Family Trip to Jackson Hole

This trip was definitely a bucket list trip! And Jackson Hole lived up to each and every dream that I thought it would be.

Travel to Jackson was as seamless as a trip I’ve ever been on. Panama City Beach to Dallas to Jackson, WY (fun fact: the only airport situated within a national park). We hitched a ride with our friend Uber, which are plentiful in and around Jackson. Because we traveled to Jackson Hole in summer, we chose a hotel right off the town square. The Cloudveil was fantastic - within walking distance to shopping, restaurants, excursions, etc.

Having never been to Jackson Hole, our first day was an all-day tour that began at sunrise. Billy with EcoTours was absolutely fantastic. He welcomed us with coffee, pastries and healthy snacks. EcoTours has fantastic vans with hatches on the roof that open for easy views of the wildlife. We drove through Teton National Park stopping to see a few moose enjoying an early morning breakfast. We carried on to Yellowstone National Park going counter-clockwise in hopes to see animals moving in the morning hours - all the while, Billy was educating us on the area, chocked full of historical information and in-depth explanations of animal movements and life patterns. He was a wealth of knowledge. Thomas was the first to see Raspberry - a highly watched female grizzly with one of her cubs, Jam. We pulled over to see the sweet mom forage for berries for her cub. She stayed close to her cub keenly aware of the humans who had stopped to watch them. Riding high on having seen a grizzly so unclose and personal, we decided it was time for lunch and Billy knew of a breathtaking spot right on a river with breathtaking views. EcoTours partners with a fantastic gourmet restaurant for picnic lunches. But this was not your typical picnic lunch. I had a fantastic pasta salad with grilled chicken; Thomas and Frank had a ham and Swiss panini; Anna Kate had a chicken pesto panini - accompanied with homemade house chips and chocolate chip cookies - delicious. After lunch, we continued on our way to Old Faithful stopping at incredible geysers and thermal springs that were spectacular - full of colorful water, temperatures exceeding 150 degrees, some excreting smells that weren’t so pleasant. We learned that Yellowstone National Park is in essence sitting in a volcanic crater hence the numerous geysers and spring. Once we reached Old Faithful, Billy knew of the perfect place to watch it. It was nothing short of amazing. At the time of our trip, Old Faithful erupted every hour and half (ther’re about). Though touristy, the Old Faithful Inn was a sight. Built in the early 1900’s, its expansive log cabin style was beautiful. With our day coming to a close, we ventured back to Jackson but the day still held a few surprises. Coming around a bend, we were greeted by a heard of bison. These animals are huge and not afraid of humans. Billy told us that there are more deadly incidents with bison than grizzlies due to our letting down our guard around them. And though they look like gentle giants, they can be aggressive. We stayed inside the van watching them go by, but we were close enough to hear their grunts. It was absolutely amazing. On the last few miles of our trip, we noticed a bison carcass in the distance and spotted a grey wolf - which are very rare sightings. Billy coined our trip with the prestigious BMW name - we saw a bear, moose and wolf. On adventures such as this, you realize just how amazing God’s creation is and how small we are in relation to it.

Exhausted from a full day’s adventure, we slept in a bit on day two. Thomas and I walked into town for an amazing breakfast at Cafe Genevieve - a place we returned to a couple of times, it’s that good. That afternoon, we took a Dave Hansen float down the snake river. Dave Hansen offers white river rafting adventures and scenic river floats; we opted for the slow and steady float. The weather was spectacular. Early September is an amazing time to be in Jackson Hole. The highs hovered around high 70s; the lows dipped to mid 50s. On our float, the sky was overcast which was perfect for spotting bald eagles which were plentiful. By the end of the float, we had seen over 15 bald eagles and numerous other birds and river creatures. After a high paced, busy day touring Yellowstone, the river float was a great easy day while still enjoying the outdoors.

The next day was Frank’s 18th birthday. We ventured out of Jackson to Teton Village. Teton Village is a twenty minute drive from Jackson. At the base of Teton Village, you can take the tram to “The Top of the World” according to the tram ticket office. Once you arrive at the top, you are a mere 10,450 feet above sea level and the temperature drops a good 40 degrees. Luckily, Corbin’s Cabin is steps away serving hot coffee and warm waffles. It’s a must after the tram ride. Back in Teton Village, most of the stores and restaurants were closed due to it being off-season, so we returned to Jackson for a fantastic lunch at Pinky G’s pizza. Pinky G’s is a fun atmosphere with fantastic wood-oven fired pizza. You can tell it’s a local’s favorite. Another local’s favorite that we frequented was Moo’s Gourmet Ice Cream, located across the street from The Cloudveil. Moo’s serves homemade ice cream, fudge, and other chocolate delicacies. It’s definitely a must-try.

Day four was an adventure day with a “Day at the Ranch” at Turpin Meadow Ranch located in Teton National Park. Upon arrival, you realize that you are truly off-grid with no cell service (you can only imagine the look on our kids’ faces). We started with a two-hour horse back ride led by a wonderful guide. Now, it’s been a while since any of us have been on a horse, so we were thankful the our patient steeds - my horse was named Raisin, Thomas’s was named Jimmy, Anna Kate’s was named Miss Daisy who was dating Heston, Frank’s horse. It was a fun day and we were able to see the Teton’s from a unique vantage point that only can be found on horseback. After our ride, we had an amazing lunch at Turpin Meadow. The chef’s background is cajun and his menu is a fantastic fusion of cajun spices with local Wyoming ingredients. His andouille rice ball appetizer was absolutely incredible. I had the Turpin Summer Salad with grilled chicken, Frank had the buttermilk fried chicken sandwich, Thomas and Anna Kate both had the burger with house fries. It was just what we needed to refuel for our next adventure - side-by-sides. This part of the trip was a blessing in disguise. I originally booked side-by-side rental, meaning we were going to navigate the ride ourselves with the help of a GPS map. But due to our lack of cell service, the GPS map would have done us no good. Thankfully, the ranch had room for us with another party on a guided side-by-side tour and I would definitely recommend taking a guided tour. Our guide, Tim, was great. He knew this part of the country like the back of his hand. We ventured up and down dirt paths leading to the most amazing views of the Tetons. We would have never found (or been brave enough) to find our way through the Teton country side. I can’t say enough about the Turpin Meadow Ranch - first class at every turn.

Thanks for the memories…