Yellowstone & Grand Teton

Arrival in Jackson Hole

• Afternoon Landed in Jackson Hole, WY
• Evening Checked into Town Center Resort

Town Center Resort was perfect—a large condo with two bedrooms, two bathrooms, kitchen and living room, walking distance to center of town, with pool and hot tub.

Rafting & ATVs

• Breakfast Cowboy Coffee Co. (opens at 6:00 AM—perfect for jet lag)
• Morning White water rafting on the Snake River with Barker-Ewing
• Afternoon 4-person ride-along ATV at Scenic Safari, explored Gros Ventre area
• Dinner The Wort Hotel

The rafting trip was fantastic—highly recommend Barker-Ewing. We saw several bald eagles and a river otter!

Eclipse Day & Grand Teton

• Morning Watched the total solar eclipse
• Afternoon Grand Teton NP: boat across Jenny Lake
• Afternoon Hiked to Hidden Falls and Inspiration Point
• Late PM Started hike toward String Lake but turned back for last boat

String Lake is supposed to be amazing—only about a foot deep so you can wade way out. Bring bear spray for this portion; not a lot of hikers and lots of blind turns. We didn't see any bears, but we were nervous!

Fly Fishing & Jackson Mountain

• Morning Private fly fishing lesson on Snake River with Jackson Hole Fly Fishing School
• Lunch Included with fly fishing, ended around 2:00
• Afternoon Tram to top of Jackson Mountain, waffles at the shop up top
• Dinner Mural Room at Jackson Lake Lodge
• Night Stayed at Signal Mountain Lodge on Jackson Lake

Our fly fishing instructor Tucker was terrific with the kids. Everyone had an amazing time—would absolutely do this again. Definitely check out Jackson Lake Lodge for its spectacular view. Check out Corbett's Couloir from the tram and marvel that people actually jump off there on skis! Signal Mountain Lodge has beautiful individual cabins right on the lake and a resident bear (though we never saw it).

Jackson Lake & Drive to Yellowstone

• Breakfast Signal Mountain Lodge
• Morning Boat rental on Jackson Lake, explored the lake
• Afternoon Stopped at Oxbow Bend on the drive to Yellowstone
• Evening Checked into Lake Hotel, dinner at the hotel

Lake Hotel is a lovely old hotel—no A/C but charming. We stayed just one night.

Yellowstone Lake Kayaking

• Morning Kayaked West Thumb area of Yellowstone Lake with Shurr Adventures
• Afternoon Explored West Thumb on foot
• Afternoon Explored Mud Volcano area
• Evening Checked into Canyon Lodge (stayed 3 nights)
• Dinner Village complex food court—decent and quick

The kayaking was interesting—you paddle over thermal features and can touch the water where hot springs mix with the cold lake. Everyone had fun, but honestly this is the one thing I'd skip if pressed for time. It took all morning and wasn't cheap. Canyon Lodge is a brand new complex with nice rooms in a central location.

Wildlife Tour & Boiling River

• 6:00 AM 'Wake Up to Wildlife' tour on historic Yellow Bus (Xanterra)
• Afternoon Explored Mammoth Hot Springs area
• Afternoon BOILING RIVER—soaked for hours where hot springs meet cold river
• Dinner Mammoth Hotel

The Yellow Bus tour was terrific—the historic bus alone is unforgettable. We saw a wolf feeding on a carcass, the best wildlife spotting of the whole trip! Worth the 6:00 AM check-in. MUST DO: Boiling River is north of Mammoth Hot Springs where the cold river mixes with a hot spring to create perfect hot tub temperature. The kids LOVED this and we stayed for hours. Bring towels! Small parking lot—look for cars parked on the road and follow the path about 1/3 mile.

Grand Canyon of Yellowstone & Cookout

• Morning Explored Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, Artist's Point, hiked to waterfall views
• 2:15 PM Horseback ride to a cookout (Xanterra)

Uncle Tom's Trail was closed for repairs, but it's supposed to be a must-do. The horseback cookout was great—if you're not into horses, they offer a wagon ride option. The food and scenery were wonderful.

Grand Prismatic & Old Faithful

• Morning Explored Grand Prismatic Spring area and Fountain Paint Pots
• Afternoon Explored Old Faithful area
• Afternoon Watched Old Faithful from 2nd floor terrace at Old Faithful Inn
• Night Stayed at Old Faithful Inn, dinner at Old Faithful restaurant

Grab lunch and a beer, sit outside on the terrace and wait for Old Faithful. Check the eruption schedule in the lobby and try to see as many eruptions around the park as you can—they're spectacular. I LOVED the Old Faithful Inn—the building is absolutely unbelievable.

Journey Home

• Morning Drive back to Jackson Hole
• Afternoon Fly home