own park vehicle entrance fee. Effective June 1, 2018 (and in 2024) the park entrance fee will be $35 per vehicle, or $30 per motorcycle, and an annual (Grand Teton park only) park pass will cost $70.

$35 is for for seven days (only one week and most people go on this trip for more than one week and want to see adjacent Yellowstone National Park as well, which has it’s own weekly fee).

If you stay for more than one week and visit Yellowstone, this would come to $105 if you buy 3 separate $35 passes, so you save money by investing in a $80 National Parks and Federal Recreation Lands annual pass. Then you will get in free to see other National parks on the way to and from Grand Teton and get in free to Yosemite if you go on a winter adventure with the club.

OR better yet, find someone to carpool with who already has a National Parks and Federal Recreation Lands annual pass

OR find someone who is an active duty U.S. military member or dependent and has their ID Card (CAC card or form 1173) and can get a free national parks pass http://store.usgs.gov/pass/military.html

OR find someone who is 62 or over to get a lifetime seniors pass for $80.

(The passes can’t be transferred/shared so the person who gets the pass needs to be in the vehicle and show a photo ID.)

waterfall and forest

We tell people to fill their gas tank whenever they are in the nearby town of Jackson, Wyoming, as the lowest cost gas stations are in town and the prices almost always get higher the further you go into Grand Teton park. (Plus the grocery stores in town, including a Whole Foods, have much more selection and often lower costs.) See a map of gas stations in Grand Teton National Park and gas costs at some of them over the years.

There is usually free WiFi available at the Colter Bay laundromat, the main Colter Bay restaurant, the Moose Visitor Center and in the Jackson Lake Lodge parlor that anyone can use without a secret code.

Budget for hotel rooms/campsites on the way if people in your vehicle don’t take turns driving straight through, or if you have an emergency on the way.

Before you sign up the advisor must see and approve of your rain jacket/pants, tent, sleeping bag, NON-COTTON fleece jacket/pants and long johns. If you don’t have a proper rain jacket/pants, fleece jacket/pants and long johns during the trip you will not go kayaking. Please read: Snow or rain camp must-haves

Leigh lake overnight 2005: 2005 mist sunrise oxbow bend kayak:

TOTAL COST???

Since different people will have different budgets:

drive or fly; some may camp, some may get a hotel room / suite,
(most usually share a campsite or cheap cabin),

… the trip cost will vary.

Below you can find:

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

Below, trumpeter swans and young moose photos, painting a scene in the park, courtesy of NPS:

trumpeter swans NPS photo: young moose NPS photo:

painter in foreground, mountains in back ground

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The cheap trip

 

 

See trip cost paid to the Outdoor Club, (above), and add:

Split the park vehicle entrance fee (see notes above)

Stuff six or more people into a car and split the gas .

Remember that gas is often cheaper outside of our area. In July 2021, when mid-grade gas could be found at $4.39 in Cupertino, gas in Jackson (the main town near the park where you will likely fill up the most often) was as low as $3.58, Pocatello (Idaho) $3.54, Elko (Nevada) $3.59 Reno at $3.98.). Wyoming enjoys the low gas prices due in part to lower gas taxes. See gas stations in Grand Teton National Park for why you might want mid-grade instead of regular.

Plan to fill your tank whenever you are in Jackson, as the cheapest gas stations are in town and the gas prices get higher the further you go into Grand Teton National Park. Yipes, as much as 60 cents a gallon. (We often plan some of our days around going into town for gas and the larger choice of groceries.) See a map of gas stations in Grand Teton National Park and gas costs at some of them over the years.

The Grand Tetons road trip drive can be as much as 3,000 miles round trip with lots of driving in the park(s).

(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 gas were an average of $3.75 this would be $750. If it were $4 per gallon, this equals $800. If it were $6 per gallon, it would be $1,200. Divide this by the number of people you expect you can cram into that van.

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 $3.60 per gallon) $385.20 divided by three people= $128.4 each.(if $4 per gallon) $428 divided by three people= $143 each. (if $6 per gallon = $642) divided by three people = $214 each.

(Depending on trip size, we might be able to transport some camping gear on the kayak trailer, say at least a dining canopy for shade or rain, but the club, drivers, officers, advisor, college, etc. can’t be responsible for your gear.)

Grand Tetons trip transportation has driving notes for the Tetons trip to SAVE MONEY ON GAS AND TIME ON THE ROAD by not taking the obvious exit to drive slowly through towns you don’t need to and to drive a bit past the major brand name gas station right at the freeway exit to find substantially lower gas costs along the route.

An article said that when gas prices are at $4.50, “you can assume that each 5 mph you drive over 60 mph is like paying an extra 30 cents per gallon for gas.”

Properly inflate your tires and get up to 3% higher mileage (and a safer ride).
Regular tuneups can save 10 to 20 percent.
see: Road trip vehicle prep and recommended service

For a truly cheaper trip – drive slo-o-o-ower –
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.”

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Eat food from home or the local grocery, including peanut butter/banana or peanut butter/red onion sandwiches.

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If you have or can borrow the right gear, CAMPING is the lowest cost overnight accommodation.

6 months before the 2024 trip, five people who went on the 2023 trip and are sure they are going on the 2024 trip, got together at 6:45 a.m. to get campsites. They got five campsites in what we think is the best campground, Colter Bay in a tents-only loop (no motorhome generator noise). The loop also is at a slightly higher elevation that we have found has better cell phone reception (we drove around and checked). It is a short walk to the pay showers, laundromat with free wifi, store, restaurants. They got campsites around the outside edge of the loop, with forest behind and fewer nearby neighbors, (certainly not in the center of the loop next to the restroom and dumpster noise, or with a road and traffic noise right behind a site). People have camped in these previous years and liked them the best.

The campsites hold a maximum 6 people and two vehicles. Close to the start of the adventure, some of the days and some of the campsites will be cancelled if they are not needed.

We do often have three person carpools, as many sedans that can seat four are better with only three people so there is space for gear, multiple ice chests, etc.

Two of these three person carpools are the correct number of people / vehicles for one campsite.

Sometimes people want to drive with only two people in their vehicle. We have also regularly had people driving by themselves, for example they had other plans of places / relatives to visit and did not want to carpool, including a guy who was going back east to his new college after the trip.

Some people do not want to share one bear-proof-if-used-properly food locker between six people and would rather have only four people in their campsite.

The campsites costs $65.49 per night.

IF six people (and maximum 2 vehicles) share a site, that will be $10.92 per person, per night.,

IF four people share a site, that will be $16.48 per person, per night.

IF only two people share a site, that will be $32.75 per person, per night.

Some people are already saying they want to stay for the entire 14 nights, and maybe even get another campsite after that stay. Others may come for only a long weekend. Others may get more campsites, if there are any left when they decide they want to join the trip. How the campsites will be divided up will be determined closer to the trip.

If there are less than 3 people who want to camp the hikers/cyclists walk-in (no parking spaces) site at Colter Bay is (2023) $13 per person per night and would be cheaper than a campsite for one or two people. This walk-in site would work for people who don’t have a vehicle or can park it (if it will fit) with some of the group at the cabins.

We have always figured that if we have a big group of campers we should get regular family campsites, since group campsites can be more expensive per person, (depending on group size) and allow fewer vehicles per the number of people.

If we have a big group and everyone wanted to have dinner together, it would not be fair to nearby campers for everyone camping to meet and cook/dine at one of the family campsites, as it is impossible to control noise even with courteous people. (And there have been park service rules: “Sites are limited to six people . . . Larger groups will need to split up into two separate sites and must do all activities (cooking, sleeping, etc) separately.”) We can still have the group dinner experience. At least once we go to Lunch Tree Hill, one of our our favorites for sunset watching, then Milky Way star gazing. AND just down the road from the Colter Bay campground there is a beach with a much better view than the campsites have, parking, picnic tables, fire rings and restrooms.

Colter Bay, Grand Teton National Park has a map and pictures, as well as where campers can find free WIFI, take a (fee for) shower, etc.

(On our fall trips, the Colter Bay campground has rarely completely filled, but now that campsite reservations in advance are available, planning ahead can make it more possible to get a better campsite.)

How to get a campsite requires some advance planning, six months in advance.

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Bring your own bike and/or fishing gear.

Budget for ice to refill ice chests, unexpected emergencies, unexpected souvenir shopping.

Budget for showers (2023) “$5 and there is no time limit on that. If you have a group of five or less, you can pay the family shower rate of $15 and each additional person after the first 5 will be $3.00 extra.” at the Colter Bay shower house/launderette.

2 photos bicyclists and hikers

The not-so cheap trip

 

See trip cost paid to the Outdoor Club, (above), and add:

Split the park vehicle entrance fee (see notes above)

Split the cost of a rental car and gas.

Make your own food but eat out a few meals besides that, including possibly
one really nice dinner ($39-49 + + +?) and a few really nice buffet breakfasts ($42+).

Restaurants in the park are described here.

 

T-shirts, postcards, more film you need to buy, maybe a laundromat charge.

Budget for ice to refill ice chests, unexpected emergencies, unexpected souvenir shopping. Bring your own bike and/or fishing gear.

Budget for whitewater rafting, a horseback trail ride, or going to a rodeo or show in town.

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Split the cost of a

Colter Bay tent cabin

 

Split the cost of a large cabin

Colter Bay cabins prices, (these prices reflect taxes, and the subject to change, utility fee) according to reservations some of us got / or according to the website:

Costs below are as of early 2024:

For many years people have shared cabins, especially the

2 bedroom, one bath cabin with 4 Double beds (2 double beds in each of the 2 bedrooms)

(One year, two people shared by each having one of the bedrooms. They paid more per person than eight other people who shared the two bedrooms in another cabin.)

1, 2, 3 or 4 adults, the cost per night is $372 ( plus taxes and applicable fees $42.92) = $414.92
If 2 share the cabin, $414.92 divided by 2 = $207.46 per person per night
If 4 share the cabin = $103.73 per person per night

The cost goes up for each adult over four.

6 adults: $393.00 (plus taxes and Applicable Fees: $45.23) total: $438.23
If 6 share the cabin $438.23 divided by 6 = $78.04 per person per night
8 adults $414.00 ( plus taxes and Applicable Fees: $47.54) total: $461.54

If 8 share the cabin $461.54 divided by 8 = $57.70 per person per night

You can usually legally stuff more than 8 people into these cabins, and there will be a fee (cost?) for each roll-away bed, limit one rollaway per room. You must make reservations for rollaways before you arrive, as they have a limited number. We advise against trying to fit in 9 or 10 adults.

= = =

For comparison, but no one has any reservations for these cabin types for the 2024 trip:

(costs below from 2023)

One bedroom, 1 bath 2 dbl beds and one twin: Adults: 2 $343 Taxes & Fees: $39.73 Total: $382.73
Adults:3 $353.50 Taxes & Fees: $40.89 Total: $394.39

One bedroom, 1 bath 1 dbl bed and 1 twin
Adults:2 $278 Taxes & Fees: $32.58 Total: $310.58
Adults:3 $288 Taxes & Fees: $33.73 Total: $322.23

 

bearoutsidecabinatColterbay160ixels: black bear walking just outside a log cabinFAQ: Why should I pay for a cabin when I can camp for much less?

Because even when people are behaving courteously towards others, campgrounds are noisy until late at night and again fairly early in the morning.

If you share a cabin with others who agree to the same schedule you can get to sleep early, be up before sunrise, (or take mid-day naps if you stayed up late and got up early).

That’s the reason people on this trip have shared two bedroom, one bath cabins to some extent every year we have gone.

(If you get a one bedroom, one bath cabin, most have a shared wall with others that is not thick enough to keep you from missing seemingly inevitable family arguments.)

Plus, interesting fall weather, with expected occasional rain, is easier to deal with in a cabin.

photos and details about Colter Bay cabins, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming

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a narrow band of sunset clouds

 

I-can’t-get-much-time-off-work trip

is the above The not-so cheap trip, but fly into Salt Lake City, Utah (two hour flight plus one hour time change), rent a car and drive the last six hours.

When we looked online at various cheap ticket websites in February, 2024 an August 2024 round trip from San Jose to Salt Lake was going for $209, (Oakland to Salt Lake was $117 / $127. . . for a very few flights) and people have often spotted an occasional much lower price. (Salt Lake City is a Delta hub.)

In 2007 a guy who wanted to fly one leg of the trip and ride in a carpool coming back, found that the round trip ticket was less than the one-way, and he had the option of flying back instead of carpooling if the carpool wanted to extend their drive home.

But often it can be cheaper to fly in on one airline (one way) and out on a different airline (again, one way).

If you look online for tickets, the airport code for San Jose is SJC, Oakland is OAK, San Francisco is SFO, for Salt Lake it’s SLC and for Jackson, Wyoming it’s JAC.

Grand Tetons trip transportation has flight info, driving distances and guesses at gas cost, previous trip examples, etc.

photo below courtesy of http://rickkonrad.com/

Rick Konrad Images mtn lions: Rick Konrad Images mountain lion family

 

The Expensive Trip

 

also known as …Grand Teton National Park on $2,000 – $5,000 + a day…

See trip cost paid to the Outdoor Club, (at the top, above), and add:

Fly into Jackson Hole (2024 Delta as much as $1,308 first class refundable) and rent a car.

$180 per person, 2 person minimum, for an airplane sightseeing tour.

Eat out most of the time, including at least one exceptional dinner ($100 – $400 – $500 + + + per person . . .?)
and a few nice buffet breakfasts ($50 +).

Split the cost of a two bedroom one bath cabin between two people (2024 plus taxes plus utilities per night = $414.92 divided by 2 = $207.46 per person per night).

or get a great hotel room with a kitchen, TV, fireplace, (or a suite) for $559 – $870+ per night. Grand Tetons hotels, cabins, lodging

or book a 3,500 – 4,500 + sq ft penthouse resort residence in town with 3 or 4 or 5 bedrooms and an equal number of full marble bathrooms, a bathroom with a shower in the den,
plus a powder room in the common area or off the kitchen (which has a large pantry),
master bedroom closet and laundry room each bigger than your kitchen at home,
multiple fireplaces and private balconies / terraces for $3,000 + a night .

Sign up late after twenty other people have first claim on the ten De Anza kayaks, so you get to pay for canoe rentals $300 + + for a week.

‘Executive’ private one day tour to Yellowstone $700+ for up to four passengers.

Private stargazing, 3-4 hours, $250 per person.

Private night sky photography 3-4 hours, $700 for up to four people.

White water rafting (8 miles…$80 +/-, more with meals) and the poster of you rafting they would like to sell you, see info at: Grand Tetons whitewater rafting,

Bike rentals in Moose, 29 miles from Colter Bay: (from the website in April 2016, no new prices as of May 2017, and when I checked in June 2021 and Feb. 2024, no prices at all listed) hour $15 to $25, half day $34 to $55, 24 hours $40 to 65, week $210 to 400 — depending on the quality of the bike) (“We are unable to pickup, deliver or provide rescue. Please plan ahead for all circumstances.”)

see also Grand Tetons biking,

horseback riding $60-$90 (2023),

Jackson Lake dinner cruise $85 (2023),

Head into Jackson and spend $1,000 to $10,000 or $100,000+ on a painting or sculpture. There are a dozen stores in Jackson ready to dress you to the part of the matriarch of a wealthy ranching family.

A ten mile, 45 minutes to an hour from launch to landing, private balloon ride can set you back $750 – 1,200.

Paragliding per session $495+, or work towards a pilot rating, $1,950 + to start.

A 4-5 hour evening boat ride with a ‘five star dinner and wine’ for two people starting at $800.

A two day yoga / climbing lesson retreat for $550.

Grand Teton climb (2023)
4 – Day Ascent: $3280 private 1:1; $2750 per person/private 2:1;
$2100 per person for a group of 3 or more

Guided fly fishing ($750 – $1175, 2 people for a day).

A catered “quaint, special dinner for two” or dinner for up to 40 guests at an artists studio and gallery, starting at $1,000.

Private coaching and video analysis of your fly-casting (no price given, by appointment only).

Average cost of a collision between a moose and a vehicle $30,760
(according to the Jackson, Wyoming police department). See driving tips to prevent a collision with an animal at: Grand Tetons trip transportation (as well as driving notes & routes for the Tetons trip.
to SAVE MONEY ON GAS AND TIME ON THE ROAD).

 

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When full grown, this Bull Moose will be 7 feet tall at his shoulders

and his antlers will be at least 6 feet wide.

bull moose in meadow

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 for a dining canopy (or more gear, depending on how may people sign up). The club and/or the drivers, advisor, college, etc. will not be responsible for the safety of items we transport for you.

It can be difficult to coordinate timing of activities if we don’t all stay in the same area, so we’ve all stayed at Colter Bay cabins or campground for at least part of the time on previous trips.

If you will be staying in a Colter bay cabin, go directly to Colter Bay cabins, Grand Teton National Park for details about the cabins and the logistics of sharing one.

If you want a better room, Grand Tetons hotels, cabins, lodging has details about all the properties in the park, including a description of which rooms on the grounds of Jackson Lake Lodge have the best or worst views.

Grand Tetons trip transportation has flight info, driving distances and guesses at gas cost, previous trip examples, AND trip notes with where to find some mega-cheaper gas stations and ways to keep from driving the slow route through towns we need to go through by not taking the obvious freeway exit.

We can expect sunny days and rain/thunderstorms, or possibly even a little overnight snow. Interesting weather does not cancel club events, so people plan to dress for any weather:

woman looking through binoculars

Club activity areas, and all park restrooms or other buildings are non-smoking. Even though there is smoking allowed in some Wyoming restaurants, all National Park restaurants, etc. are non-smoking. No alcohol or drug use is allowed before/during club activities.

This is not just a rule written to make the College happy, it is a trip rule.

The trip will only be an official club event while we are kayaking (or canoeing), and possibly a hike or some other sightseeing or a group meal at a restaurant.

How you get to Grand Teton National Park, where you stay overnight, most meals, most sightseeing, any bike riding, whitewater rafting or horseback riding, going to a movie in town, etc. will not be official club business.

The faculty advisor must be along for all kayak/canoe use, and all safety recommendations by the advisor, park and De Anza rules must be followed.

wildflowers

For details about our next club trip to Grand Teton National Park, go to: Grand Tetons.

Grand Tetons trip pages index has brief descriptions of most of the pages about this trip.

Grand Tetons kayaking

Grand Tetons sightseeing

The trip is open only to De Anza students/staff. Answers to most questions about how the club works are at: Outdoor Club Basic Info.

For details about club events and on how to find us to pay for a membership, sign up for events or volunteer, go to:

Outdoor Club Coming Attractions

 

Back to:
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.

 

black bear climbing tree nps photo: black bear climbing tree, one arm reaching up to a branch

In 2018, very near the Colter Bay Village cabins, we saw a mama bear and two cubs.

two baby bears among some trees

We got a chance to watch them for quite awhile.

The two cubs played and wrestled with each other. One climbed part way up a tree and when the other one tried to climb, it slid down. Then they went to a second tree and both tried climbing again.

We were wondering where their mama was, as it is not good for people to get between a mama bear and her cubs, so watching from a good distance was in order.

(We were up a hill across a road from them.)

two bears cubs starting to try to climb trees

two bear cubs, one trying to climb a tree

A park Ranger stayed near them in his vehicle. He spoke sharply on the (loud) vehicle public address system to a guy who drove up in a pickup truck and started to open his door

STAY in the TRUCK ! ! !”

as the mama bear joined the two cubs and led them off.

park service vehicle and bears

Yes, we were so busy enjoying them that we only took a few pictures with the cell phone. We were worried we would miss some of the fun they were having if we looked around for the better camera / telephoto.

This year you will get better pictures, okay?

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