Whether you ski the steepest slopes or have never carved more than a snow angel in the stuff, snow – and plenty of it – is one thing you’re certain to find in Wyoming every winter. And while there’s something to be said for appreciating the soothing backdrop of our snowscapes from inside a warm place, you’re not going to hear the phrase “snowed in” often around here. More snow means more excuses to get out in it. Here are a few good ways.
Day 1: Alta
On the western side of the Teton Range, Alta’s Grand Targhee Resort has been called the “friendliest little resort in the West.” The resort may be “little” by Rocky Mountain standards, but its ski area certainly isn’t, nor is the more than 500 inches of snowfall a year here. You can get warmed up on the 2,000 acres of lift-served terrain spread over two mountains. If it’s stunning, untouched landscapes you’re looking for, then take a ride out to 1,000 additional acres for some backcountry cat-skiing. (Heli-skiing, but swap the helicopter for a Snowcat.) Grand Targhee Snowcat Adventures runs half- and full-day outings into pristine snowfields, north-facing bowls and steep rollovers, with 10 to 12 runs (14,000 to 20,000 vertical feet) on a full day. Not an intermediate or advanced skier? Then try one of the wildlife-watching snowshoe tours through Caribou-Targhee National Forest instead.
Day 2: Jackson Hole
Grand Teton National Park boasts more than 100 glacial and alpine lakes
Twelve miles south of Grand Targhee, head east on Route 22 and up over Teton Pass. (It’s a slow and winding drive in winter months, but relatively well traveled.) Jackson Hole Mountain Resort is famous for its vertical drop – the longest continuous drop in the U.S., at 4,139 feet – but you don’t have to ride the lifts to take in the awesome beauty of the mountains that ring this little valley. Try a cross-country ski tour through Grand Teton National Park, the doorstep of which is just a 10-minute drive from Jackson Hole. The Teton Range, a 40-mile long, nine- to 11-mile wide mountain block, runs through the park, while the 13,772-foot Grand Teton peak, the highest in the range, rises more than a mile from the valley floor. Fifty miles of the Snake River, seven glacial lakes and more than 100 alpine lakes lie within park boundaries as well. Is solitude and a glittering sunrise over new snow what you’re after? Rock Springs Yurt, in Bridger-Teton National Forest (the largest national forest in the lower 48 states), sleeps up to eight people and is stocked with a wood-burning stove, sleeping bags, gourmet meals and other niceties. The yurt is accessible from the top of the aerial tram or via a one- to two-hour trek/ski from the base of the mountain.
At Brooks Lake Lodge, vacationers can enjoy wintry beauty by day and cushy comforts by night
Day 3/4: Dubois
If you’re looking for a little more luxury than a heated little hut on a wide canyon floor, take Highway 89 out of town and then turn east on Highway 287/26. Brooks Lake Lodge, in the tradition of the Great Western ranch, is a beautiful, craftsman-style lodge on the edge of Wyoming’s famous Wind River Range. (The lodge sits at an elevation of 9,200 feet.) They’ll cook for you and turn down your goose down-duvet while you stomp around in the snow and take your pick of pretty much every wintertime activity the high country has to offer – cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, tobogganing, ice fishing (the chef will prepare your catch) and dogsledding. Just a ways down the road is Yellowstone National Park, with winter snowmobile-only access to most of its roads and trails. (And geysers.) But you don’t have to go into the park to get some of the best snowmobiling in the Rocky Mountains. Close to the lodge, the Continental Divide Snowmobile Trail consistently ranks as one of the top 15 trails in the country, and throughout the winter there’s anywhere from eight to 12 feet of snow on the ground. After a day out in the snow, warm up your toes in the lodge’s outdoor Jacuzzi before dinner. And oh yes – there’s also a full-service spa.
My 12-year-old daughter stands on the boardwalk at Yellowstone's West Thumb Geyser
Basin, aiming a borrowed digital laser thermometer at the hot pools and mud pots simmering nearby. She clicks the trigger and reads the display: 120 degrees … 155 degrees … even 170 degrees. read more
The United States Congress dedicated approximately 24,000 acres of land as the John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Memorial Parkway in 1972. read more
