Beautiful Jenny Lake

A visit to Jenny Lake was a visit to one of the highlights of Grand Teton NP.

We visited the Tetons in early spring, but the snow on the mountains and the ice on the lakes, while more typical of winter, added much to the visual appeal of the scenery. On the way to Jenny Lake, we stopped at the at the Cascade Canyon overlook. The Canyon was formed by flowing glaciers. Many trails in the canyon lead to mountain recesses, including Hidden Falls and Inspiration Point.

From north of Jenny Lake one can veiw the Cathedral Group, so named because the peaks bring to mind the spires of the great gothic cathedrals. Included in this group are Teewinot, the Grand Teton, and Mount Owen, the second highest peak in the range.

I was surprised to learn that Teewinot's summit is so pointed that it diminishes to a tip about the circumference the size of an adult's thumb.

The wider angle in this photo shows the Cathedral Group in the left portion of the photo.

When we arrived at Jenny Lake, we were struck by the beauty of the lake and mountains.

We learned that in the 1870's, the Hayden Survey party was to explore, describe and map the region. They hired Beaver Dick Leigh because he knew this area of Wyoming better than any other white man.

This group was charged with naming the landmarks of the area.

Beaver Dick was married to Jenny, a Shoshone; she and their six children accompanied the party. To honor Jenny for her dedication to Beaver Dick, the party named the loveliest of the lakes after her.

Leigh Lake, north of Jenny Lake, was named after Beaver Dick himself.

There were several viewpoints from which to photograph Jenny Lake and the mountains to the west.

Given the beauty of the scene, it seemed impossible to take a less than perfect photograph.

The ice and the snow added to the beauty of the scene.

Beautiful.

As we left the Jenny Lake area, we drove into the Mountain View Turnout to take this photo.