Weekend Trip to Wyoming

Going to Jackson Hole, Grand Teton Mountains, or Yellowstone National Park soon? Want to make sure you see and experience it all? I am here to help!

Every year, my husband and I go on a trip together to celebrate our wedding anniversary. We are joined by a couple from North Carolina, who also have the same wedding date as us too (October 12th)! This year the winner was Jackson Hole, WY.

The interesting piece of going to Jackson Hole in October is that it is their off season. The summer season closed – like the mountain roller coasters and white water rafting. The winter season is waiting for snow – for skiing, tubing, and sleigh rides (yes, they do sleigh rides with elk!). So what all is there really to do when none of those activities are available? GO OUTDOORS AND EXPLORE!

The weather is beautiful, and ranges from 14 degrees to 72 degrees Fahrenheit. We were outside without our jackets one day, and the next day we were in several layers and it was snowing – we experienced all their weather! Because the weather is a true fall.

Grand Teton National Park

I highly recommend hiking here when the weather is clear – you don’t want to miss any of the views!

We started at the Jenny Lake Loop, then veered left towards the Inspiration Point trail. Inspiration Point was the best area in the park in my opinion. We had a small lunch break there to take in the views – it was incredible. Along the way, we took a detour to see the Hidden Falls.

We made great time getting to Inspiration Point, so we decided to go further and explore Cascade Canyon. That extra few miles was worth is, as we were able to be only 10 yards from two moose relaxing by a tree. That was an exciting experience!

In total, we hiked about 12 miles to see all of those areas of the Tetons. We saw elk, moose, deer, and squirrels. Thankful, we didn’t see any bears.

Yellowstone National Park

The next day, we woke up super early and spent the entire day at Yellowstone National Park. We left our cabin at 6:00am and didn’t get back home until 10:00pm. It was worth every minute. We drove over 250 miles just inside the park, but we were able to see so many things:

Lamar Valley
Grand Canyon of Yellowstone River
- Artist Point
- View at the Lower Falls (my favorite)
Old Faithful Geyser
Canary Spring
Prismatic Spring
Hayden Valley
Mud Volcano
Roaring Mountain
Paint Pot Trailhead

I highly recommend downloading the Yellowstone National Park app, and downloading the park map on your phone, prior to entering. You will have very little service throughout the park. It even tells you what time you can expect to catch the geysers!

Exploring the Town

We spent one full morning at the National Elk Refuge, looking for all of the elk. We found sheep and prong-horned deer, but the elk were hiding too well for us that visit. There were amazing views and explored some great trails by car. I believe the refuge would be great to experience in ATV.

We also took time to tour Jackson Hole, and try out three of their breweries:

Snake River Brewery: The best beer and food combo. I recommend trying their chili!
Roadhouse Tap Room: Great atmosphere and my favorite beer.
Stillwest Brewery: Wonderful views and great service.

We listened to some music at the Cowboy Bar. It was such a fun place! Great energy!

We also recommend going to Pinky G’s for some pizza – it was SO GOOD! We ended the trip with a milkshake at the drug store, which we thoroughly enjoyed as well.