Parker and I expected to love Jackson, Wyoming and the Tetons and we definitely weren’t disappointed. The rugged snowcapped mountains tower over huge beautiful alpine lakes and a valley alive with wildlife all 20 minutes from town. Grand Teton, the highest peak in the range, is a beast and had a cloud hovering over its peak almost the entire time we were there. I joked he had his head in the clouds, not too much unlike us, with our heads full of dreams and aspirations.

While we waited for the sun to dry the dusting of snow Jackson Hole received the night before, we got hyped to go into the park by watching a Teton Gravity Research film where some badasses hiked, repelled, and skiied/snowboarded down Grand Teton. It was INSANE. Parker’s favorite Teton Gravity film is the trilogy Deeper… and he introduced me to them last year. Look them up if you haven’t seen one yet. The prepardness and athleticism showcased in their films really make you want to go out and conquer the day.

We turned Grand Teton National Park into our playground. Hiking, then biking, then paddleboarding, then doing it all over again with a different backdrop the next day.

Jackson Hole is full of miles and miles of bike trails- literally a bikers heaven. We really enjoyed biking the Jenny Lake Scenic Drive, the National Elk Refuge, and the Jackson to Teton Village routes.

Many hikes we would have loved to do were still covered with quite a bit of snowpack and we didn’t want to risk losing the trail so we will definitely be coming back later in the season. Bradley and Taggart Lakes were a nice chill hike. We also took the ferry over Jenny Lake to Hidden Falls and Inspiration Point and hiked back. There was a momma moose and her baby relaxing at the bottom of the crowded falls- which definitely made the crowd worth it.

We paddled String Lake as the sun started to set and everyone was getting off the water. It was so peaceful and calm having it all to ourselves, though it did start to get a bit chilly. We also paddled at Signal Mountain, a much longer lake, where the views are incredible.

Conveniently Signal Mountain has a clean water and dump station as well as clean coin-operated showers of which we were definitely due for.

The Teton National Forest Land is unreal. We had beautiful campsites at Curtis Canyon and Shadow Mountain with unobstructed views of the Teton mountain range and designated fire pits. The sunsets were stunning and vanlife means waking up at 5 am for the sunrises when you have these kind of views.

Another fun fact about Jackson is that overnight parking is allowed downtown in the summer so if you have a few too many Melvin 2x4’s (we did) you can stumble back to your van for a solid stealth camping session.

We spent our snow day (yes, it snowed in June) bar hopping around Jackson. Our first stop was Melvin Brewery- a must for any IPA lover as they have won many, many awards. They share a building with a Thai restaurant and had delicious appitizers on their happy hour menu. The bar was lively and chatty. We cut ourselves off after a 2x4 and IPA and were off to the next stop.

Million Dollar Cowboy Bar is just a must. The bartenders are decked out in full cowboy attire. The barstools are saddles. There is a boot shine station. You won’t be disappointed.

Dinnertime rolled around and we stopped in right next door to Local Restaurant and Bar for some local beef. We had steak with brussels, potatoes, and mushrooms and everything was perfection.

We could have spent many, many more days exploring Jackson Hole and are already looking forward to returning. We know we will be back for sure this winter to ski Jackson Hole’s epic terrain.