I’m weird. I know this. I embrace it with open arms. So when my friend mentioned that she wanted to go to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, she knew I’d be game. After a few weeks of planning, we set off on yet another road trip into the middle of nowhere. This time, instead of Central Nevada, we were headed to the beautifully underrated wilderness of Western Wyoming, settling down in Teton Village.
Not having a whole lot of vacation time to burn, Ashley and I decided to make it a long weekend trip yet again. This time, however, instead of a hot desert, we had to navigate the threat of rain, snow, and closed/dangerous mountain passes.
Challenge accepted!
There are a few routes you can take to get to Jackson Hole/Teton Village, Wyoming, from Salt Lake City:
- Take I-80 East and jump on a few state highways straight north, and pray that all of the roads are clear and open
- Take I-15 North and cut east through Logan and the dreaded Sardine Canyon, connecting to Wyoming 89 north
- Take I-15 North to Idaho Falls and take Idaho 26 east to connect to Wyoming 89 north
One glance at the map and I decided that we were going to take option 3…with a slight detour through Rexburg, Idaho, my old college stomping ground. I hadn’t been back in years and was hankering for a Big Jud (post to follow) and wanted to share my college town with Ashley. She’s heard the stories, listened to my descriptions, but nothing beats actually driving through Rexburg. Plus, I was also familiar with the drive between Rexburg and Jackson Hole, having made the drive a few times during college.
(AND, if the roads were snowy and icy, at least I’d be in familiar territory, having learned to drive in the winters of Eastern Idaho…Heaven forbid we got caught in a Wyoming storm!)
With the Subaru “StanLee” loaded up, we headed north, marveling at the unusually clear sky. Maybe the universe was applauding our choice? Or the weather was celebrating my (brief) return to Idaho? Whatever the case, we had smooth sailing the entire drive to Rexburg.
I remembered why I love driving in Idaho so much. I mean, just LOOK at this view (taken from the passenger side)!
I was on cloud 9 as I was reminiscing and regaling Ashley with stories from *gasp* over 10 years ago when I attended BYU Idaho. I can’t wait for the day that we visit her college town of Orlando!
When we finally finished our lunch at Big Juds, we continued east into the wide open homeland that is Eastern Idaho. Precious few people actually get to experience what it is to drive through rolling corn, potato, and alfalfa fields, with no cars to obstruct our view. I happily pointed out the notorious spud shacks while we counted down the miles until we crossed into Wyoming.
Before long, we started to notice some ominous clouds amassing over the mountain pass just outside of Victor, Idaho. Up until now, we had counted our lucky stars that the late-April weather was holding out and we didn’t have to use the windshield wipers much at all. Having lived in this area for years, I knew better. Weather in this part of the country can change within minutes and we were driving straight into it!
With the gentle reminder that we were in no rush, that as long as we could see the truck in front of us, and didn’t accelerate/brake too quickly, we safely made it through the first mountain pass of our weekend. Bless those plow drivers! I didn’t get a picture, but some of the snow banks that were on the side of the highway were taller than our car!
I’ve talked about how much I love the desert and how magical it is, but driving through lush, green forest with mist swirling all about is just straight-up ethereal. I was half expecting some wood-elves from some Lord of the Rings LARPers to come sauntering towards us, bows drawn.
Or a bear.
Yeah, a bear would have been better.
Although we were in the middle of nowhere (again), we had reception for most of the drive. We were going to be staying at The Hostel in Teton Village, nestled into the shadows of Grand Teton. As we inched down the mountain and closer to our destination, that wonderful excitement in my stomach started. You know, the kind that you feel right before an adventure is about to begin?
Driving through Wilson, Wyoming, was a real eye-opener for how remote and secluded we were going to be. Blink, and the town disappears. After turning left at the only signal around, we started seeing awesome signs that we never really see in the city…
And of course, “Be Bear Aware” became a beloved motto for us during the trip, even though it was still the wrong season and they were most likely still in hibernation-mode.
Thank goodness we weren’t traveling during the high bear-sighting season. It would have made driving in the dark that much more intimidating!
By the time we actually reached our home for the next few nights, our joints were seizing up and it was time to stretch. And good. The kind of stretching that, if done right, leaves you a little winded afterwards.
The only downer to staying in Teton Village was that it was the shoulder season. The ski lifts had closed the day we arrived, and most of the roads leading anywhere were still closed due to snow. I’m sure there were only a handful of us at The Hostel, which made making friends a little harder than I experienced in Europe…but that also meant that we had the pool table and common areas to ourselves!
Oh, and only 1 weird flatmate for our first night!
Have you ever been to Teton Village before? Would you travel for hours on end to be as secluded as we found ourselves?
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