The Tetons are one of the most beautiful areas I have ever been to! I absolutely loved my trip exploring this part of the country and I highly, highly recommend it!

General things to know:

Grand Teton National Park is quite small, and the town of Jackson, Wyoming sits right at the park entrance.
There are a lot of restaurants and lodging options inside the park, which is not always the case and a nice perk here.
Combine your Teton adventures with a trip to Yellowstone—the park signs are literally only 10 minutes apart! + if you are debating between the two, Tetons > Yellowstone.

My Yellowstone National Park Guide

Grand Teton National Park Recommendations:

Catch sunrise at Schwabacher Landing: This is a stunning sight if you’re lucky on a clear day. Expect a crowd, but it is amazing.
- Oxbow Bend is another popular sunrise spot that is very pretty!
Cascade Canyon Trail & Solitude Lake Trail: This is a long trail at 14.3 miles with 2,362ft of elevation and takes about 6.5 hours to complete. Most folks do not head out to Solitude lake and just explore the Cascade Canyon area. Cascade Canyon is home to Hidden Falls, a nice large waterfall, and Inspiration Point, a nice overlook. You’ll see these spots on the trail either choice you make. Solitude Lake is beautiful and super clear. I was also lucky enough to encounter a lot of wildlife in this section of the trail with 5 different Moose and a baby bear on the trail. Even if you don’t want to hike, you should still stop by Jenny Lake to soak in the views!
- You’ll start by taking a shuttle across Jenny Lake (or add to your distance by hiking around the side of the lake). For the shuttle it is $20 cash, there are no reservations, and boats run every 10-15 minutes. If you’re lucky enough to get on the first boat of the day you’ll get half off the cost! Expect a wait for the boat on your way back across in the afternoon.
Taggart & Bradley Lake Loop: This trail takes you out to two beautiful lakes and is 5.8 miles long with 767ft of elevation gain. Both have stunning reflections in the morning hours so I would definitely recommend doing this earlier rather than later. Additionally, the parking lot here fills up with folks lounging at Taggart all afternoon so the early bird certainly gets the worm here. Overall this trail took me about 2.5 hours to complete.
- You can either shorten the trail by just visiting Taggart Lake, which is far more popular, or you can lengthen the trail by adding on Delta or Surprise + Amphitheater Lakes for more of a challenge—personally I was going to add on Delta Lake, but there was some nearby forest fires causing visibility to not be ideal so I did not want to risk hiking all the way up there for nothing!
Dornans: This business wears a lot of hats: grocery store, chuckwagon, gas station, cabin rentals, market and deli, adventure rentals, and a Pizza & Pasta business. I would highly recommend checking out the Pizza and Pasta spot at the Spur Bar. Head over for lunch or dinner and go up to the top deck. The views here are fantastic! They have about 10 beer taps, cocktails, wine, and you can buy bottles of wine next door at their wine shop to bring over too. This spot definitely gets busy, but it’s awesome!
Leigh Lake Trail and String Lake Trail: I chose to combine these two trails, but you could also just do one or the other, or you can also loop around the lakes! Both lakes have beautiful reflections in the morning hours, so I would recommend starting here one of your days in the park. Both trails are nice and easy with several beaches and viewpoints throughout. You don’t really even need to hike if you don’t want to, you could just lounge at a lake! Keep your eyes peeled for moose in this area.
- There is plenty of parking at the Leigh Lake Trailhead, whereas the String Lake parking area is a lot smaller.
Relax at Colter Bay Beach: This area itself is poppin’ but I was the only one on the scenic beach.

Woodland, Phelps Lake, and Lake Creek Loop: This trail is inside the Laurance S. Rockefeller Preserve part of the park. it leads out to the beautiful Phelps Lake that has crystal clear water and even a place where you can cliff jump! The trail claims to be 3.2 miles long with 269ft of elevation gain but it felt like it was moderately uphill the whole way out to the lake. Or maybe my legs were just tired at this point haha. Overall it took me about an hour and 10 minutes to complete and is a nice, easy trail. This is a great spot to have a picnic or spend an afternoon. There is even a bathroom out by the lake for your convenience.
- There is another route that takes you to Phelps Lake via the Valley Trail, but I’d really recommend this route so you are looking at the mountains.

Explore the Jenny Lake Scenic Drive: The Jenny Lake Overlook here is quite pretty.
Stop at Jackson Point Overlook: Really great views! Signal Mountain Summit is also located just above Jackson Point for a different angle of the area.
Moose Wilson Road is a non-scenic drive that is popular for wildlife viewing—personally I saw a bear here.

Jackson, Wyoming Recommendations:

Jackson Hole is infamous and serves as the gateway to the Tetons. The downtown area is super cute, but also very touristy of course.

Melvin The Dojo: Melvin Brewing’s OG location is just far enough away to be annoying, but thankfully they opened The Dojo on the town square. Their beers are tasty and the food looked amazing!
Wander the Town Square: This is a beautiful little park and taking a picture with the antler arches is required. There are a TON of restaurants and shops that surround the square.
Persephone Bakery: This spot had an INSANE line so instead I checked out their Picnic location and it was fantastic.
Snake River Brewing: A solid brewery with a nice patio and beer garden. They have a full food menu as well.
I also had planned to visit StillWest Brewing but they did not open when they were supposed to either day that I tried.

Victor, Idaho

I decided to stay at this Airbnb which is a super cute tiny house in Victor, Idaho. I chose this route because I was traveling with Mosaic and needed to have an Airbnb, not a hotel room, for the days I was doing long hikes that she was not allowed to join on, and the prices in Jackson were astronomical. After exploring the area I would also recommend trying to stay in Colter Bay or Signal Mountain, and either of those could also double for your lodging to visit Yellowstone as well since they are on the north side of the park.

Victor, ID recommendations:

Grand Teton Brewing: A cool brewery with nice views, an onsite food truck and solid beers.
Guidepost Brewing: Another solid spot with a full food menu and a nice patio space.
Refuge Taphouse: A nice beer bar with 10 taps in downtown Victor.

Hiking in The Sawtooth Mountains:

None of the trails in this area are too steep, but they can be quite long. Remember to keep in mind the elevation if you’re coming from sea level—this area sits at around 6,000ft of elevation and then you’ll climb further up from there.

Sawtooth Lake via Iron Creek Stanley Lake Trail: This trail is 12.8 miles long with 1,817ft of elevation gain and takes about 5 hours to complete. Note that AllTrails lists this at 9.6 miles. Sawtooth Lake is absolutely stunning and an iconic sight in the Sawtooths. The mountains and lake are gorgeous. The trail is pretty exposed and leads through the wilderness to Alpine Lake and from there it heads uphill to Sawtooth Lake for one more mile. This trail is close to the town of Stanley somewhat popular, but there is overflow parking and it’s not by any means crowded.
Imogene Lake Trail: This trail is 15.2 miles long with 1,459ft of elevation gain and takes about 5.5 hours to complete from the upper trailhead. Note that AllTrails lists it at 13.4 miles. This is a great two-for-one trail with both Hell Roaring and Imogene Lakes. Hell Roaring is only about an hour from the upper trailhead which is a nice way to divide up the hike. If you visit Hell Roaring in the morning you may be treated to a gorgeous reflection in the morning light. Imogene Lake is much larger and also beautiful. You can hike all the way around the lake if you’d like. The trail is very quiet, I only saw a couple of folks the entire way (even on a holiday weekend).
- There are two trailheads to access Hell Roaring and Imogene Lakes. The upper trailhead requires a 4 wheel drive/high clearance vehicle to access. The lower trailhead adds a couple of miles to your hike.
Pettit Lake to Alice Lake: This trail is 13.9 miles long with 1,900ft of elevation gain and takes about 6 hours to complete. The trail begins at Pettit Lake which is very pretty in the morning light. It then winds deeper into the wilderness with a few dramatic viewpoints and several river crossings. It is a quiet, exposed, and rocky trail that can get buggy in the afternoon. Alice Lake is a beautiful alpine lake that you can also hike around if you want to add in more mileage. The AllTrails route takes you to Twin Lakes, which adds about 2.4 miles and 200ft of elevation gain, though AllTrails says this route in total is 13.6 miles.

Things to do in Stanley, Idaho:

Stanley is the tiny town that calls the Sawtooth Mountains home. It’s a great base for exploring this region with a few hotels, restaurants, and outfitting businesses. You could also stay in the Sun Valley area, but that is not quite as “mountain-weekend”-y, much more touristy, and you’ll have longer drives to trailheads.

Stanley Lake Overlook: Stanley Lake is a gorgeous alpine lake that is accessible without hiking through the mountains (though you can do that too!). The overlook is a great spot to lounge on the water, but there is also a boat launch area with a beach and a campground.
Sawtooth Hotel: A great spot for dinner with a view! The food is tasty, though a little pricey, and the team here is very nice.
Relax in a hot spring: Thanks to its geography and geology, Idaho is home to more soakable hot springs than any other state in the U.S.! There are over 20 in the Stanley area, and I checked out two:
- Sunbeam Hot Springs: This a spacious hot spring with several different pools of water with different temperatures. It is located about 15 minutes north of Stanley.
- Valley Creek Hot Spring: This is right in downtown Stanley. It is a bit smaller and has some road noise, but the water is warm and relaxing.
Stanley Baking Company: A cute spot for baked goods, coffee, breakfast, and lunch. It is wildly busy so expect a wait in the summer months, but it’s worth it.
Papa Brunee’s: A solid spot for pizza and subs. It can be a little hectic but the food comes out pretty quickly.
Stay at Basecamp Lodge: This is a cute lodge and RV park in Stanley. There are thoughtful touches and it’s on the cheaper side. I enjoyed my stay but if I were to return to the area I would probably book something with a view.
Redfish Lake: This area can be the most crowded of the Sawtooths. It is home to a lodge, multiple campgrounds, two restaurants, a boat launch, kayak/SUP rentals, trailheads, and more. It’s worth checking out, but not quite the vibe I wanted personally.
Skip: Stanley Supper Club: 0/10 experience here.
Heads up: Groceries from the only store in town, Mountain Village Mercantile, are extraordinarily overpriced and they have a limited selection—do your best to avoid it.

Twin Falls Recommendations:

Twin Falls has a nice little downtown. It’s a very outdoorsy city with a bunch of bike trails, a gorgeous golf course on the Snake River, trails, waterfalls, parks, and more. It’s about 2.5 hours from Twin Falls to the Sawtooth Mountains, and you’ll pass through the popular ski area of Sun Valley on the way.

Koto Brewing Company and Milner’s Gate are the two breweries in town and O’Dunkens is a beer bar that looks solid—they were all closed when I was in Twin Falls due to a holiday.
Shoshone Falls: This is a massive waterfall known as the Niagara of the West. It is taller than Niagara Falls, just not as wide, and very cool to see. There is a $5 entrance fee to see the falls.
Perrine Coulee Falls: A nice waterfall that you can reach via this trail that is half of a mile long with 200ft of elevation gain and takes about 20 minutes to complete, or you can also just see the fall from the road.
Redhawk Gastropub: A restaurant with views of the Snake River Bridge and Canyon on their nice patio. They have a solid tap list, the food is tasty, the service is a little lacking.
Snake River Canyon Rim Trail: This is a great trail to bike along the edge of the Snake Canyon. You could go as long or as short as you’d like with nice views throughout.
Centennial Waterfront Park: A great park on the Snake River. There is a boat launch and picnic tables with nice views of the canyon and bridge.
Java Blue Lakes: A nice little spot for coffee, breakfast, and lunch.

Stops on the way to/from the Sawtooths:

Craters of the Moon National Monument

This is a very unique attraction made of dried lava from Great Rift fissures. The park has several trails with craters, cones, and caves. It is neat to explore but not worth going too far out of your way for. It is $20 per car to enter without a National Park Pass. Located 2.5 hours southeast from Stanley, 1.5 hours northeast of Twin Falls. There is a 7 mile loop drive that each trail and viewpoint is located off of.

Spatter Cones and Big Craters via North Crater Trail: This trail includes Spatter Cones, Snow Cones, and Big Crater. It is 1.3 miles long, but also connects to the North Crater trail so you can make it as short or long as you’d like. Most folks just see the spatter and snow cones, but the Big Crater is pretty neat.
Inferno Cone Trail: This is a quick .4 mile roundtrip trail up to a panoramic viewpoint. It is short but steep and takes about 15 minutes to complete.
Caves Trail: A mostly flat 1.8 mile long trail to Indian Tunnel and Dewdrop Cave. These are made of lava tubes and neat to see. It is a bit treachorous with boulders in the cave and the trail can be a bit hard to follow. Bring a headlamp for better sight. Note the AllTrails route includes Boy Scout and Beauty caves which were closed during my visit. You will need a free permit from the visitor’s center to access this area. Do not wear or bring anything that has been in a cave ever before to protect the bats from white nose syndrome.

Salt Lake City

I flew in and out of Salt Lake because it made sense from Charlotte with cheap, nonstop flights at good times. It would be easier to access the Sawtooths by flying into Boise, Twin Falls, or Sun Valley, but this made more sense for me. If you also are in SLC, check out all of my Utah recommendations here. Highlights from this trip:

Bonneville Salt Flats: The salt flats are pretty neat—they are the remnants of Lake Bonneville and it’s, well, salty and flat. They do car racing here occasionally, but otherwise you can just walk around and take in the sights and uniqueness. The best spot to access the salt flats is by just making a quick stop at the west bound rest area on I-80 West, about 1.5 hours from the SLC airport.
Templin Family Brewing: A stellar brewery with a wide variety of beers but superb Lagers. This is a popular spot with frequent food trucks, a small snack menu and cocktails. They have a nice back patio space as well.
Epic Brewing Company: Epic is most known for their big Stouts and have been in the beer game for ages. Their SLC taproom does not have any taps because of Utah’s wild beer laws, but they have a huge menu of bottles and cans you can get pours from.
Grid City Beer Works: A great brewery with a Lager and Cask focus. They have a tasty food menu and lots of vegan options as well. The vibes here are a fun mix between classic brewery and restaurant, plus they have a rooftop deck.
Great Salt Lake State Park: This is a nice spot for sunset and to see the Great Salt Lake. There is not quite a beach but you can access the water if you’d like, just keep in mind it is indeed very salty. There are also a ton of spiders in the area because of the salt, meaning the observation deck and surrounding rocks are covered in webs and eight legged critters. There is an entrance fee of $10 per car.