Howdy partner, welcome to the wild west!

Y’all should know by now that I’m obsessed with the wild west. Those western states like Montana and Wyoming are deeply underrated, and while I don’t want these areas to become so overrun with tourists that they change, I will always, always, always recommend them.

I recently took a trip out to Wyoming to run a half marathon through Grand Teton National Park, and it was absolutely incredible. I didn’t get to spend much time in the park, but I do have a few insights for your next trip to the wild west!

Jackson Hole

Grand Teton is one of Wyoming’s two famous national parks. However, it is the lesser known cousin to Yellowstone, which is just about an hour away. The closest town to the parks is Jackson, though the Teton entrance is just outside the town limits. It’s a cute tourist town, but that’s what it is—touristy. There’s cowboy themed everything, t-shirt shops on every corner, and is the only place you’re likely to find a Target for hours.

We actually didn’t stay in the poppin’ tourist town, but instead opted for Teton Valley Resort, which was just slightly over the border in Victor, Idaho. Though it was quite the drive through the mountain pass (about 35 minutes from Jackson Hole, an hour from the Grand Tetons), it was the perfect vacation spot. It was cheap, cozy, and away from the tourist crowds in Jackson Hole. Oh, and there was a hot tub!

We didn’t spend much time in Jackson, but there are a few Jackson staples you HAVE to visit:

Million Dollar Cowboy Bar:

The cowboy bar is Jackson’s most famous watering hole. The bar is located right in the center of town, across from the town square. My favorite accent from the bar was the horse saddle bar seats!

Jackson Antler Arch:

The arch is made completely from real local elk antlers. It’s a springtime tradition for the town to collect the antlers after the elk have shed them. The arches are a symbol of the elk and their importance to the local community.

Every May, the town holds the annual ElkFest—a festival to celebrate the shedding season and auction off the antlers.

How to Get There

In my experience, getting to the very remote national parks can be a task. When we went out to Wyoming, the Jackson airport was closed for renovations—meaning there was no close airport to fly into. The closest was Idaho Falls, but because it’s such a small airport, it was way more expensive to fly there. We ended up flying into Salt Lake City and driving 5 hours to Jackson because it was the cheapest option.

If you don’t mind the drive, flying into SLC might still be the cheapest option, even when the Jackson airport is open. The national park airports are generally more expensive because they have less traffic than the big city airports.

Time of Year to Visit

There’s never a bad time of year to experience the Tetons, but there are some things you should know before deciding when you’d like to plan your trip.

I went during the first week of June because that was the weekend of the half marathon I did in the park. The weather was gorgeous—mid-sixties during day and forties at night. However, there was still fresh snowfall in the higher elevations, which meant that it was dangerous to go on some of the hiking trails. We definitely were not prepared for this, so I recommend packing some snow-resistant gear, like crampons.

July and August are generally warmer months, so the snow should be minimal and shouldn’t hinder the hiking trails. However, the downfall is that these are the peak tourist months so the park will be more crowded. As of 2022, Grand Teton is not one of the national parks regulated by reservation passes.

Unfortunately, I didn’t get to spend as much time as I’d like in the park, but here are a couple ideas for your next trip out west.

Lupine Meadow Trail

If there’s a single hiking trail that I can suggest, it’s the Lupine Meadow Trail. This trail starts as a single, main pathway that branches off into multiple destination points. If you’re not staying in the park for multiple days, then this trail has the most bang for your buck. You can take this trail to these different viewpoints:

1. Delta Lake
2. Amphitheater Lake
3. Bradley Lake
4. Taggart Lake

We tried making our way up to Delta Lake, which is a gorgeous spot reminiscent of Patagonia or the Italian Dolomites. However, even in early June, there was snow about waist-deep that made this trek extremely dangerous. The hike up to Delta Lake is already strenuous, since the last stretch is off-trail and steep, so don’t make the climb if you aren’t equipped for the challenge. I recommend using the AllTrails app’s navigation tool to reach Delta Lake since it is off-trail. It’ll track your progress on the trail and help safely guide you to the peak.

We ended up climbing back down the mountain to the fork that goes down to Bradley Lake. The lake had a beautiful view of the snowy mountain caps and was pretty secluded. We were the only people on the trail, which was peaceful but also pretty nerve-racking, especially because we saw a grizzly bear and her cubs!

Jenny Lake

This is probably the most popular visitor spot in the park. It’s easily accessible at the Jenny Lake Visitor Center and doesn’t require any hiking to get great views! There’s plenty of hiking trails that veer off from here—the most popular is Inspiration Point. For a fee, you can ride a ferry across the lake to the start of Cascade Canyon Trailhead, which is where you’ll hike up to the waterfall. There’s also a walking trail that loops around the lake if you want a more leisurely hike.

River Floating Tours

This is something I so badly wish I could’ve experienced, but early June was a little too chilly to get out on one of the Teton’s many lakes. I was recommended renting from Dornans, which is right off the turn into the park. If you’re looking to kayak on the Snake River or one of the Teton’s lakes, then renting from Dornans is the most convenient option.

Mormon Row

Mormon Row is known as the most famously photographed barn in the United States. It’s just outside the park boundaries, so you don’t have to pay the park entrance fee to swing through. Even though this is a bit of a touristy area, you can snap some gorgeous panoramic pictures of the Teton range.

This would also be a gorgeous spot for a sunset photo sesh—the sun sets right behind the range!

Bike Rentals

There’s a pretty flat biking trail that runs along the main roads of the park. The biking trail spans all the way from Jackson Hole and into the park If you’re looking for a non-hiking activity, renting a bike is the perfect way to get around.

Drive An Hour to Yellowstone

If you have time to explore both national parks, the hour drive up to Yellowstone is so worth it! A lot of folks stay in Jackson Hole when they’re visiting Yellowstone, so it’s easy to reach both parks. Plus, if you’ve already bought a national park pass for one, you should be good to use it to enter the other park!

As of 2022, Yellowstone does not require park reservations for entrance.

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