Bucket List Trip & Western Experience of a Lifetime
By Dacia Wiegandt /@dacialea
Jackson Hole, Wyoming
Greatest family trip ever!! I can’t even tell you how much my kids enjoyed this trip. We would go back in a heartbeat & do it all over again.
So me & my husband came to Jackson Hole, Wyoming “19” years ago for our honeymoon and had the best time. We stayed at The Snake River Lodge back then… did horse back riding, white water rafting, hiking, Yellowstone, & nice dinners at night. We said that one day when we had kids we wanted to take them here.
Yellowstone is a once in a lifetime MUST DO family trip! Especially when the kids are old enough to appreciate it. Our kids were at the perfect age to go… 14, 12, &10! However, I really think at any age kids love animals & seeing them in there natural habitat is incredible.
When to book?
It depends what you want to see. Personally I think the last week of May, first week of June is perfect. It’s still cool, all the schools aren’t out, more affordable prices, and most IMPORTANTLY if you want to see the BEARS that’s the best time to catch them.
I booked this trip in early February & was fine because of the dates we went (May 20-27th) However if you tried to book a room in June-August many places were already booked and double the price.
I’m not saying don’t go in June-August, it is still wonderful just a little more crowded & you might not see as many bears.
Where we booked?
We stayed at the Four Seasons in the Teton Village. I HIGHLY recommend this hotel. Absolutely beautiful aesthetic, gorgeous western style hotel, clean up-dated rooms, views, great food, & service! Honestly it was one of my favorite hotels I have ever stayed in. We rented a 2 bedroom/3 bathroom suite because of all 5 of us and the ages. However, the regular room with two double beds is amazing too. The beds were too comfortable, I never wanted to get out of them. The bathrooms were spacious and up-dated.
The service was hands down the best we have ever had… whether it was needing bags brought up to the room, ice, garbage bag, towels, charcuterie platter, turn down, nail clippers… you name it! Management was constantly checking to see if we needed anything.
Let’s talk views…
Look at the gorgeous view our room had over looking The Grand Tetons. BREATHTAKING!!
Other hotel recommendations:
What I packed
Coats/Sweaters: Heavy coat for the night, Light coat, Raincoat, and Sweaters (4)
Pants: Joggers (2 pairs), Leggings (2 pairs)
Shoes: Tennis shoes, Water shoes, Cowboy boots, Uggs
Shirts: Light shirts to go under coat
Miscellaneous: Pjs, Hats, Swim suit for hot tub (1)
I also packed similar things to the Kids
Let’s just say the weather can change on a time. So being prepared is good! In YELLOWSTONE we went through “4 seasons” in 1 day!
Ideas of outfits & links
My links:
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Now onto restaurants…
We ate at a lot of different restaurants. These were my favorite:
Book a month early, exquisite food, pricey but good
307-733-0557
Hands down my favorite in the Four Seasons hotel.
INCREDIBELE FOOD, ambiance, service is a 10. Expensive but worth every penny!
(By the way the spicy Jalapeño margarita and nachos were insanely good!)
307-732-5620
Great for a quick lunch. Amazing bison sandwiches & steak tacos.
307-264-1996
Fun family friendly place to eat. Great burgers & shakes!
307-201-1275
307-733-2207
Family style and Western vibe
307-733-3287
307- 733-3888
Here comes the fun…
We did many different excursions and activities. My favorite were:
Yellowstone Tour with Wildlife
Hands down my favorite excursion. They pick you up at 6am and you are back by 6pm. You sit in a comfortable bus with snacks and water. You stop for a great lunch. The knowledge I learned in those 12 hours was more than I learned of my whole entire schooling. We had the BEST guide named, Neil. Such a PASSION for the GREAT OUTDOORS! We literally went through “4 seasons” on the drive. He took us through the Grand Tetons, would stop for any cool Wildlife with binoculars and expensive telescopes. They would take videos of animals and send it to you afterwards. They talked about each animal as you went and connected it to a story. My favorite animals we saw were the GRIZZLY BEAR & the BISON’S. He said that it was super rare that we saw two grizzly bears, because they were almost extinct. Seeing the BISON walk across the road with their MASSIVE bodies was incredible. We also saw four wolves. This was super rare because there are only 100 in the park he said. We saw Elk, moose, and eagles.
We booked with Wildlife Expeditions and our guide was Neil. Some of the FUN FACTS we learned:
8 types of Bears: Andean, Asiatic black, North American black, Brown (also known as Grizzly bears), Sloth, Sun, Panda, and Polar bears.
Bears can mate with up to 5 bears at once and the daddy bear is the most likely to kill its own baby cub.
3. Yellowstone was the first national park in the U.S. snd is also widely held to be the first national park in the world.
Dave Hansen Whitewater and Scenic River Trips (White Water Rafting)
Such a fun experience with the kids. I was a little scared but so glad we did it. It was safe, great guide and they give you body suits and waterproof boots to protect you from the cold. Going down the Snake River and Dave Hansen Whitewater and Scenic River Trips was a level 3, which isn’t bad for kids over 10 I don’t think. My kids had a BLAST!
Tip: Bring a towel & a change of clothes
Our guide was amazing! His name was Sandy.
307-733-6295
Grand Teton Sunrise Wildlife Tour
Early but worth it because all the animals come out to feed in the morning. Great photography and amazing to watch them in their element.
It was 4 hours and this was the company we used
We booked with Teton Science Schools
307-733-1313
Insanely fun with the kids. Oh my goodness what a fun time. You can book a 4 seater or 2 seater. You are riding up and down mountains, fields, mudding and seeing wildlife. The views are insane!
They give you a helmet, bandanna and goggles to protect from dirt. (I suggest to bring gloves and shoes you don’t care to get dirty)
Booked with Jackson Hole Adventure Rentals
307-733-5678
They had an amazing time. They left at 8am and were back by 1pm. They fished on a fly rod and caught about 10 trout.
Amazing experience & photos. We booked with Grand Fishing Adventures
307-734-9684
@hannahhardawayphoto
Overall it was my favorite trip ever with my family! It was on my bucket list of trips. The family time, fresh air, environment, Western VIBES, food, outdoors, excursions, experiences of a LIFETIME were priceless! It is an EXPENSIVE trip but worth every penny & memory!
Post below if this trip sounds interesting to you. Go follow me @dacialea on Instagram & www.dacialea.com for more blogs.
I have a HIGHLIGHT on my Instagram called “WYOMING” that has pics, experiences, clothing Inspo., and excursions so you can see visionally what I’m talking about.
Well that’s all FOLKS!
Bye for now…
Love,
Dacia
@dacialea
nsddacia@gmail.com
Inspiring & encouraging others through beauty, fashion, & motherhood.
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