DETAILS

Grand Tetons

Grand Teton National Park, about 12 miles from Jackson, Wyo., is open year-round. The entrance pass ($25 per vehicle) is good for seven days in all parks, including Yellowstone (its north entrance is the only one open year-round to cars). The boat shuttle across Jenny Lake to the start of the Inspiration Point hike costs $9 round trip.

GETTING THERE: Numerous airlines offer connecting service to Jackson from the Washington area; round-trip fares start at about $400, with restrictions. Alternatively, you can fly to Salt Lake City (six hours from Jackson by car) or Bozeman, Mont. (three hours), and drive from there. But be sure to weigh the sometimes cheaper airfare against time lost and -- depending on your arrival time -- cost of a motel stay to break up the drive.

WHEN TO GO: Late spring (May) through early fall (October) is best for hiking. By mid-November or so, snow on the trails makes hiking difficult. By mid-December, skiing rules. Summer is the most crowded; expect more competition for lodging, Jackson eateries and parking at South Jenny Lake, the starting point for the hike to Inspiration Point. Whenever you go, pack for quick-changing weather: Temperatures can drop 30 degrees in minutes when a storm passes. Even on warm sunny days, stuff a lightweight rain jacket in your backpack when hiking.

WHEN TO SEE THE ANIMALS: Bears are most active in September, when they feed heavily just before denning, says Mark Bruscino, bear biologist for the Wyoming Game and Fish Department. They're also active in March and April, when they emerge hungry from hibernation. The Park Service warns spring visitors to steer clear of animal carcasses and not get between a mother and her cub. On the trail or from the road, you're most likely to see bears, moose, elk and other "charismatic megafauna," as park officials call large wild animals, close to dawn and dusk.

WHERE TO STAY: It's hard to beat the national park lodges for dramatic settings, scrumptious dining and other amenities. The Grand Teton Lodge Company (800-628-9988, http://www.gtlc.com/ ) handles reservations for Jackson Lake Lodge, Jenny Lake Lodge and Colter Bay Village, all inside the park.

Spacious cabins and lodge rooms at Jackson Lake Lodge start at $159 a night double. Jenny Lake cabins go for a stiff $400 to $500 a night, but the price includes breakfast and dinner and horseback riding. At family-friendly Colter Bay, prices range from about $40 for a cabin with a shared bath to $155 for a two-room cabin with four double beds; there are also tent cabins ($39) and an RV park. All three lodges close for the season Oct. 1 and reopen around the end of May (dates vary).

Signal Mountain Lodge (800-672-6012, http://www.signalmountainlodge.com/ ), along Jackson Lake, has lodging from $109; it's open until Oct. 14. Other good choices: Dornan's Spur Ranch Cabins (307-733-2522, http://www.dornans.com/ ), on the banks of the Snake River, is open year-round; in-season rates (May 19 through Oct. 1) start at $155, off-season from $125. Triangle X Ranch (307-733-2183, http://www.trianglex.com/ ) has lodging starting at $1,335 per person per week in peak season, when there's a seven-night minimum; off-season there's a four-night minimum.

Flagg Ranch (800-443-2311, http://www.flaggranch.com/ ), between Grand Teton and Yellowstone national parks, charges $159 and up a night; it closes for the season Oct. 9 and reopens in May. The city of Jackson, 12 miles south of the park, has lodging year-round (Jackson Hole Chamber of Commerce, 307-733-3316, http://www.jacksonholechamber.com/ ).

WHERE TO EAT: Jackson Lake Lodge dinners, facing the sunsets over the Teton range, are to die for. Entrees include fresh trout, seafood and lamb chops. If you share a salad, as we did -- and forgo dessert but never the wine -- two can get by for about $75 to $90. Reserve ahead in summer (307-543-2811, Ext. 1911).

In Jackson, if you want a real taste of wildlife, dine at the Gun Barrel Steak & Game House (862 West Broadway, 307-733-3287), housed in a former natural history museum. Try the elk chops medium rare. Figure on $80 for a meal for two with a salad and two glasses of wine. For some of the biggest, juiciest burgers in the West, stop by Billy's Burgers (55 North Cache St., 307-733-3279), a celebrated Jackson hole in the wall. Two can stuff themselves and laugh at the frenzy for under $20.

INFORMATION: Grand Teton National Park, 307-739-3300, http://www.nps.gov/grte .

-- Susan Morse