A Long Summer Weekend in Jackson, Wyoming

Arrive in Jackson! Whether by car or by plane, it will be a stunning drive into town. Check into your hotel and then get ready to explore the town.

Stroll around town and do some window-shopping (or more). Pop into Kemo Sabe for a custom cowboy hat—you can wear it to the rodeo later in the weekend. If you need an afternoon pick-me-up, run to Persephone Bakery for a coffee or matcha.

Dinner is at Snake River Grill. I strongly recommend a good bottle of wine, one of their seasonal entrees, and the graham-crusted doughnuts for dessert.

Have a nightcap at the Silver Dollar Bar in the historic Wort Hotel, a few blocks over from the restaurant. They have great cocktails, live music, and fun bits of history on the drinks menu and cocktail napkins.

Grab breakfast at Down on Glen, a to-go spot in town that has amazing breakfast burritos. Start early to beat any traffic headed into the park.

Don’t forget to purchase your pass for the park in advance and download it to your Apple Wallet or email. The fee is $35, and there is very limited cell service in the park. You will also need the ID of the person who purchased the pass to show the park rangers at the entrance.

Depending on the caliber of hike you’re in the mood for, see my recommendations below. If you decide to do the Taggart and Bradley Lake Loop, stop at Jenny Lake—there is a great view of the Tetons across the lake.

• Jenny Lake and Cascade Canyon (9.2 miles, ~4.5 hours): Take the boat across Jenny Lake ($20 per person) to save yourself time and energy hiking around the lake to the trailhead. It saves you around four miles, and it was well worth it.

• Taggart and Bradley Lake Loop (six-mile loop, ~2.5 hours)

After your hike, keep driving north through the park and grab lunch at Leek’s Pizzeria on Jackson Lake. It will take around 45 minutes to get to the restaurant, but the drive through the park is stunning. Relax at the marina with pizza and beer for a few hours, then head back to Jackson, stopping at the different pullouts along the highway for amazing views.

After relaxing for the rest of the afternoon, head to the Jackson Rodeo for the evening. This was one of the highlights of our trip, so buy your tickets well in advance. Be sure to check the weather before your trip, and pack layers—we were very glad of our warm coats once the sun set.

After the rodeo, head to the famous Million Dollar Cowboy Bar. Even if you just pop in, check out the famous saddle barstools and live music before calling it a night.

Start the day with brunch at The Bistro, the restaurant inside the Cloudveil Hotel. I recommend the strawberry crepes, the eggs Benedict, and a chocolate croissant.

In the morning, rent ATVs for some off-road adventures. We rented side-by-sides for a four-hour excursion. Ours was self-guided, and we did tons of exploring on trails all around Jackson. Pack snacks and enjoy the ride.

To relax and unwind in the afternoon, we headed to Astoria Hot Springs, about 20 minutes south of Jackson, off of Snake River. A $25 ticket gets you two hours of access to four mineral hot springs and a cold plunge pool. This was the perfect way to wrap up our trip after the hiking and off-roading of the past two days.

For our last night, we had a laid-back dinner at Everest Momo Shack, a Nepali and East Indian restaurant downtown. I highly recommend the bison momos and the butter chicken curry. Wrap up your last night in Jackson with ice cream from Moo’s Gourmet Ice Cream.

Grab breakfast at Persephone or Cowboy Coffee Co. and head to the airport.