A nice little stop, with some very interesting displays and information. Ferry was not in operation but was interesting to see and read about.
We had the pleasure of walking through this historic site on a bright, sunny day. You walk a paved path towards the river and eventually come to the general store, where, to our surprise, a very friendly storekeeper awaited us. He makes cookies on the wood stove every morning, and sells a collection of period replica items--including bargain priced candies. In a homespun, engaging way, he answered our questions and pointed us towards some easy-to-miss sites that enriched our walking tour. Even our teens enjoyed it--which is saying a lot!
This was a nice quiet spot on our trip. We visited in mid-September so crowds were not an issue. The Maud Nobel cabin and the history behind it is amazing. The Chapel of the Transfiguration is lovely. Children will love to ring the bell outside. There's also Menor's General Store which is fun to shop thru. If it's a cold day, you will also appreciate the wood-burning stove in the store. This is a short walk, but one that you won't want to miss. The aspens are beautiful here in the Fall.
We happened upon this old ferry on another trip to Dornan's and it was a short and very fascinating trip across the river and up to the historical cabin on the opposite bank. The cabin has old-time gifts, a few displays, and free cookies baked on site in an ancient stove if you get there early enough. Check ahead for the ferry schedule to time your visit.
A vital part of the early pioneer life in the Tetons was both the Snake River Ferry and the general store. Both would have been a focal point of any community prior to roads and bridges.We visited while in Grand Teton to get a feel for the human side of this magnificent natural wonder. The store is run by the park association and we met a delightful volunteer (Dennis) who told us stories and made us feel as if we were home sitting on the couch with a neighbor. We were so impressed we returned and bought our house and dog sitter gifts here rather than in Jackson Hole. The gifts just seemed more meaningful - not "rubber tomahawk" souvenirs.The ferry was not in operation, but having rafted the Snake River it was obvious that crossing would be treacherous in a wagon or on horse without the ferry. The exhibit was well signed and was worth the visit.Dennis the storekeeper made it special, however.
It was raining the first day we were in the area, so we just stopped briefly at Chapel of the Transfiguration and did not bother to walk down to Menor's Ferry. Happily, we were able to stop again on a better day and made the short walk from the parking lot to the Ferry area where we arrived just in time for the ranger tour -- it was excellent. The young female ranger gave a very interesting talk as she showed us the general store and living quarters, ice house, a replica of the ferry, a barn, and the cabin home of Maude Noble. We would have taken a ride on the ferry, but it had taken on some water, and we decided not to wait for them to empty the water.We highly recommend at stop at Menor's Ferry. Try to stop at the time for the ranger talk -- the schedule for the ranger talks is in the park newspaper. To get to the ferry site, travel 1/2 mile up Teton Park Road from Moose junction and turn right.
This is a very short walk to see the ferry and Menor's cabin. You should also go across the parking lot to the Church of the Transfiguration. It's a beautiful historic church with an amazing view above the altar.
We visited the homestead that belonged to William D Menor on the Snake River. It was fascinating to look through the cabin, transport shed and finally the store and cabin. Located on the side of the river, it gives you an insight to how Marx life must have been, then just across the car park is the chapel, take the time to go in, the view from the alter is amazing. You can cover this in under 30 minutes and isn't far out of your way.
We did the afternoon ranger tour/talk at this site with our three children (13, 11, 9). Ranger Mike was excellent. He reviewed the history of the homestead, ferry, and other cabin which was moved onto the site by the second owners. Provided an interesting overview of what homesteading was like and how the park came into existence. The ferry ride was a great ending. The newspaper said it was 45 minutes, but it took an hour, bc of questions from visitors.
This is a fun little trail near the visitor center at the south end of the park. The Snake River runs along the trail and you can catch a glimps of an old river ferry. The General store is run by the park service and staffed with volunteers. They usually have the wood burning stove going and have had ginger-molasses cookies hot off the griddle for tasting. Very cool place with antiques from the past. Souveniers and old-fashioned candy are also available. The trail takes you along the river and some of the older out-buildings of the era. Well marked and short with short history plaques to stop and read.