Flagg Ranch Road, the Tetons and Lawrence S. Rockefeller Center

 

Now that the Park has picked up in tourism, we look to our list of things to do outside the National Park. We took another “back-roads” trip. The Ashton/ Flagg Ranch road is about 50 miles of winding gravel road that cuts through from Ashton, Idaho to the backside of the Teton Mountain Range. It was original made to support the construction traffic during the building of the Grass Lake dam. We traveled with friends in hopes of seeing moose or bear, in this more remote area. Along the route we stopped to view Indian Lake and Grassy Lake; all were beautiful, remote, and free from West Yellowstone crowds. The animals were shy, but we did watch one mule deer who thought we were crazy to be out there in the middle of nowhere and a sand crane or two.

We stopped over and walked through Lawrence S. Rockefeller center. The Rockefeller family purchased and donated a huge amount of land between The Grand Teton and Yellowstone to connect the two parks. They kept “only” 3100 acres as a family retreat. The last piece was donated in 2001 as the Lawrence Rockefeller Preserve. This last part was donated with the stipulation that it be a place where visitors can experience a spiritual and emotional connection to the beauty of the area. They did an incredible job towards that goal. The beauty of the area is showcased by the preserve’s building. It has wide porches and open architecture, which truly entices you to pause, sit down, and contemplate. The wild flowers were incredible. There were several hikes from here but that will have to wait for another day. We all agreed that we could call the place our home, just add one luxurious bathroom and we would be all set.

Our path took us to Jackson Hole, Wyoming next. It was mine and Mark’s first trip there. It is, of course, a beautiful town and a play place for the rich and famous. It has a cohesive and well laid out city plan, unlike West Yellowstone, that kind of sprang up piece mill.  We’d been on the road about 10 hours by that time, so we turned back for home. Big thanks goes out to our friends who were willing to share their time and knowledge of the area to make this an awesome day.

Thanks for checking in on our adventures. We hope you are enjoying your summer. Take time is get off the beaten track and see new places in your ole neighborhood.