The Wandering Hart

Recently I spent 4 days exploring Jackson Hole, WY with some friends. Jackson Hole had been one of the charging stops near Grand Teton National Park this past summer, but it was so cool to see it in the winter! The whole group had an amazing time hanging out at our awesome hotel, skiing, and wandering the adorable Jackson Town Square.

The hotel we stayed in, Springhill Suites by Marriott in Jackson Hole, was great. It was conveniently located near the town square and offered a free shuttle to Jackson Hole Resort for skiing. We were booked in suites with 2 queen beds and everything about the rooms and the service for the whole weekend was perfect. We also enjoyed having access to their hot tub after long days of skiing or walking around! I would definitely recommend this place to anyone looking to do a ski weekend.

I kicked off the weekend with a ski day at Jackson Hole Resort. According to the resort website, the breakdown of trails is 50% expert, 40% intermediate, and 10% beginner trails. While I’m an intermediate skier on a good day, I was feeling fairly out of practice so I stuck mostly to greens. This was a little limiting at this resort, but that all comes down to personal skill level and preference. The majority of the group I was with were more advanced skiers and had a blast skiing all parts of the mountain! Overall Jackson is a huge resort with a variety of trail types, but it’s worth knowing that it leans a little more toward advanced skill levels especially if you’re a beginner.

After tiring myself out on my first ski day, I opted to enjoy exploring the town for the rest of the days I was in Jackson Hole. The town square is very quaint with tons of souvenir shops, restaurants, and other stores to browse and enjoy. It’s one of the more built-up ski towns I’ve been to, likely because they also see so much tourism for the National Parks in the summer. While browsing the shops you’ll, of course, find plenty of overpriced home decorations and expensive ski gear. However, you’ll also be able to find some great little shops for souvenirs, toys, and books! If you go shopping in the area, I’d recommend checking out Valley Bookstore, Teton Toys, and Lee’s Tees. And while you’re in the area don’t forget to stop for some fun photo ops with ice carvings!

The town also offers a wide variety of great restaurants which are perfect for lunch breaks during shopping days or for reconvening for dinner after a day of skiing. I loved Hatch Taqueria for lunch or brunch. I’d also recommend Snake River Brewing Company for drinks and dinner. If you’re willing to spend a little extra on some excellent pizzas, Pinky G’s Pizzeria is worth a try – the pizzas were amazing but they were also about $30 a pie! Finally, if you’re really feeling fancy, try out the game meats at Gun Barrel Steak and Game House. We finished our trip with an awesome dinner there and everything was delicious.

The rest of my time in Jackson was spent catching up with some amazing friends and enjoying the hotel. We spent a lot of time playing board games (see here if you need recommendations for great compact board games to bring on trips!), chatting, and taking advantage of the hotel’s hot tub. A perfect winter weekend!