Jackson Hole, Wyoming

Howdy Travelers!

Pack your bags, we’re headed to the Wild West! We just spent the long weekend out in Jackson Hole, Wyoming exploring the great outdoors. We were in Wyoming from October 1st-4th, 2020.

We stayed at the Cowboy Village Resort located in downtown Jackson Hole. This resort was very convenient to all the restaurants and shopping Jackson Hole had to offer.

Checking into the Cowboy Village Resort was quick and easy. This was our first trip since COVID-19 and they made us feel safe. The front desk had plexiglass at the counter for extra protection in addition to sanitizer all over. When you first walk-in the lobby they have a box of masks for you to grab one if you forgot.

We stayed in the Deluxe Grand Teton Suite that slept 6 people. When you first walk-in they have a full kitchen and a very comfortable sleeper sofa. The bathroom is very spacious and has a nice LED mirror, which provided prime lighting for our makeup. The bedroom has 2 queen beds, in addition to a large dresser and wardrobe! It was so neat to see the cabin decorated with art from local artists. We utilized the picnic table on our porch for a cup of coffee before we hit the road for our daily adventures. Overall we had a wonderful time and definitely will be staying at the Cowboy Resort again!

Reception recommended we head to Bubbas BBQ and it didn’t disappoint! We ordered the pulled pork and pulled chicken and it was excellent! The lunch portions are very large and enough food to share!

If you are going to be exploring and hiking like us, I would highly suggest bringing a can of bear spray! Thankfully the front desk had cans we could use for free. They just ask us to return it if we did not use it, and they would keep it for the next set of hikers.

Grand Tetons National Park was only 25 mins away from our cabin and Yellowstone was about 2.5 hours. We decided to invest in an annual national park pass. You can use this at any national park in the United States for only $80 for an unlimited amount of entries.

If you are looking for a one time pass this would be $35 to the Tetons and an additional $35 to enter Yellowstone. For an extra $10 we felt it was worth getting the annual pass.

All visitor centers are closed within the national parks due to Covid. You might see a park ranger walking around and you can stop to ask questions. The service was spotty within the parks, we would recommend downloading the directions before you leave.

Shortly after arriving to Wyoming we headed to the Tetons to hike to Taggart Lake.

The hike is only about 3 1/2 miles roundtrip, and relatively flat the entire time.

Once we got to the lake we did my favorite thing, picked a nice rock to relax for about 30 minutes. There was maybe only 5 other hikers at this location so we felt like we had the place to ourselves. I would definitely recommend this easy hike. After hiking Taggart Lake we drove around the entire park and took the 42 mile scenic loop. This took about an hour and a half to complete.

We experienced true fall foliage, the leaves were changing and the colors were so vibrant.

For dinner we made our way to to Pinky G’s Pizzeria. We all ordered 1 slice of pizza and they ended up bringing everyone 2, man these were big slices. Think Costco but double. Pinky G’s was featured on food network and seems like a cool place for a late night snack.

The next day we were off to Yellowstone, first stop: Old Faithful. In typical Adventurestine style we missed it by 5 minutes. We had to wait an additional 90 minutes for the next eruption. Since we had over an hour we headed over to the general store and got some ice cream. My personal favorite (peanut butter chip) yum!

We purchased a few different types of beer to enjoy while we are waiting. We had a variety from Huckleberry to Stouts. LISTEN UP, the beer was only $2. Yes you heard that correct and it is local Yellowstone and Teton beer! The viewing area for Old Faithful has plenty of seating options. We sat down on the board walk and set up our little picnic.

Our next stop was Grand Prismatic Spring. The spring was about 20 minutes from Old Faithful. This was the hottest spring in the park and super colorful. We would recommend going to the second lot for parking. That lot provides closer views that are more impressive, but don’t get too close. From here we drove about 25 minutes to view the Bison. When we arrived they were crossing the road right in front of our car! STAY IN THE CAR!!They are very unpredictable and will charge you.

On Saturday, our last full day we hiked to Delta Lake! This is an unmarked trail and unmaintained for the last 2ish miles of the 9miles.

We started the hike around 8am because the parking lot fills up very quickly. To access the unmarked trail you will need to head to Lupine trail.

We would recommend bringing hiking poles or renting them when you arrive. We learned the hard way that hiking poles are not allowed as a carry-on. TSA took our hiking poles in security. Right before we started the hike Kelsey found an abandoned hiking pole someone left behind. Good thing because we underestimated the hike ahead of us.

The first mile of the hike is a slow gradual incline. Once you hit mile 2 you will start hiking through 6 different switch backs. After you finish the 6th switch back you will want to turn right and follow the unmarked trail with the broken trees.

You can download the All Trails app before you leave and track where you are on the hike.

So here we are hiking on the unmarked trail and came across the first boulder field. The boulders were huge, like huge.

After you pass through the first boulder field you will think yasss I made it, but no. You still have one massive boulder field to conquer that is so steep that you are basically rock climbing at points. We clearly had doubts while doing the hike. Take your time and go slow and take lots of breaks!

This is what helped us and pack plenty of water. During the hike you are gaining about 2,400ft of elevation. After you finish the second boulder field the last 1/2 mile is the worst part, it’s straight up hill with no places for breaks.

We finally finished the last steep incline and could see the view. Wow, everything was worth it for this view.

This is the clearest blue water I’ve ever seen in a lake. After all the struggles of getting here it almost felt otherworldly. We spent a few hours just relaxing, enjoying the view, eating lunch and mentally preparing for the hike down.

Were we prepared for this hike? With supplies, yes. Physically, no! But if we can make it, so can you! I have seen several blogs saying if you are not an experienced hiker do not attempt, but we saw a variety of hikers with different experience levels. Just take it slow and allow for plenty of time. It’s about 4.5 miles to the top and an additional 4.5 miles down.

Well I should say the hike is supposed to be 9 miles round trip, but naturally we got lost on the way back down. This took us on a little detour adding a mile, ending with a grand total of 10 miles! Download the map, don’t be like us.

We made friends from a distance with this family from Texas and a couple from Virginia and thought they knew where they were going.

Once we completed the first boulder field we ran out of trail! We had to hike all the way back up for a better view on where to go.. Thankfully we were only about a mile out of the way.

Overall the hike took about 7 1/2 hours including the leisure time at the lake, 10 miles and 240 floors.

We ran straight from the hike to Liberty Burger. After dinner we made our way over Moo’s Gourmet Ice Cream. Little did we know they were featured on food network, and this place was jamming! Bring your coat because the line was wrapped around the building. Let me tell you, this was definitely worth the wait, I would recommend getting the Passion Fruit or Banana ice cream.

On Sunday before we headed to the airport we watched the sun rise and went to brunch at The Bunnery Bakery & Restaurant . This was the perfect way to end our girls trip out west.