We absolutely loved Jackson Hole! It’s the perfect winter getaway. Here is how you can make the most of your weekend!
Day 1:
Arrive at Jackson Hole Airport – singlehandedly the coolest airport I’ve ever been to. When we got to baggage claim we were immediately welcomed with complimentary mimosas, an animal encounter and stunning mountain views. It got us even more excited for the trip ahead!
Then, grab a taxi and check in at The Lodge at Jackson Hole.
I can’t say more good things about this hotel! It’s clean, the rooms are big, the staff is friendly and helpful and it’s in a great location. There is a free buffet breakfast from 7am-10am every morning, an awesome hotel bar and a great indoor/outdoor hot tub and pool area (we loved that you are allowed to bring drinks from the bar to the hot tub). They also offer two free shuttle services; one that will take you to and from Jackson Hole Mountain Resort for skiing and another that will take you downtown. This is a huge plus since the Ubers are crazy expensive in Jackson Hole.
Next, take the hotel shuttle downtown for a quick lunch (we liked Liberty Burger!) and then walk over to the Greater Yellowstone Visitor Center for the National Elk Refuge Sleigh Ride. We booked this excursion in advance through the hotel.
You can’t go to a winter wonderland and not do a sleigh ride! This is such an incredible experience! We loved learning about the Elk Refuge, seeing the Elks up close and taking in the gorgeous mountain views. Our driver was super sweet and informative and the horses were so cute (we even got to pet them after!). This excursion doesn’t break the bank either – it cost us $40 per person.
Warm up in the hotel hot tub with a drink from the bar and then get ready for dinner. Everyone recommended Bubba’s BBQ and it didn’t disappoint! John got the 3 meat combo plate (including the Elk which he loved but I was horrified that he ate that after the tour we just had) and said it was delicious. I don’t eat meat but I loved the mac and cheese.
Day 2:
Wake up early for the hotel breakfast buffet and hit the slopes at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort.
This was always a bucket list ski spot for me and it really lived up to the hype. Lift tickets go for about $200-230 per day but you can save money by booking your lift tickets and rentals online before you go. Our lift tickets were waiting for us at the hotel when we checked in and we had multiple options of places to pick up our rentals from. If you own your skis (which I do but chose not to fly with), sooo many people checked theirs and the airport handled them with care. This mountain is a lot bigger and more challenging than what we are used to on the east coast but the views and the powder were incredible. It was a fun day of testing our limits! Plus, the aprés ski scene was really fun. We enjoyed lunch and cocktails at RPK3 and after skiing live music and cocktails at Mangy Moose!
A lot of people asked for the details on this sweater! It’s from Anthropologie but looks like it is out of stock. I rented mine on the Nuuly app! If you use my referral code, you can get $20 off your first month’s subscription. I’m wearing a size Medium.
Continue the party at the hotel hot tub and get ready to go downtown for dinner. We went to Jackson Drug which is really cool in theory – it’s an old school pharmacy and soda fountain transformed into a restaurant, but we felt the food was just okay. It’s really cute inside, though. The main event of the night was walking across the street to get drinks at Million Dollar Cowboy Bar.
We LOVED Cowboy Bar! It’s everything you wish for when you book a trip to Wyoming! The seats at the bar are horse saddles, theres live music and line dancing, pool games, and tons of western cowboy decor. Plus, the drinks were good! If you get there before 8:00pm you avoid the long lines and cover charges and can score a table for your group. You would think this is just a tourist spot but we made friends with a lot of locals who told us this is their regular spot! We loved it so much we went twice!
Day 3:
Wake up early for a quick breakfast at the hotel and get ready for your half day snowmobiling tour through the Bridger-Teton National Forest to the Granite Hot Springs! This was a huge highlight of the trip for us. You get picked up at the hotel and taken to their office where you get complimentary snow gear (boots, jacket, pants and helmet) to get ready for your ride! All you need to bring are base layers and gloves. Then, you take a scenic bus ride to the Bridger-Teton National Forest where the snowmobiles are waiting. After a quick lesson, you are ready to go! You follow the guide/group the entire time so even if you are completely new to snowmobiling, you will be totally fine. The ride was absolutely breathtaking and we had so much fun picking up speed! You ride for about an hour to the hot springs, stopping at a gorgeous waterfall along the way, and then an hour back to the starting point. The Granite Hot Springs were so amazing we couldn’t believe it. The views while you are soaking are like out of a Christmas movie. John is a stickler for needing his hot springs/tubs to be ridiculously hot and even he was impressed. It had really hot sections and sections that were more relaxed. We didn’t want to leave! Truly an incredible experience. We booked this through the hotel through Teton Tour Company and paid $545 for the two of us. I recommend the first tour of the day so you have the hot springs to yourself.
Head back to the hotel to change and go across the street for lunch at Sidewinders American Grill. It’s a casual sports bar with really good food. We loved the Spinach and Artichoke dip! Then, head to the downtown to check out the shops and scenery. It’s the cutest hallmark movie town that really lets you live out your western cowgirl dreams. My favorite places to check out were Kimosabe – the coolest hat shop where you can custom make your own cowgirl hat – the price tag is STEEP but the experience is worth it (or so I said when I was trying to convince John to get me one) and Cowboy Coffee Co. which is the cutest coffee shop with amazing local options. It was also fun to see people ice skating in the square and the famous antler arch! We got dinner at Road House Brewery which we enjoyed and then ended our last night back at the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar!
Day 4:
Enjoy your last breakfast at the hotel and head to the airport to fly home :(.
