Jackson Hole Wyoming

This is part nine of a travel series to Yellowstone and the Grand Teton National Parks.  If you'd like to start at the beginning, go HERE!

After our Yellowstone adventure ended, we headed out of the park and drove to Jackson Hole, Wyoming.  Jackson Hole is located in a valley between the Gros Ventre and Teton mountain ranges.  It is the gateway to the Tetons so it was the perfect place for us to spend the night.

We arrived very early in the morning, around 9:00 am just as the town was waking up.  After stopping at a bakery, we then went straight to the town square to get our photos taken under one of their incredible elk arches.

There are four elk antler arches positioned on each corner of the park.  Tourists line up to get their photos taken under the arch.  They are so cool!  They are made up entirely of elk antlers found in the National Elk Refuge which is located just outside of town.

I mentioned we stopped for some bakery first.  Huckleberries are all the rage in the west!  You will see huckleberries everywhere!  There is huckleberry jam, jellies, syrups, ice cream, and just about every restaurant serves a huckleberry dish.  We ate a lot of huckleberry products out west and came home with a lot too.

I love a good bakery and Jackson Hole has an excellent one called "The Bunnery Bakery and Restaurant".  Their breakfast line was so long, we decided to skip it and just got some bakery from the counter and enjoyed it in a nearby park.  I got a huckleberry danish and my husband got a huckleberry cheesecake.  Both were incredible!

After we ate our pastries, it was time to do some shopping.  For us, it was window shopping as Jackson Hole is known for its "rich and famous" lifestyle.  Celebrity sitings are common in Jackson Hole as many own homes or visit there.  Unfortunately, I didn't see any when I was there. 

I was very impressed with all the beautiful floral displays throughout the town;  from gorgeous window baskets, gardens, and hanging baskets.

Even if the shopping is unaffordable for most, it is still fun to see all the old fashioned western buildings.  I did have a chuckle at the "Five and Dime General Store";  although this was one of the least expensive stores in Jackson Hole, there was nothing in it that was a "Five and Dime".  😀

Most of the streets had boardwalks and roof awnings, which was really nice because that western sun is intense. Be sure to bring a hat, you will need it. 

There were several spots tucked away from the Main Street which had more shopping and eats.

Another little garden I enjoyed.

Inside some of the tucked away corners were indoor mini malls.  Everything is decorated western style like this buffalo chandelier. 

A sign in town pointing the direction to the Teton and Yellowstone National Parks. 

The town has the views of the foothills always in its background.

We were constantly warned about grizzly bears when we were there.  I never saw any, but we never went on a long, desolate hike either.

The Cowboy Bar looked really fun.  This door is amazing.  There are photos of the outside of the cowboy bar two pictures above.

I thought this place was really cool!  It is a dinner theatre company.  

I have been told that the Wort Hotel is where all the rich and famous stay.  We stayed at the 49's.  It was probably the most money I ever spent in my life on a hotel room and also the worst hotel room I ever had in my life.  When you opened the door to the room, it practically crashed into the bathroom vanity.  I've never seen anything so ridiculous in my life.  It was so hard to even get luggage in the room with such a narrow passageway.  And I was paranoid I'd be standing at the mirror washing up and be exposed to the hallway view if hubby suddenly entered or exited the room.  However, even if our room was terrible, the hotel facilities were excellent.  We loved the pool.

One thing I love about travel is seeing all the different types of birds we don't have in my neighborhood, like this Black Billed Magpie.  What a pretty bird!

This house and garden is actually a business but it is so pretty I had to show you!

I thought this inn looked like a nice place to stay.

We stopped at Moos Gourmet Ice Cream for the best Huckleberry Ice Cream I had out west, and I would know, as I think I tried them all. 😀

I couldn't believe Jackson Hole had a TJMaxx!  I was so happy.  Even though I planned my travel wardrobe carefully, I never thought to bring a pair of sweatpants.  The mornings are so cold out west in the early fall.  One morning it was only in the 30's!  I had to borrow a pair of sweatpants from my hubby to stay warm until the temperatures rose in the afternoon.  I ended up finding the cutest pair of off white sweatpants that went perfectly with all my outfits.

After strolling the western streets, we decided to check out the nearby neighborhood and found this adorable Catholic Church.  We loved the design with the gorgeous stone and wood accents.

If you're wondering about where we ate dinner since the stores and hotels were so expensive, surprisingly there were many affordable places to eat in Jackson Hole, unfortunately I didn't take photos.  We had BBQ sandwiches at Big Hole BBQ, which was conveniently located right across from our hotel.  And my favorite meal was actually at an Italian diner called Miazga's.  The food was AMAZING!

Next week, our adventure in the Tetons begin!  Don't miss it!

Have A Great Day!  Amy

Linking Up with these Fabulous Blogs HERE!

For more information on our trip out west, please check out these posts:

YELLOWSTONE:

Old Faithful

The Grand Prismatic Spring

Firehole Canyon Drive

Fountain Paint Pot, Lake Hotel and Cabins, and Hayden Valley

The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone

The Yellowstone Caldera, Tower Fall, Calcite Springs, & the Roosevelt Arch

Mammoth Hot Springs

The Golden Gate of Yellowstone, Mud Volcanos and the Fishing Bridge

 

West Thumb in Yellowstone and A Peek at the Tetons

This is part eight of a travel series to Yellowstone and the Grand Teton National Parks.  If you'd like to start at the beginning, go HERE!

Today's post begins the end of our journey in Yellowstone.  It is a huge park, and we managed to drive the entire figure eight grand loop in three days and see most of the major attractions on that loop.  Our last stop in our adventure, was West Thumb.

The morning of our last day in Yellowstone we checked out of our little yellow cabin and started driving southwest out of the park.  If you're following along on our trusty little Yellowstone map, we were staying at a cabin on Yellowstone Lake.  We got back on Grand Loop road and planned on exiting out of the park at the South Entrance, but first we stopped at the West Thumb Geyser Basin.

It was so early in the morning, we were the only ones there when we first arrived with the exception of this large elk feeding off the parking lot. 

The West Thumb Geyser Basin is a must see because unlike all the other thermal attractions in Yellowstone, this one is right next to Lake Yellowstone and the hot thermal springs flow into the lake.  The basin includes mudpots, boiling springs and geysers. 

Like all the other hot spring areas in Yellowstone, West Thumb has a boardwalk over looking all the thermal areas.  It was short enough that we were able to walk the whole trail.

The Mimulus Pool reminded me of the mud volcanoes we saw the day before. 

We were most impressed with the Abyss and Black Pools as the color of the turquoise water was incredible!

Now here is where it gets really interesting.  When you reach the lake shore, you see the water flowing into the lake.  Here are some interesting colors the waters produce on the rocks.

The combination of the thermal attractions with the spectacular lake views make this a worthwhile stop.  Unfortunately, we were there so early in the morning that there was a lot of fog, so I would suggest waiting until later in the day to visit.  It is one of Yellowstone's least visited basins in the park, and they have quite a large parking lot (Funny, I know.  And then the more popular places have hardly any parking), so you don't have to worry about congestion.  In fact, if you want to get away from the crowds, go to West Thumb!

Now we have reached the lakeshore portion of the trail.  The boardwalk hugs the lake shore so you get panoramic views of the lake, along with some geysers, right on the shore!

Here is a short video of one of the lakeshore geysers.

These "cones" remind me of beehives.

It's a shame we could only see this early in the morning, because I looked on line for photos of what this area looks like on a sunny day, and it is incredible!

Getting out early in the morning is always your best chance to see wildlife.  I saw a large elk in the forest while driving, then we saw the elk in the parking lot, and finally we were treated to a river otter both resting on a rock and swimming in the water.  It was so fun to watch!

River Otters!

Well our adventure in Yellowstone was over, but our journey was not, for now it was time to explore The Grand Tetons!  Yellowstone National Park and The Grand Tetons are right next to each other, so if you are ever in the area, you might as well see them both!  

As we exited Yellowstone, we went out the South Entrance on the way to Jackson Hole Wyoming where we would spend the next few days.  But you actually have to drive through the Grand Teton National Park and right past the Tetons to get to Jackson Hole, so we stopped and got a photo of the sign.

The Grand Tetons!

And here is a peek of the Tetons.  The drive to Jackson Hole is absolutely breath taking as you have incredible views of the Tetons all the way.

I hope you enjoyed my Yellowstone posts and that I have provided you lots of useful information for your future trip.  Next week I will cover the incredible western town Jackson Hole!  You don't want to miss that one!

Have A Great Day!  Amy

Linking Up with these Fabulous Blogs HERE!

For more information on Yellowstone, please check out these posts:

Old Faithful

The Grand Prismatic Spring

Firehole Canyon Drive

Fountain Paint Pot, Lake Hotel and Cabins, and Hayden Valley

The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone

The Yellowstone Caldera, Tower Fall, Calcite Springs, & the Roosevelt Arch

Mammoth Hot Springs

The Golden Gate of Yellowstone, Mud Volcanos and the Fishing Bridge