John D. Rockefeller, Jr. was a great patron of the national park system and donated much land that would become some of the United States’ most well-known national parks. To honor Rockefeller, the National Park Service named the portion of land between Yellowstone National Park and Grand Teton National Park after him. The parkway, as one would imagine, is a wonderfully scenic connector of the two parks, and is worthy of preservation in its own right. We drove the parkway south from Yellowstone through lush pine forests that were majestic and peaceful. As we continued driving, we were greeted on our right by views of the Snake River with craggy mountains looming above it. Wildflowers lined the road in different spots, and in addition to the beautiful views, we kept a sharp eye out for animals along the road. The parkway finally brought us into Grand Teton National Park. While the two national parks get all the attention, be sure to pay attention as you drive along the parkway-you don’t want to miss another beautiful part of this land.

John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Memorial Parkway preserves quite a bit of land to the west of the road and is also home to Flagg Ranch, a camping area that provides a great jumping off point for exploring both Grand Teton National Park and Yellowstone National Park.