Honeymoonin’ in Jackson Hole Wyoming

I know it’s not the typical path to do a winter honeymoon to a snowy destination - but my husband and I love an excuse to check out a new skiing destination. So, we spent a week in the winter in Jackson, Wyoming and had an AMAZING time.

From Denver, it’s about an 8 hour drive to Jackson. We left when I got off work on Friday and stayed in Rock Springs on our way out. After a slow morning and fantastic breakfast at the hotel, we gathered our things and continued on our way. We pulled into Jackson and decided to head straight to Grand Teton National Park - it’s a very short drive from the town of Jackson. From there, we headed back to town and checked into our hotel: Rustic Inn Creekside Cabins. Our cabin was a dream. We were right along the creek and were able to watch about 6 deer throughout the evening and ducks flying in and out. We wandered the area and watched the sunset over the creek then settled in for a relaxing night.

The next morning, we got breakfast from our hotel and then headed to Jackson Hole. It was a super cloudly day and were very excited to get some snow as we were riding. After checking out some of the runs across the mountain, we hopped on the aerial tram with 98 of our closest friends and made our way to the top of the mountain. The aerial tram goes up over 4000 feet and at the top, you’re standing at about 10,000 ft above elevation. We didn’t have much of a view this day, but were excited to ride down one of the bowls.

On Monday, we were a little sore and tired from our full day of riding the day before, but we made our way back to Jackson Hole again. We parked in the free lot and got picked up by some locals looking to get free parking in the closer lot (if you have 4 or more people in your car, you can park for free). We only got a few runs in this day, but still had a blast. Once we were tired, we hopped on the free shuttle back to our parking lot and made our way back to Jackson.

After relaxing for a little bit, we ran across the street to get some information about the National Elk Refuge. We saw there were sleighrides going into the elk herds and definitely wanted to check that out. When we asked, they were just getting ready to go out, so we quickly paid and hopped on the shuttle to go for a ride. The ride was magic. There were elk as far as you could see and our guide, Ashley, was so informative and funny. We learned a lot, saw a coyote and a bald eagle. It was a chilly day, but Michael was clever and grabbed a blanket we keep in the truck before we left and that made a world of difference.

After the ride, we finally made our way downtown to check out some of the shops and have a beer at the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar. The Million Dollar Cowboy Bar has live music most nights and is a 21+ establishment. We enjoyed watching pool and the band getting ready to play while we had some food and drinks. Then we headed back to our place to relax.

Tuesday was finally more of our relaxation day. We scheduled a couples massage at the Four Seasons at Jackson Hole and it was a dream. I’d never gotten a full length massage so it was an amazing hour. If you have a treatment there, you then have full access to their spa suites - we had bathrobes, slippers and were able to use the hot tubs, cold tubs, saunas and lounge. It was so peaceful and I enjoyed the snacks that were around the lounge.

From there, we wandered around Teton Village for a while before heading back to our cabin. We then decided to grab our cross country skis and head to Grand Teton National Park. In the winter, they close the road from Taggart Lake Trailhead to Jenny Lake and they groom is for skiers and you can also walk/snowshoe it (please just don’t walk on the ski tracks). It was pretty cloudy so we didn’t have the best view of the Tetons, but it was still beautiful. We went out about 1.5 miles before turning back for a total of 3 miles. When we got back, we decided to go out for a nice dinner. We got dressed and walked to Roosevelts for dinner and a couple drinks. After a relaxing day, we were both pretty tired, so we headed back to the cabin to get a good night sleep before another day of snowboarding.

Wednesday, we got up and headed back to the resort. It was a bluebird day and we were loving it. We got some runs in and then headed back to the tram. We got to the top and realized that Corbet’s Couloir was open and we obviously had to see it after watching so many events hosted there. We rode down to it and popped off our boards to take a look over the edge. It’s definitely steep!

After hanging out there for a while and chatting with everyone, we put our boards back in and dropped into the side of the bowl that was still a powder field and man, oh man, that was a dream. I think that was my favorite run of the week. The snow was perfect and playful and didn’t wear your legs our like riding through a full powder day.

We took one of the traverses down and stopped midway to enjoy the view. When we got to the bottom, we went to the Tram Dock for some much needed nachos and they were so good. After sitting for a while, we headed back up the tram.

Michael was planning to do a more technical run and I was full and feeling more chill so I ended up downloading which was super cool because I was able to walk the full tram and enjoy the views.

We met at the bottom and headed back to the shuttle. We knew we’d be homeless for the part of the next day, so we went back to our cabin to start packing our stuff and enjoy some sunshine on our deck.

Thursday morning, we were in no rush so we slept in a little before heading to breakfast like we had every other day. After eating, we packed up our stuff and finally checked out of our cabin.

We weren’t able to check in to our next place until after 3, so we headed back into Grand Teton National Park for a little bit longer cross country ski. It was a clear day so we enjoyed lots of stops to take in the view.

We ended up doing 5 miles before we realized we could head to our next place. So we snapped a few pictures and then headed toward Jackson Hole.

For the rest of our stay, we were staying at Tammuh. We rolled up and got the key to our geodome and were so impressed. Our dome faced the resort and had the perfect clear view of the mountains.

They don’t have TVs or very good internet (at least not in ours), but you really don’t need it with that view! We watched the sunset, then wandered over to Callicos for some dinner. The food was fantastic and we got back to our dome full and happy. We looked at the stars for a bit and listened to all the coyotes in the distance before heading inside to relax.

Friday morning we woke up to watch the sunrise from bed then popped over to the main house for some food before heading to the mountain for one more day of riding.

It was another bluebird day and quite a bit busier than the rest of the week (Friday things). We rode for a little while and then hopped on the tram so I could finally get a waffle from Corbet’s cabin and it was SO worth it. After eating and enjoying the views for a while, we rode down and enjoyed the snow.

Once we were tired, we went to the Mangy Moose for a pitcher of beer and a giant pretzel and it was fantastic. We enjoyed the chaos of the saloon and then wandered outside to listen to a DJ for a while. Every Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the Tram Dock, they have a DJ!

Then we made our way back to the geodome for another relaxing afternoon. I read for a while and we listened to music. As the sun started setting, we set up my phone to watch a movie (Johnny Tsunami) and enjoy the view. Before bed, I only closed half the curtain so we could watch the snowcats on the mountain and see the stars. We were pretty sleepy from a week of being outdoors, so we fell asleep kind of early.

Saturday we woke up and watched the sunrise again before gathering our stuff and saying goodbye to the area.

We stopped by Cowboy Coffee on our way out of town for burritos and a chai for me. Then made our way home after an amazing week.

So what are some must dos for a winter get-a-way in Jackson, Wyoming?

-Ski at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. Actually even if you aren’t skiing, head to Jackson Hole for a few hours to check it out. You can watch the skiers, check out some shops, find some yummy food and just relax. You might even see some moose wandering the area. Even if you’re not a skier or snowboarder, you can buy a tram pass and take a ride up to the top of the mountain and enjoy a waffle and the views before riding the (much less crowded) tram back down.

-Visit Grand Teton National Park. Whether you want to go for a walk or cross country ski, there’s plenty to do in our national Parks. The views are amazing and there’s wildlife all around you. A day pass into the park is $__ or if you purchase the Annual pass, it’s only $80 and gets you into as many parks as you want for the year.

-Go for a sleighride in the National Elk Refuge. It might be cold, so make sure you have enough layers and maybe a blanket! They go through nearly all weather. Adult sleighride prices are $__

-Pop into the Visitor Center to learn more about the Elk Refuge and view the area from a telescope. This is totally free and they also have a gift shop and plenty of helpful employees there that are happy to answer your questions.

-Wander the town square! There are tons of shops you can wander there and lots of restaurants. Take a picture by the antler arches. In the winter, they also have a small skating rink in the town square.

-If you’re there on a grown up trip, go into the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar. Go in early to find a good seat! They have bar food and saddles at the bar you can sit on. They open at 11AM each day and music starts at 8:30PM.