Tips

Jenny Lake  on May 22, 2002

Things to Bring
 compiled by Pam

• Hat
• Layered clothing.  For mountain country, shorts and a T-shirt to warm jacket and pants will keep you comfortable regardless of weather variables.
• Hiking boots.  Add gaiters in May if you want to do some serious hiking.
• Rain gear.  Many people stay indoors when it rains, but if you have waterproof pants and a jacket, you can be comfortable in most weather.  $20 buys a “good enough” set at Target-type stores.  Plus, rain gear always goes on sale and comes in both primary and camouflage coloring.
• Sun screen and lip balm
• Sun glasses
• Water Bottle
• Flashlight
• Pocket knife (optional)?
• Journal
• Camera, and film
• Binoculars
• Field guide to wildflowers
• Field guide to western birds

Things to Do

Pam's suggestions:

• Downtown Jackson – Downtown Jackson has changed a lot in the years since I waited tables at the Silver Spur.  During the season the town is filled up with Easterners driving yuppie SUV’s and shopping at the outlet malls.  Most of them will have left or not yet arrived during your time there. The weekends host visitors from neighboring states and serious mountain climbers.  The Cowboy Bar is worth a look.  The name says it all and it hasn’t changed since my waitress days.
• Chili Pepper Grill for Mexican fare and the obtuse Betty Rock Café for sandwiches are both found on Pearl Street.  Good food for a fair price. Teton Steak House has simple meals, reasonably priced (@ $9.50-$15), and is run by nice people.  They have a good breakfast buffet.
• Snow King Mountain - Take the double chair lift up the mountain and either hike down or test your Olympian skills and ride the Alpine Slide  (group rates for both are available)
• Teton Village – High-end shopping here, but good eating.  When you take highway 22 and cross the Snake River on the way to Teton Village, you will come to two restaurants.  The Vista Grande (Mexican) and next to it is an Italian one (Calico Italian Restaurant & Bar).  Both have very good food at reasonable prices ($10-$12) and you can eat on the grass between the two restaurants. The Mangy Moose is also a popular restaurant at Teton Village.  Fun atmosphere, a little spendier at $12-$22 for entrees.
• Teton Tram—Ride to the top and walk back down the next canyon.  You come out above Teton Village so it’s best to leave a car at the trailhead and then drive to the tram.  The hike is about 7 mi., but don’t let that scare you.  It’s an easy hike for an afternoon and you usually see moose.
• Hiking – The scenic drive on Wilson Moose Road from Teton Village to Moose is the starting point for a myriad of trailheads.  A great trailhead is the hike to Phelps Lake.  The Phelps trailhead is between Teton Village and Moose on the Moose-Wilson road.  The hike takes about ½ hr.-45 min. to come to the top of the mountain. It’s a two-mile hike to the lake and the view is spectacular.
• Kelly Hot Springs is a natural unimproved hot (warm) springs big enough for 10 people.  At about 72 degrees it is warm enough for a swim in September or a foot soak in May.  The wildlife around this area includes buffalo, moose, elk, birds of prey, coyote and more.
• National Museum of Wildlife Art is worth the visit and we had a good lunch in their cafe http://www.wildlifeart.org/
• Jenny Lake - Take a boat ride (about $5) across Jenny Lake or back for some hiking above the lake.  The setting is the Tetons.  An easy hike takes you up to a waterfall and if you continue on, to another lake.

Transportation
Airlines servicing Jackson can be found at the following
address:  http://www.jacksonholenet.com/busdir/airlines.htm
It is also possible to fly into Idaho Falls and rent a car.  One participant flew into Salt Lake City and took a shuttle.

"We recommend you come a day or two early (most employers are happy to give you extra time off with pay so you can make this a working vacation—just kidding).  An early start gives you time to drive into Teton and Yellowstone Parks and get an overview of the area.  Our group came by car, bus, and plane.  All forms of transportation worked.  Be aware that if you are flying (commercially) that it is less expensive to fly in to either Salt Lake City or Idaho Falls."--Pam
 

Driving from Colorado --"There are several ways to drive to Grand Tetons from Colorado or Kansas. I drove up to I-80, across Wyoming to Rock Springs and then took Highway 191 into the park from the south. From about Pinedale on this becomes a very pretty drive. In Pinedale, you may also want to stop and visit the Museum of the Mountain Man. On the return trip I left the east side of the park on Highway 287 and followed it through Lander to Rawlins where it meets I-80 again. This is also a pretty drive as it begins in the Bridger-Teton National forest and then goes through the Wind River Mountain Range and the Wind River Indian Reservation. The scenery has a dramatic change from snow capped mountains to red mountains around the town of DuBois. The towns and houses are much farther apart on this road.  Another option is to take I-25 north to Casper then across on Highway 26, but I do not know anything about that path. If you enter the park from either the south or the east and stay on Highway 191, there is not an entrance fee."--Patty

Jackson Hole Alltrans Shuttle
http://www.jacksonholealltrans.com/

Jackson Hole Express Bus
http://www.jacksonholebus.com/

Other Advice
Clothing--"It snowed on our second day in Jackson this spring.  The good news is there weren’t any mosquitoes and there probably won’t be in the fall if there has been at least one freeze before you get there.  On the other hand, Jackson Hole is famous for its warm Indian Summers.  Keep in mind that if you don’t like the weather, wait five minutes and it will change."--Pam
 
 

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