Admittedly, our initial plans for this trip did not involve the parks at all. Our inspiration started with a ranch trip that I had taken with my family back in the early 2000s, and we wanted to repeat the awesome experience we had. As we were planning, we were so close to the parks that we couldn’t resist and tacked a couple days onto our itinerary. Ideally, we would've loved more time in the parks and at the ranch, but life gets in the way. We ended up with a day and a half at Teton, two full days in Yellowstone, and 4 full days at the ranch.
Below is a brief overview of each of our days on this trip, but please check out the more detailed itineraries and the destination guides for each stop on this trip!
DESTINATION GUIDES:
THE RANCH AT ROCK CREEK - COMING SOON
OUR ITINERARIES:
THE RANCH AT ROCK CREEK - COMING SOON
DAY BY DAY ITINERARIES:
DAY 1:
JACKSON HOLE & FIRST GLIMPSE AT GRAND TETON
OVERVIEW:
Day one was all about making my way to the rugged Wyoming playground via one of the most beautiful airport strips in the world and then settling in for the rest of the adventure. I explored the town of Jackson, stopping to carb-load on some pizza and beer at Hand Fire Pizza before heading into the park for the first time. Like a total rookie, I couldn't help but continually stop and gawk at the mountains before I finally made it to my target spot for catching some sunset shots. I wrapped up my day with more carbs at Orsetto, a trendy little Italian spot just off the square before heading back to Teton Village for my last night in a bed for a while!
KEY STOPS:
MORNING: Flight in & exploring Jackson
LUNCH: Hand Fire Pizza
AFTERNOON: Sunset photography in the park
DINNER: Orsetto
CLICK HERE to read about our Grand Teton experience in detail
DAY 2:
GRAND TETON: MOUNTAIN HIKES & VALLEY VIEWS
OVERVIEW:
Today we started well before the sun did in the pursuit of front row tickets to Teton's headliner show - sunrise. Everything went according to plan - except for the wildfire smoke that completely diminished the cotton candy skies we were expecting. Just an excuse to come back!
We then took off on the most frustrating adventure of our trip - finding a campsite. Luckily Teton has transitioned to the reservation system, so we'll never have to do that again! Once we were all set up, we took off to get out of the valley and into the mountains. After a nice scenic drive down the Teton Park Road, we embarked at the popular but picturesque Jenny Lake on the hike to Hidden Falls and Inspiration Point.
We started running out of daylight but made sure to make it to the iconic Mormon Row for some gorgeous views of golden hour. As we drove back to Colter Bay, we made a few final turn-offs to round out our day in photography paradise.
KEY STOPS:
MORNING: Sunrise on the Snake River
LUNCH: Snacks after setting up camp
AFTERNOON: Hiking at Jenny Lake to Hidden Falls & Inspiration Point
SUNSET: Mormon Row & Oxbow Bend
CLICK HERE to read about our Grand Teton experience in detail
DAY 3:
YELLOWSTONE: GEYSERS GALORE - THE SOUTH LOOP
OVERVIEW:
Though we had to reluctantly leave Teton today, we were excited to head to America's crown jewel - Yellowstone. Not long after crossing through the entrance gates we were blown away by waterfalls and scenic views, and we hadn't even made it to the main events of the day yet.
We stopped at West Thumb - a great spot on the edge of Yellowstone Lake to introduce ourselves to the park's unique geothermal features. After our little warmup, we headed to the main reason most people come to the park - Old Faithful. Luckily, we got to see the geyser not once, but twice, and stumbled onto a much better vantage point.
To round out Yellowstone's geothermal highlights for the day, we headed to Grand Prismatic Spring. Once again, we got two for the price of one, viewing the springs from both the overlook and up close from the boardwalk. We finished up the day with full memory cards, tired feet, and empty stomachs ready for dinner under the stars.
KEY STOPS:
MORNING: Beach at Jackson Lake & Drive into Yellowstone
MIDDAY: West Thumb & Old Faithful
AFTERNOON: Grand Prismatic Spring
EVENING: Setting up camp at Madison
CLICK HERE to read about our Yellowstone experience in detail
DAY 4:
YELLOWSTONE: WATERFALLS & WILDLIFE - THE NORTH LOOP
OVERVIEW:
Our final day in the parks came, and we still felt like we had a week's worth of things to fit in. We didn't get to, but we made a valiant effort!
Our first stop of the day took us to the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, which may be one of the most photogenic and impressive spots in the park. After exploring around the canyon, we made our way to the Mammoth Hot Springs area with a few stops at some of the less popular sights in Yellowstone. The Virginia Cascades and Sheepeater Cliff proved to be some of the most tranquil and beautiful stops on our trip.
Once we made it to Mammoth we traversed the maze of travertine terraces, exploring one of the most actively evolving parts of the park. Mammoth is also home to the old Army fort, a set of historic buildings that once housed the soldiers who guarded the park and now is home to the park's headquarters. Our trip to Yellowstone wouldn't have been complete without one final drive to Lamar Valley in search of wildlife at the "Serengeti of North America." We didn't get to spot some of the big predators, but were still thrilled by the pronghorn, bison, eagles, and other animals we did see.
KEY STOPS:
MORNING: Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone
MIDDAY: Virginia Cascades & Sheepeater Cliff
AFTERNOON: Mammoth Hot Springs, Army Fort, & ice cream
LATE AFTERNOON: Lamar Valley
CLICK HERE to read about our Yellowstone experience in detail
DAYS 5 - 9:
RUSTIC LUXURY AT THE RANCH AT ROCK CREEK
OVERVIEW:
After roughing it in the parks for four days, we did a complete 180 and headed to the Ranch at Rock Creek, where we lived in the lap of luxury while "playing cowboy" for the rest of the week.
The Ranch is truly world-class, and we were waited on hand and foot. Guides for horseback rides, trap & skeet, fly fishing and more made our experience seamless while also helping us hone our skills. We were able to try new things and enjoy our favorites since the Ranch has so many activities to choose from. When we were done playing for the day, we were warmly greeted with a cocktail before dining on high-end tasting menus and retiring to the Saloon for games and night caps.
KEY ACTIVITIES:
ROD & GUN: Fly fishing & shotgun shooting
EXPLORING: ATV rides, horseback rides, & hikes
RELAXING: Bowling, pool, darts & hot tubs
DINING: Full tasting menus with wine (or beer) pairings
CLICK HERE to read about our experience at the Ranch at Rock Creek in detail - COMING SOON
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