Jackson Hole, WY
Winter is Coming…
But it seems like Winter is Here…
I finally made it on a trip that had been planned and canceled four times. For the last year, I had wanted to visit Jackson Hole, a small gem packed with wildlife, beautiful hikes, and national parks, that boasts something unique in every season. Originally, I had planned a three-week September road trip to enjoy the stunning fall foliage at Yellowstone and Teton National Parks. The trip ultimately ended up being a five-day winter excursion, filled with adventures, and instead of driving, I flew in. Despite my initial frustrations about the cancellations, I am thrilled that I got to experience winter in Jackson Hole. It was one of the most magnificent trips that I have ever taken.
Let’s talk about what we did in Jackson Hole and how YOU, as a reader, can use our itinerary to build your own spectacular winter vacation.
First things first. Where did we stay? We went back and forth between hotel options and Airbnb, but ultimately price and distance considerations nudged us to book a hotel.
The White Buffalo Hotel: This hotel is centrally located within walking distance to all Jackson Hole’s restaurants and shops. We booked a room with a full kitchen since we wanted to have an early breakfast at the hotel before leaving for tours. Also, since another couple was with us, we wanted to be able to have after-tour drinks and snacks. I absolutely hate writing negative reviews, but I also want to be honest about my own experiences, so you can make informed choices.
The rooms here were clean and nothing was wrong with our booking. But, unfortunately, their guest service was absolutely horrible. Our tour had no contact number for us. They only knew where we were staying. They arrived super early, like by an hour. At that point, they asked the hotel about us and the hotel told them they had no guests by those names. So what happened????? They left without us. Yes, this is undoubtedly the tour company’s problem as well. Why did they arrive early without emailing us? But, it also boggles my mind that the hotel said we were not staying there. Are you kidding me? And when we confronted them, what did they say? Not our problem. NOT EVEN A SIMPLE, “WE ARE SORRY.”
Now that we have gotten the negative out of the way, let’s focus on our amazing tours and adventures.
We had planned for our first day to be the snowmobile tour that we had missed because of the hotel snafu. Luckily, we were able to rebook the tour for another day and we used our unexpected free day to shop and explore the village.
The town has many souvenir shops, clothing boutiques, and coffee shops that you can spend hours walking through and exploring. During the winter, you definitely do not want to miss a visit to the elk refuge park. So, the first thing we did was headed over to the elk refuge to buy tour tickets. The shuttle picks you up from the parking lot and from there you get on massive, but adorable, horse carriages that take you right into the middle of the gang, or as we call them a herd of elk. It’s truly remarkable to see these animals up close. This adventure is highly recommended for everyone, but it will be especially amazing for families with kids.
The rest of the day, we walked around the village, checked out the shops, had some coffee, and enjoyed amazing food. I talk about this more in the restaurant section below.
Our next day went super smoothly with Jackson Hole Grand Expeditions. A really cool guy picked us up from our hotel and took us on a road trip. For this tour, you have to wake up super early since some animals can only be seen in the early dawn hours. My personal highlight was undoubtedly seeing a fox playing catch with a raven. We saw so many animals, from trumpeter swans to bison and moose. After a few hours drive, we headed back to the village to enjoy a delicious sandwich from a local deli. At first, I was skeptical, thinking that it would be like eating at a Subway. But, these sandwiches were absolutely phenomenal and I got another one for our next full-day tour.
Now, let’s talk about the snowmobile tour. This time, they had all my information and they contacted me directly, making sure that everything was good and that we didn’t have any questions prior to pick-up. Everything was well organized and on time. We had a guide to follow, ensuring that we always stayed on track. He made a few stops for us to play with the snowmobiles and those who wanted to go fast and try out some tricks got to. Around midday, we reached the hot springs where we had about 90 minutes to relax and have a quick bite to eat. After lunch, we headed back on our snowmobiles. This time our guide took us down a bumpy road. This ride was super fun, and I shrieked the whole time.
On our last day, we decided to head to the slopes for a day of skiing. I don’t ski, so I took a beginner’s class and spent all day with an instructor. Even if you are not planning to ski or snowboard, I still highly recommend visiting Jackson Hole Resort Mountain. Not only is it one of the most beautiful mountains I have ever seen, but they also have a gondola service that will take you to the top where there is a really nice restaurant with great food and spectacular views.
Are you already checking ticket prices for your flight to Jackson Hole??? You should. And, hint, hint … Take me with you; I wanna go back again soon.
Are you ready to explore the restaurants and places where you should and should NOT eat?
For our first night, we picked Glorietta, a super cozy Italian restaurant with delicious food. We started with a bottle of wine that was recommended for pairing. So that we could sample a wide range of dishes, we all decided to share. Overall, everything was great, and my favorite was definitely the pasta.
On the day that our snowmobile tour got canceled, we went to Bin22, a mini-market with a restaurant, for lunch. I highly recommend going early because they do not take reservations. Tables are first-come first-serve. We went for a late lunch, so we got a table right away. The few dishes that we ordered were super flavorful.
Even though lunch left us stuffed, we still ventured out for dinner. We went to Local Jackson hole for steak. This restaurant is renowned for its amazing variety of meat cuts. From bison to beef, you can try it all here. As you can guess, we wanted to try it all, so we ordered their chef’s selection. Spoiler: it is pretty much everything on their menu. This is the place for you if you are a meat lover.
The third restaurant we had dinner at was Rendezvous Bistro. Honestly, I did not enjoy this restaurant. Other diners seemed to be enjoying their meals, but we did not. The food did not look fresh. Instead, it looked like food that had been frozen and re-heated. Our salmon was so over-cooked that it was super dry and burnt. We ended up sending it back to the kitchen.
Another good restaurant was the Snakeriver Grill. Our server was a little bit grumpy, but the food was great. The restaurant’s decor is super cool. Make sure you look up and check out the paintings on the ceiling and walls.
Our last dinner was great too. Old Yellowstone Garage is a 20-minute trip from Jackson Hole Village. But, it is definitely worth the drive. The staff is super friendly and the food was delicious. We loved the desserts; they were so gooood.
Persephone Bakery was the last place we ate before heading to the airport and back home. This place was outstanding and the food was so appetizing, that I was surprised. I wish I would’ve come sooner and had time to come back again for more breakfast.
