Lucky in Love: Jackson, Wyoming
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The West on a Diagonal
A journey through the West, with Jackson and the Tetons at its center.
Jackson, Wyoming is a small mountain town at the foot of the Teton range, and it sits in the middle of one of the most scenic stretches of the American West. The Lucky in Love episode that inspired this itinerary takes you through some of the best activities this area has to offer.. This self-drive trip starts in Bozeman, Montana and builds outward from there. It opens with the geysers of Yellowstone, moves on to the Tetons, then runs a long diagonal south through red rock country to Los Angeles. The link below opens the full trip, and you can change any part of it.
Start in Yellowstone
The trip begins in Bozeman, Montana, at The Lark, and from there it's a short drive to West Yellowstone, a town at the park's west entrance. Then you go inside the park itself and stay at Canyon Lodge, with a visit to Old Faithful on the schedule. Old Faithful is a geyser that erupts on a regular cycle, sending a column of steam and water high into the air, and it's the natural centerpiece of a first day in Yellowstone.
Lamar Valley and its open plains make for some of the best wildlife spotting in the park.
The wildlife comes next. An eight-hour van safari through the Lamar Valley takes you into a broad valley in the park's northeast corner where bison and wolves roam. A guide who knows where to look makes it easy to spot animals, and best of all, you can take it all in without driving.
The Jackson Payoff
From Yellowstone, the route drops south to Jackson and Grand Teton National Park, with a night at the Mountain Modern Motel. The Tetons rise straight off the valley floor with no foothills in front of them, which gives the range a sharp, dramatic profile. A free day in the park lets you explore it at your own pace.
Back in town, the square is framed by arches made of elk antlers, a Jackson landmark that makes a good place to stop for a photo. The episode is why this town sits at the trip's center, and the mountains are why you stay.
The Long Diagonal South
From Jackson, the route heads south to Salt Lake City, then continues into red rock country. A free day around Moab, the gateway to Arches National Park, puts you among natural sandstone arches. The route also takes in Monument Valley, where tall sandstone buttes rise from the desert, and the Grand Canyon.
Next is Page, Arizona, beside Lake Powell, a large reservoir surrounded by red cliffs. Here you tour Upper Antelope Canyon, a narrow slot canyon where light slips through the rock in bright shafts, and take a ninety-minute cruise on the lake.
The light beams are one of the strangest and most interesting natural wonders you'll see while visiting Antelope Canyon.
From Page, the road leads to Bryce Canyon for a night among the hoodoos, tall, odd-shaped rock spires that fill the canyon's amphitheater. Then comes Las Vegas, followed by Los Angeles, where the trip ends with Universal Studios and a guided walking tour of Venice Beach, a seaside neighborhood known for its boardwalk and street performers.
The link below opens the full trip. Spend longer in the parks, shorten the back half or trade Las Vegas for an extra night in the Tetons. Click through and shape it into your own.
The West on a Diagonal
A journey through the West, with Jackson and the Tetons at its center.
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