As if Yellowstone National Park wasn’t magical enough, we continued our Ultimate Family Road Trip on to Jackson Hole and Grand Teton National Park. Much like Yellowstone, I wanted more days and we already talk often of making a long couples’ weekend out of coming back to experience the Grand Tetons in different seasons. This place was everything you think a chic mountain weekend should include.
- beautiful scenery
- adventure
- shopping and exploring
- good food
When traveling from Yellowstone to Grand Teton, you have multiple options. We were going on a wildlife safari in the evening and would get a grand tour of the park, so we chose to drive around the park and get to Jackson as early as possible. Another route could be to exit the South end of Yellowstone and take the John D. Rockefeller Parkway between the parks and enter near the Coulter Bay Village. Either way works, it just depends on your family and how you want to explore.
We were advised that the route from West Yellowstone through the park and into the Tetons could take 5-6 hours and we just didn’t have that kind of time to spare. But, if we had spent longer at Yellowstone, it would be a perfect early morning with wildlife in Yellowstone and then on to the Tetons. This is the fun thing about these Ultimate Family Trips, you get to experience it all your way.
The route we took pulled us through the Targee National Forest and into Ashton, ID and the words of America the Beautiful came alive. We were immersed in amber waves of grain and row and row of crops. It was a day of experiencing creation and seeing the peaks and valleys of this beautiful country. I will not soon forget what I saw with the wheat tops blowing in the wind.
Our Grand Teton National Park exploring day included:
- Leave Island Park, ID around 9:00 am – this was the beginning of a serious wildfire season so we actually arrived with the big cloud of smoke and didn’t really get to see a ton of mountains, so the wheat fields and all the other highlights really stood out to us.
- Drive around Yellowstone and into Jackson. We had received advice that it could take us up to six hours to drive from Island Park, ID to Jackson, WY through the National Parks. Our journey took us on Hwy 33 through the Teton Scenic Byway.
- Drive past the National Elk Refuge and into the park for a picnic or lunch at Mormon Row. This was a special place for us to have a picnic with a beautiful view.
- We checked in to our hotel in downtown Jackson and had a quick rest before our Wildlife Safari
- 3:30 pm Wildlife Safari
- dinner after nearby
- Get to bed!
Jackson Hole Wildlife Safari – this was such a great investment for our family. Because we had a little one with us that requires a car seat we had to do a private safari, but that made it perfect. We had a fantastic tour guide who really pursued wildlife options for us. And, kept things fun and personable for a preschooler. I would recommend this for any group and know that I could enjoy getting to see the wildlife without the stress of finding places to go and trying to navigate, drive, and see animals. It was the best experience.
While I’ve not mentioned all the places we ate along the way, I wanted to share our after-safari dinner from Pizzeria Caldera. It was directly across the street from our hotel and so easy to order online. Their customer service was impeccable and made a phone call to clarify ingredients. Super personable and we loved having handmade pizza with local ingredients including wild game meats. Such a special meal together, to go, in our hotel room. I recommend the Burrata Margherita and Bisonete with local bison sausage. So dang good!
While we traveled, we found it pretty easy to get food curbside at most of our stops. Slowing down and eating out was probably the thing I missed the most on this trip. But a little extra meal planing and we never got hungry!!
Did I mention we are ready to go back? I left right before the elk rut started and when I heard that they all move naturally to the Elk refuge, it just makes me want to come back in March when big horn sheep are still low and the elk are still at the National Refuge. I see an anniversary trip in my future!
Magical spots to find wildlife in Grand Teton National Park
I will say again for the kids in the back, take the wildlife safari. They know where to go, you don’t have to look at a map or worry about missing the best spots, and they will pull you right up next to the wildlife and you just get to ooo and ahhh! That being said, I tried to make a list of places we went so I’d have them when we come back.
- Antelope Flats Road – we found mule deer and more pronghorn
- Mormon Row – we saw our first animals in the middle of the afternoon on this road – pronghorn and buffalo. There are also horses in a field by the barns and we had a rare moment with a bear scampering from the National Forest.
- Moose Pass Mountain
- Jenny Lake – is a tourist trap be careful
- Glacier Overlook had beautiful views
- Signal Mountain Summit – sometimes can see bears here, huckleberries are all over the hill if you want to try some. Look for the dark blue/purple berries and don’t eat the red ones.
- Jackson Lake Dam is a good place to watch birds because they are chasing the fish
- Cattleman’s Area – pelicans were on the water and its a beautiful landscape. Drive back to the bridge over Snake River, it’s beautiful in the event and a great spot for fishing or water wading
- field past the Oxbow area, turn off on dirt road to get on the backside of the field and an up-close view
- Blacktail Turnout was really cool – beautiful and lots of ducks, but we caught a mama moose at dusk and it was really special. A baby popped up, our guide reminded us where there is a mama, there is usually a baby
- Gros Vants River – a couple of pull-outs for painting and fishing or sitting and reading. A very peaceful place.
Experience more from our Ultimate Family Road Trip to Mount Rushmore, Yellowstone and Rocky Mountain National Park
- Ultimate Family Road Trip, aka Epic Yellowstone Family Road Trip
- Traveling South Dakota to Yellowstone
- Badlands National Park – highlights, outlooks and stops
- Mount Rushmore and Custer State Park – one day
- Yellowstone National Park – 2-day itinerary
- Jackson Hole and Grand Tetons – in one day
- Rocky Mountain National Park – in one day – ideal toddler stops included
- Exploring Estes Park, CO – and, now I’m ready to retire here!
- Toddler Road Trip Activities
- 11 Safe Social Distancing Travel Tips
- Yellowstone Road Trip Menu
pin for later as you keep planning your trip
