Jackson Hole and Yellowstone Vacations

Our family loves to travel...very fond of the Mountain States, State and National Parks, Disneyland, California coastline, and since we have family in both Canada and Sweden...we have people to visit!

One of the best vacations was with my daughter, Haley. We spent a few days in Jackson Hole, Wyoming and Big Sky Montana touring and hiking the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone.

 It pays to shop around!!! I love finding deals on Expedia and Orbitz. Traveling to Jackson Hole, WY and Big Sky can be hard to find inexpensive hotel accomodations. While on Expedia, I found a great deal at a Best Western, The Lodge at Jackson Hole. Our room had been upgraded to an executive suite because someone bumped us from our requested room. It was nice, large screen tv, fireplace, and walk in shower with a rain showerhead. It also included a hot breakfast. http://bestwesternwyoming.com/hotels/best-western-plus-the-lodge-at-jackson-hole

Dinner at Sidewinders in Jackson Hole,WY

Just a short distance from Sidewinders http://www.sidewinderstavern.com/ great food, at a great price! Especially for a tourist town. Jackson Hole has changed quite a bit since I was a small girl...but still has some of its charm. Just be sure to get there early. I have been to Sidewinders before...if you get there late, they may not have what you want to order. Haley  and I went around 5pm. Then walked around Jackson Hole's town square. We even had our photos taken at one of those "Old Time" photo places...but I'm not going to post that...I look like a drunken old fat woman...Haley, of course, is adorable.

We took the boat ride across Jenny's Lake and made the short hike to Hidden Falls...its worth the trip! Several photo ops abound on this hike. We even got a view of rock climbers making their way down the waterfall. A fun excursion for the whole family. We followed a little girl down from the hike who was skipping along the way...cute! And it was raining...in July...it got cold, so always pack a sweatshirt, hoodie, or jacket of some kind. You never know what kind of weather you'll have.



Fallen trees make for a great photo op! (Haley is only a few days from turning 21 years old in this photo).
Just be careful that there isn't a long fall below. There are also a few bridges to cross along the hike to Hidden Falls. If you don't take the boat across to Jenny's lake, you can still hike, the long way around. We took the easy way...saved my poor old legs.

Hidden Falls, Grand Teton National Park, WY

Haley strikes her "Vanna White" pose

Lily Ponds in Southern Yellowstone

From our hike to Hidden Falls in Tetons we drove the road to West Yellowstone ...dont miss the Continental Divide sign and a short distance from that...there is a lily pond...its a bit hidden...so watch for cars pulling over...esepcially when the lilies are in bloom. You may get lucky and see a moose or two. They seem to like the shade and ponds. No trip to Yellowstone is complete without visiting the mud pots, gysers and pools. The pools are my favorite. Such pretty blues and greens.

This was our view of Big Sky from The Lodge at Big Sky, Montana. The staff at the lodge were all very friendly, but their "hot breakfast" did leave something to be desired. But our room had a kitchenette, so if we ever return, we'll cook up our own.  http://lodgeatbigsky.com/

While in Big Sky, we even took a horse back riding trip into the back country. First time I ever crossed a river on horseback. One of the strangest sensations you will have. But the horses knew just what they were doing and where they were going. Haley got the "Barbie" horse...a pretty Arabian named "Sahara"...I got an overweight mustang named "Flash"...which did not suit him at all since he was one of the slowest horses they had. Sure give the fat lady the fat horse! LOL....It cost us around $150 for the two of us to take a two hour ride...of course, it may have become more expensive since then. Big Sky is beautiful...I wish I could afford to live there.

Haley rides "Sahara"

"Flash" a mustang rescue