Rocky Mountain Road Trip – Utah, Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana – July 2024

This trip all began because of a wedding we were invited to in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.  Before this trip, I had never been to Wyoming or Idaho.  In addition to those two states, Elizabeth had also never stepped foot in Montana.  And because of logistics and the cost to fly into Jackson, we decided to fly into Salt Lake City, which had the extra benefit of allowing us to visit some friends there.

Day 1, July 16 – After flying into Salt Lake City on Day 1, we had dinner at a great restaurant in “The Avenues” section of town with Michael and Paige, whom we had not seen in quite a while.  Afterwards, we walked next door to Hatch Family Chocolates. Their chocolate was amazing. Our friends then drove us around some of the beautiful neighborhoods in Salt Lake City. It was great to see Michael again, who is like a son to us.

Day 2, July 17 – I left our hotel and went for an early morning run to the Utah State Capitol and through Memory Grove Park, which includes a trail that feeds into a beautiful canyon outside of the city. During my morning run, I had to stop several times, not to enjoy the sunrise, which was indeed beautiful, but to catch my breath!  I finally realized that SLC sits on a high dessert plateau with an altitude of over 4,000 feet, which explained my shortness of breath!

After a wonderful breakfast at our historic hotel, we met Michael and Jan Locher at the SLC Airport. They had flown in from Boston. We then headed to Jackson, Wyoming via southeast Idaho. During our 5-hour drive to Jackson we stopped in Lava Hot Springs, Idaho for lunch. While enjoying our craft beer and wood-fired oven pizza, we were able to watch people floating and splashing in the rapids in the small river that ran by our restaurant and right through town. Afterwards, we continued our drive into Wyoming, and finally, Jackson Hole. But before entering Jackson, we stopped along the road to take off our shoes and gingerly walk on the hard pebbles on the bottom of the Snake River.  Once in Jackson, we met additional friends for dinner and attended our first rodeo. The rodeo even featured 10-year-olds riding bulls!

Day 3 – July 18 – On Day 3 we explored in and around Jackson enjoying good food, shopping, and taking a short 3-mile hike out of town and into one of the adjacent canyons. Again, because Jackson sits on an even higher plateau of 6,000 feet, the hike was more strenuous than anticipated.   We spent the evening in our B&B enjoying good food, wine and company with the Jan and Michael.  Sometimes, just spending quality time with friends is all you need – but good food and wine helps!

Day 4 – July 19 – As a part of the Rockies, the Teton Range near Jackson extends for approximately 40 miles (64 km) in a north–south direction through Wyoming, east of the Idaho state line. It is south of Yellowstone National Park, and most of the east side of the range is within Grand Teton National Park, which we would visit on Day 5, hiking String Lake, Jenny Lake and Hidden Falls. 

But on Day 4 we decided to visit Teton Village, taking the Tram up to 10,400 feet and hiking 5 miles at that elevation with much of it above the tree line. We experienced amazing mountain and valley views. But just as beautiful were the fields of wildflowers we saw during our trek. Because most people are not crazy enough to attempt a five-mile hike at 10,000 feet with lots of elevation change, we saw only 8 other hikers. And because we were not acclimated, we did struggle with a little altitude sickness at the end as we finished with a 500-foot ascent. But we recovered nicely with an amazing lunch down at the village. We ended the day with an evening wedding welcome party on the rooftop terrace of the beautiful and elegant Cloudveil Hotel, with views of a full moon while looking over the historic town square.

Day 5 – July 20 – After our spectacular hike in the Grand Teton National Park in the morning, we rested before attending the wedding that was the initial reason for visiting this part of the country. Despite a brief rain shower during the middle of the ceremony, the wedding was beautiful and elegant. When the venue is next to a beautiful meandering river with the Grand Tetons as a backdrop, and the wedding couple exude style and elegance, how could it not be amazing. And it was. And the reception, which was also outdoors, was breathtaking. The band, if you want to call it that, was from Miami. It consisted of a very charismatic DJ and 5 live musicians, who would play along with many of the songs.  I had never seen or heard anything like it…but everyone agreed that the music was amazing. It was a “rockin” party!

Day 6 – July 21 – We spent the morning at our condo in Jackson recovering from the previous night’s wedding festivities before attending a post-wedding brunch. From the brunch spot, we could actually see the mountain peak we had hiked two days earlier. Afterwards we visited the National Museum of Wildlife Art, located just outside of the town of Jackson. It was worth the visit. The museum also had a powerful art exhibit portraying how humans are destroying the natural beauty of the earth – very moving and powerful….  After returning to Jackson, we strolled the town, visiting some of its many art galleries, before ending the walk with a visit to Wyoming Whiskey, where I bought two bottles of fine spirits. We then said our goodbyes to the Lochers, who were flying back to Boston that evening. It was bittersweet. We loved our time with Michael and Jan.

Day 7 – July 22 – We awoke early and began our almost 9-hour car ride from Jackson, Wyoming to Whitefish, Montana. Because the traffic in and around Yellowstone National Park is so heavy this time of year, we saved two hours of travel time by going west around Yellowstone into Idaho, before heading north into Montana. Along the way, we stopped for refreshments in the fly-fishing town of Ennis, Montana and later for a quick picnic along the Madison River, which seemed to have fly fishing boats every quarter of a mile. 

Traveling 80 miles per hour through massive valleys bordered by mountain ranges that are miles and miles away, you realize how expansive this part of the United States really is. And as the contours of the landscape were revealed, it was easy to imagine a time when millions of buffalo roamed these vast open spaces.

Day 8 – July 23 – Several weeks ago, I was on a phone call with a friend of mine who lives in Naples, Florida. I mentioned that Elizabeth and I were going out west for vacation. It turned out that he and his partner were going to be in Whitefish, Montana on the same dates! So, while in Whitefish, we spent most of our first full day in Montana hiking and exploring with Steve and Morela. We did a hike that overlooked Whitefish Lake, lunched in town at Buffalo Cafe and had dinner at Tupelo’s. I would describe Whitefish as the “Jackson of Montana”, but not as bougie. During the afternoon, I visited my friend, Jason, who lives and works in Kalispell. He also gave me a tour of Immanuel Living, a retirement community in Kalispell where he now serves as CEO. Yep, I had to visit a senior living community!

Day 9 – July 24 – Before we arrived out west, we heard that there were forest fires in Canada that might limit our ability to see the Grand Tetons during the wedding ceremony in Jackson. Fortunately, that did not occur. However, it did limit our ability to clearly see the Rocky Mountain Range here in northwest Montana. To truly appreciate this, please see the photos of Avalanche Lake, a glacier lake in Glacier National Park, from my trip visit nine years ago, and now. In fact, the fires have gotten so bad in Alberta Canada that several thousand people had to be evacuated from Jasper National Park.

 

But the forest fires in Canada did not spoil our enjoyment of Glacier National Park.  On Day 9 we started our visit to the Park early. Thankfully, Steve had informed me of a new process instituted by Glacier National Park 4 years ago called a “daily vehicle registration” because too many people were entering the park. Even if you have a National Park Pass, you must have a vehicle registration for the day you visit the park. And you apply for the daily registration at 7 pm the day before. Although it takes several attempts, you can usually get the daily pass, which costs all of $2. Isn’t America great! 

So, with our National Park Pass and our daily vehicle registration we entered the Park at 7:15 a.m. and left at 5:30 p.m. We hiked Avalanche Lake Trail, which took all morning, had a picnic lunch at Logan’s Bridge next to a beautiful stream, and then took a Red Bus Tour on the “Road to the Sun” up to Logan Pass, which sits on the Continental Divide.

By the end of the tour, we were starving. Thankfully, my friend Jason, who lives in Kalispell, gave us a splendid recommendation for dinner. Josephine’s, which sits on highway 2, approximately 5 miles from the Glacier National Park West Entrance, is one of those eateries that you wish for, but rarely find – a spot with great food, local charm, and few tourists.  And to top it off, it had a great bar! The special that night was trout right off the hook. So, we ordered trout, and it was heavenly. For anyone visiting Glacier National and using the West Entrance, you must eat here! Truly a find. We arrived back our hotel exhausted, but content. Thank you Jason!

Day 10 – July 25 – We would end our vacation the next day in Northwest Montana taking it easy with some urban hiking, watching the movie Twisters at a local cinema, and having dinner on beautiful Flathead Lake with Jason and his wife Jen.  The largest freshwater lake west of the Mississippi, Flathead is also the cleanest. It totally recycles its water, which is glacier fed, every 2 years, as compared to Lake Tahoe, which is also known as a very clean lake, which recycles its water every 6 years.  You could tell that Jason was very proud of that fact as he told us more about this beautiful area. Unlike many lakes with so much natural beauty, there are no hotels on Flathead. And the locals want to keep it that way. Teddy Roosevelt would be proud…