When you plan a vacation in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, you can look forward to a world of outdoor adventures. From your Jackson Hole vacation rental, you will be surrounded by stunning scenery of the Grand Teton National Park’s forests, valleys, and mountains teeming with wildlife and dotted with lakes and rivers. Spend long summer days with the family hiking, biking, or kayaking. In winter go skiing, tubing, or snowshoeing. Take advantage of the proximity to Yellowstone Park, less than 60 miles to the north, by packing up the car for an exciting day trip.
1. Jackson
Jackson sits at the base of the magnificent Snow King mountain with immediate access to a host of outdoor activities year round. In the winter, you can go skiing, skating, and tubing virtually direct from your vacation rental’s front door, while in summer you can pack a picnic and head out on the trails with the family for a hike, biking adventure, or on horseback. Within close proximity, you can find mini-golf, tree-top adventure ropes, a cowboy coaster, and two town parks with playgrounds. Downtown Jackson also offers cultural activities, including galleries and a playhouse. The Town Square is a popular meeting place and shopping hub, and the distinctive arches constructed from hundreds of elk antlers are a major tourist attraction. In the summer months, be sure to take a ride in a stagecoach straight out of the Western movies.
2. Teton Village Center
Rent a log cabin, condo, or apartment in Teton Village, and enjoy waking up to fabulous mountain views. Sip steaming coffee on your porch and plan the day ahead. You are just steps away from the Grand Teton National Park with its year-round activities. Head out along hiking trails in summer, and take the tram up to the ski slopes in winter. The Grand Adventure Park is also located in the village and features a rock-climbing wall, a downhill mountain bike park, and an aerial ropes course with balance beams and zip-lines. After a busy day out, treat your family to a sumptuous meal at Teton Village’s popular Mangy Moose Restaurant and Saloon while enjoying the live bands that often perform there.
3. Kelly
For a complete wilderness retreat, seek out a log cabin in and around Kelly near the National Elk Refuge. A cabin with a river frontage gives ample opportunities for fishing. Lower Slide Lake, seven miles to the east, is great for trout fishing and has a boat ramp for easy access to the water. The kids can keep an eye out for moose, elk, deer, bald eagles, and smaller mammals such as marmots and chipmunks as you follow the trails on foot, bike, or horseback. In the evenings, sit on the back porch of your vacation rental and barbecue your freshly caught fish. When you need to stock up on supplies or fancy treating the family to a meal out, Jackson is just 14 miles southwest.
4. Moose
This rural town sits on the banks of Snake River just 13 miles north of Jackson. Renting a cabin around here gives you incredible views and plenty of opportunities to spot the local wildlife. Hire bikes from Dornan’s trading post to get out on the trails, and make sure you get to see the much-photographed Moulton Barn homestead. Jenny Lake, just seven miles north of Moose, offers fabulous walking trails and a boating service across the water to Cascade Canyon Trailhead. Let the kids become Junior Rangers at the Craig Thomas Discovery and Visitor Center where you can learn about the area and see a collection of Native American Indian artifacts.
5. Wilson
The small settlement of Wilson sits on the banks of Fish Creek. It is linked to Jackson by the Jackson Hole Community Pathway system. Dominated by the Wilson Faces, the area offers an abundance of outdoor activities year round. Pack your fishing gear as there are plenty of places for fly fishing. Nearby Teton Pass provides mountain biking and hiking opportunities for the whole family. Call in at Hungry Jack’s General Store for your provisions, and locals recommend Nora’s Fish Creek Inn for a relaxed breakfast or brunch before setting off on your adventures.
6. South Park
The small community of South Park is around seven miles south of Jackson. Flat Creek meanders through the town, and the area’s proximity to the mountains makes it an ideal location for outdoor activities all year. Snow King Mountain to the North, Munger Mountain to the south and Snake River close by give your family ample options for boating, fishing, and hiking in summer and skiing and tubing in winter.
7. Moran
A vacation rental home in Moran makes the perfect base for exploring both the Grand Teton National Park on its doorstep and Yellowstone Park just 28 miles north. In addition to giving access to many outdoor activities and wildlife spotting in the forests and mountain slopes, the area provides fishing, boating, and kayaking opportunities at Emma Matilda Lake, Two Oceans Lake, and Jackson Lake. Buffalo Fork and Snake River also flow through the area, providing additional water-based activities. When you need to stock up on supplies or fancy some retail therapy, the shops of Jackson are just 30 miles to the south.
8. Colter Bay Village
Colter Bay Village occupies a dramatic lakeside location on the banks of Jackson Lake with the towering Tetons as a backdrop. Vacation rentals here include authentic Jackson Hole homestead cabins. The village offers a grocery store and a couple of restaurants while the Lake features a marina, cruises, kayaking, and guided fishing trips. Kids enjoy the wagon rides, and all ages have fun participating in the nightly ranger talks.