At last! We had arrived! Beautiful Jackson, WY! Not that it was a super long trip to get there, it was just that I had been wanting to see the Tetons and take such a trip in sooo long! The last time I went on an adventurous National Park vacation like this was Yosemite in 2009 after I ran the Lake Tahoe Marathon! I was ready for this!
There was some back-and-forth between my husband and I regarding if we were going to go just the two of us, or bring the kids. The thought of having them there was great, allowing them to get outside and explore… but there were a lot of considerations we had to keep in mind. Both of them get motion sickness! In cars and on a plane. Nico threw up on the plane on his way home from Disney World! He throws up all the time when we drive down the mountain from Warwick towards NJ. So the hour and half drive to the airport, followed by the two hour first plane ride followed by four hour second plane ride, landing in Jackson Hole WY and not Disney World kind of seemed unfair to them. Plus, we needed to drive a good amount around Jackson and to trailheads in GTNP. It was decided not to bring them, have my mom from Ohio come to Warwick to watch them a few days, which was great as she doesn’t get to see them as often as she’d like, and then they’d stay with Dan’s parents in NJ for a few days.
So it was just Dan and I! Perfect!!!! Landing in JAC the view is incredible!
The Jackson WY (JAC) Airport is by far my favorite airport I’ve ever booked a flight into and out of! Spectacular views, country cabin-like design and decor, small-town atmosphere, friendly people and nice and SMALL! I love small airports! We walked up to the counter and asked to get a rental car, the guy at the counter was dealing with a lot of customers but he did great. Got us a car, told Dan it’s right out front, threw him the keys and that was it! We were off! We’re in Wyoming!
The Grand Teton National Park sign was right there as we were leaving and it made me so giddy!! Our plans were to see Jackson today, then get into the park starting very early tomorrow. So we took a half hour drive to Teton Village where our hotel we booked was located.
From Jackson Hole Airport, if you’re there during the warmer months, Google Maps will offer two ways to drive to Teton Village; south towards Jackson then turning North and driving along Moose Wilson Rd. But there is a shorter way going North toward Moose then driving south, however Moose Wilson Rd going south from Moose is a dirt road and is closed in the winter.
It’s an amazing scenic drive!
Our hotel Snake River Lodge was perfect. It is located right at the foot of the Jackson Hole Gondola, next to the Apenholf Hotel.
We are here! Jackson Wyoming!
Made a stop in the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar. It’s more like a Museum where you can get a drink than a bar!
The bar seats are saddles.
In the town square there was a live show put on by the theatre actors. Very cool to see.
Jackson is an awesome western town with tons of shops and places to eat and get a drink. Souvenirs galore! Thankfully this was the only time we saw a bear on our trip!
If you have plans to visit Jackson Hole, I would recommend staying in Teton Village. It’s a nice community of resorts and hotels with a few bars and places to eat. The Gondola is right there and it has that feeling of being located in nature and the mountains rather than being in the middle of the town of Jackson which there are a few hotels and resorts, but you’re walking out into the middle of the busy tourist street. Not my style when I’m visiting the Tetons!
This is where the finish of my race will be! It’s very nice with a walkway along the resorts and hotels and condos. We went to the Mangy Moose every night, it was so convenient! The food was great, they had live music often and had a really good atmosphere! I love ski bars like this so it was perfect!
Firepit outside our resort. I meant to take more pics of our resort… but didn’t. So here are… two.
Tomorrow, early rise to get into Grand Teton National Park!!