JACKSON, WYOMING
After years of wanting to visit, I finally made it to The Grand Tetons! And wow, this was a pretty epic destination. The scenery was incredible. The hiking is great, including a few less-traveled trails. I got to see lots of moose. And bonus: I ended up visiting at the exact peak of fall color. It was perfect.
The town of Jackson itself is super cute, with lots of shops and restaurants. I especially love the modern rustic architecture and had total house envy over the new homes going up in this style in the uber expensive downtown area.
Here's a quick recap of my highlights:
Hiking
The hiking in Grand Teton National Park is awesome, especially when you get off the beaten trail, pun intended. I would go back just to hike Table Mountain again! Here are the hikes I did, in order of preference:
Things To Do
Mormon Row - historic Mormon settlements
Shopping - Jackson is full of shops and art galleries. I spent a whole day just wandering in and out of the little shops.
Eating
Persephone Bakery - I made the mistake of stopping here on the way home from one of my hikes. I had a slice of carrot coconut bread that forced me to return a second time.
Big Hole BBQ - I totally splurged on the nachos with brisket.
The rest of the time I ate at the Airbnb.
Sleeping
Earlier this summer, I tried finding a place to stay in Jackson. My friends, Michael and Colleen, even talked about flying out to join me. We all searched and searched. There was just NOTHING available except two crummy Airbnbs, both over $600 a night ... or a Motel 6 for $222 a night. I am definitely averaging $200+ a night for lodging on this trip, but I just refuse to pay that much for a Motel 6.
So I decided to go back to VA for the summer and return to MT and WY in the fall after families are back in school. My plan worked great! This time around, I was able to find a house on VRBO just a 15-minute walk from downtown Jackson. My host, Karen, was awesome! Check it out:
Things on My List I Didn't Do
There is just one hike I wanted to do, but didn't. After hiking 76 miles (and 3.36 miles up) in 7 days, I was done. Although now in retrospect, I wish I had pushed myself to do it. I'd LOVE to have an awesome hike like this now just 30 minutes away from where I'm staying in VA!
Darby Canyon Wind Cave - rated difficult, 6.3 miles, 1,811 ft elevation gain.
Ta Ta, Grand Tetons!
Next Stop: Denver ... to see Tiffany & Kris, then sell my car and close the final chapter of Shana Takes a Hike. See you there!