Located at the base of the Teton mountain range, Jackson is a small mountain town in Wyoming that is known for its natural beauty, abundant wildlife and outdoor activities.
It was my second visit to Jackson Hole and this time I visited during the winter season. Seeing the majestic Teton mountains blanketed in snow was a dream of mine and it did not disappoint!
Here’s everything you need to know about spending a winter weekend in Jackson Hole!
How to Get There
Since I love road trips, we actually decided to drive from our home in Laguna Beach all the way to Jackson, Wyoming. I know 30+ hours of driving is a little crazy, but we had a blast! And, don’t worry — there are much easier ways to get there!
Jackson Hole Airport is in Grand Teton National Park making it the only airport to be located inside a national park… pretty cool, right?!
It’s served by most major US airports and airlines around the country. And you’re bound to have some fantastic mountain views as you fly in!
Once you’ve landed at Jackson Hole Airport, it’s a quick drive to the town of Jackson (less than 10 miles!) and just 12 miles to Teton Village resort at the base of the ski area.
For international travel, the closest airport is Salt Lake City International Airport, about a four hour drive from Jackson.
How to Get Around
Once you’re in Jackson, you have plenty of options for getting around. There are numerous taxi services as well as ride share options like Uber and Lyft.
In town, START Bus is the best option for public transportation and will take you through stops around town and Teton Village.
If you’re interested in renting a car, which is a great option if you plan to explore areas further outside of Jackson (like Grand Teton or Yellowstone National Parks), there are a few options as well. The airport has four onsite rental car companies, and there are a couple of additional rental car companies that offer a free shuttle service to their offices in downtown Jackson.
When to Visit
Of course, the summer is an amazing time to visit Jackson for hiking, biking, camping and plenty of other outdoor activities — check out my guide to visiting Jackson in the summer here!
But winter is definitely the best time of year if you want to experience the snowy mountains and hit the slopes.
Jackson boasts 400-500 inches of snow per year on average so it’s a pretty reliable powder ski destination.
Most of the ski resorts in the area are open from late November through early April but the best time to visit for guaranteed snow is late December through March!
Weekend Itinerary for Jackson Hole
ARRIVAL DAY
Since we drove to Jackson Hole as part of a long road trip from California, we came from Salt Lake City and arrived midday. We only had a couple of days to enjoy Jackson before we were due to meet some friends in Park City so we wanted to make the most of our stay. Because of that, we decided to stay at the Four Seasons Jackson Hole, located in Teton Village with ski in / ski out access!
We spent the day taking advantage of this beautiful resort — enjoying the hot tub and daily s’mores and sipping champagne in Fahrenheit 47, the mountain-side igloo bar!
For dinner, we dined at Westbank Grill — the mountain steakhouse at the Four Seasons with panoramic views of Teton Village. I’m still dreaming and drooling over this meal!
If you’re looking for hotels that are in downtown Jackson or a different budget range, here are some other options to consider:
- Luxury: if you are looking to pamper yourself, check out Amangani, Four Seasons or Hotel Jackson.
- Mid-Range: try Wyoming Inn of Jackson Hole, White Buffalo Club or Modern Mountain Inn.
- Budget: easy on the wallet and still providing a great base for exploring Jackson are the Inn on the Creek or The Elk Country Inn.
DAY 1 ITINERARY
Hit the ski slopes
There are a number of ski resorts in the area with Jackson Hole Mountain Resort (located in Teton Village) and Snow King Mountain (located in downtown Jackson) being the closest.
Jackson Hole Mountain Resort is world famous for its terrain and backcountry access — it’s also known as a pretty challenging mountain overall. Snow King Mountain offers convenience and affordability with 16 trails as well as night skiing and snow tubing.
Explore downtown Jackson
After a day on the slopes, head into downtown Jackson and check out the area around the main Town Square. There are tons of shops, art and photo galleries that have unique and one-of-a-kind items — perfect if you’re looking for a souvenir.
In the middle of Town Square are the iconic elk horn arches (also a great photo op!) and during the winter months, there is an ice skating rink! The rink is open Wednesday — Sunday and you can rent skates for $10 per person.
Grab a drink at the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar
If you’re hoping for an après ski drink, why not stop at Jackson’s most famous bar? The Million Dollar Cowboy Bar is conveniently located on the town square in the heart of Jackson and is an experience in itself. This rustic honky-tonk bar offers live music, dancing — and I love that the bar seats are horse saddles!
Dinner at Snake River Grill
This is my favorite restaurant in Jackson and I’ve eaten there each time I’ve visited! Snake River Grill is a fine dining restaurant that has a western steakhouse atmosphere and local fare (think wild game like elk and bison) in a cozy but refined log cabin setting. Tip: order the onion rings!
Another option, if you’re looking for a more casual meal is Bin22. This cute wine bar serves up delicious tapas and you can buy a bottle of wine from their store and enjoy with dinner (with no corkage fee)!
DAY 2 ITINERARY
Go for a Sleigh Ride through the National Elk Refuge
OK this was one of the coolest winter experiences I’ve ever had! Each winter, from mid-December to early April, horse-drawn sleigh rides go through the National Elk Refuge located just minutes from downtown Jackson.
The rides last about an hour and cost approximately $27 per person. It’s absolutely worth the stop in my opinion — we saw thousands of elk as well as coyotes and bison. And, the guides were incredibly knowledgeable; I learned so much about the local wildlife!
→ Read Next: Sleigh Ride Through National Elk Refuge in Jackson Hole
Lunch at Persephone Bakery
This cute French-inspired bakery and cafe has some of the most delicious baked goods and serves up Intelligentsia coffee. I also loved that they offered some healthy options after a few nights of eating hearty dinners!
Persephone Bakery is located in downtown Jackson so it’s was easy to pop into town for lunch after the exciting sleigh ride!
Explore Grand Teton National Park
After our lovely lunch at Persephone Bakery, we decided we wanted to explore a little more outside of town. I had visited Schwabacher’s Landing and Mormon Row during the summer months and, although they are inaccessible in the winter, I wanted to see if we could still find some beautiful vistas of the Tetons and Snake River in the area!
We started driving towards Grand Teton National Park and stopped at a couple of vistas along the way, including one with a perfect overlook of the Snake River with the Tetons in the background!
While many of the roads in Grand Teton National park are closed during the winter months (due to snow coverage), I still think it’s worth visiting. There are a number of winter activities you can do, such as cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and snowmobiling.
Or you can do what we did and simply do some scenic driving on the sections of road that are open. We were able to spot some wildlife (bison, foxes and coyotes) and the views of the frozen lakes and snowcapped mountains were stunning!
Drinks at Amangani
We had heard that the Aman property in Jackson was beautiful so we decided to stop by for a drink to check it out… and it really was stunning!
We sat at the Zinc Bar for a cocktail, took in the mountain views and learned a bit about the local bird life. What??! Birds? Yep, they had a representative from a local bird rescue showing and teaching about local raptor birds like owls and falcons. Pretty amazing!
And that wraps up my 2 day itinerary for Jackson Hole in the winter! Have you been to Jackson, Wyoming before? Was there anything I missed? Let me know in the comments!
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