Oh my, oh my — the beautiful mountains of the Grand Tetons truly stole my heart.
Instead of heading straight south through Yellowstone, we took a route that led east, then south, winding through the desolate but hauntingly beautiful Wind River Reservation — the sixth largest Native Reservation in the country. (Side note: if you haven’t seen the film Wind River, I highly recommend it. It’s a powerful story that highlights the challenges Native American women continue to face.)
Coming around a bend in the road, we caught our first glimpse of the majestic Teton peaks. Snow still clung to their sharp, rocky tops as we descended into the valley. Grand Teton itself, with its distinctive crook at the top, rises nearly 14,000 feet — bold, unforgettable. I didn’t know the Tetons were part of the Rocky Mountain Range, or that the valley below held both a National Elk Refuge and a National Fish Hatchery. Why would I have known that? But now I do — and it makes me appreciate this place even more.
We stayed for nearly a week at Gros Ventre Campground (pronounced Grow Vont), and from our site we had a picture-perfect view of the Tetons. We compromised — three nights at an electric site, and three more on a generator-only loop. At first I worried about the pups with no A/C, but the cool mountain breeze made it perfectly comfortable.
Jackson Hole Ski Resort was bustling — full of families, luxury shops, sushi bars, and every kind of boutique you can imagine. But it’s also welcoming, clean, and absolutely beautiful. The resort and town offer a huge variety of summer activities: tram rides, mountain hikes, rafting on the Snake River, fishing, biking, ropes courses, and more. Jackson, though crowded, still hints at the old west with its rustic bars, breweries, and coffee shops — and thank goodness, a really nice laundromat.
Gary has always loved ski towns in the summer. Our very first vacation together was to Vail, Colorado, in the summer of 1989, and this place reminded me of that — only better. Why? Because it’s right next to a national park, one of only four ski resorts in the U.S. with that distinction.
As for wildlife, the list keeps growing. We’ve seen bison, elk, big horn sheep, antelope, prairie dogs, a moose, and even a baby bear that darted into the brush along a riverbank. But those little prairie dogs still win my heart every time.
Our first full day included a hike that turned into a bit more than expected — seven miles total, and boy, did we feel it. But the payoff was worth every ache: breathtaking views of a lake, a waterfall, and those unforgettable peaks. Then yesterday, we rode the Jackson Hole Aerial Tram up more than 4,000 vertical feet to an elevation of over 10,000 feet. The view? Unreal.
And I think I’ve learned something after all these miles and years on the road:
A cold beer just tastes better when you’re sitting on top of a mountain.
(And yes, the gourmet waffles at the summit didn’t hurt either!)
Such an awesome trip.