Jackson Hole offers an ideal combination of luxury resorts, excellent restaurants and world-class outdoor activities, including being home to one of the best and most challenging ski resorts in North America. For lovers of outdoor adventure in a luxurious setting, Jackson Hole is hard to beat.

Friday

Images courtesy of Four Seasons Jackson Hole

We love the Four Seasons Resort Jackson Hole for its rustic luxury and ski-in/ski-out location at the base of the Jackson Hole ski resort. With 124 rooms and 34 private residences, the Four Seasons is large but spread out so feels more intimate than its size would suggest. The resort’s western décor features stained oak timbers and a number of large stone fireplaces throughout the public spaces. The excellent concierge desk, headed by Chef Concierge Hope Maloney, is extremely helpful in making reservations and can arrange just about any activity you can imagine. The large guest rooms are very comfortable, with stone fireplaces, stained oak cabinets and accents, and oversized bathrooms. Our favorite rooms are the mountain view suites that include balconies facing the magnificent mountain peaks.

Four Seasons Resort Jackson Hole // 7680 Granite Loop Road, Teton Village // website

Afternoon

Image courtesy of Jackson Hole Shooting Experience

After you get settled into your hotel, we highly recommend spending the afternoon at the Jackson Hole Shooting Experience. Operated out of a well-maintained shooting range just outside of the town of Jackson, the expert instructors welcome all types -- from those who have never shot a gun to experienced marksmen. We suggest booking their 3-hour “Multi-gun Shooting Experience”, which is a bespoke and personalized experience that starts with a focus on shooting safety and fundamentals using low-power 22-caliber handguns and rifles. From there, you will have an opportunity to try 10 – 20 different handguns and rifles, from 9mm or .45 caliber pistols to modern rifles to a .50 caliber BMG rifle that can hit targets up to 1,000 yards away. The instructors are very patient and safety conscious, making it a great experience for even first-time shooters.

Jackson Hole Shooting Experience // website

Dinner

For dinner, we like the casual elegance and delicious grilled meats at the Westbank Grill, a steakhouse located within the Four Seasons Resort. The dining room features a large stone fireplace, open kitchen and stunning views of Jackson Hole’s Rendezvous Peak. The Grill is known for its premium dry-aged steaks cooked on an 1800-degree grill, as well as regional game and excellent seafood dishes. The restaurant also offers a great selection of wines.

Westbank Grill // Four Seasons Jackson Hole // website

Saturday

Morning

Images courtesy of Jackson Hole Mountain Resort

For skiers, Jackson Hole Mountain Resort is a skiers’ paradise. The ski resort has been named by Forbes magazine as the No. 1 Ski Resort in North America and is consistently ranked by Ski Magazine as one of the best, and certainly the most challenging, ski resorts in North America. The exceptional mountain is geared primarily to intermediate, advanced and expert skiers, with the longest continual vertical drop (over 4,100 feet) of any ski area in the country. Here you will find great steep runs, lots of bumps, chutes but plenty groomed intermediate runs. For the truly adventurous, there are also excellent backcountry opportunities. We love this ski resort for its unmatched combination of stunning scenery, varied terrain, consistent snow, as well as legendary expert terrains, including steep powder filled chutes, sheltered tree runs and open bowls.

Jackson Hole Mountain Resort // Teton Village // website

After a number of challenging morning runs, your legs will demand a break so drop in Corbet’s Cabin, located at the top of the tram, for their famous waffles. They serve the crispy waffles with a number of toppings, like brown sugar and butter, Nutella and even peanut butter and bacon. Their waffles are delicious, and the views are breathtaking!

Corbet's Cabin // Top of Rendezvous Peak // website

Lunch

While the lunch options at most ski resorts are rather disappointing, at Jackson Hole you can find extraordinary on-mountain dining at Piste Mountain Bistro, located at top of gondola. In addition to the stunning views over the entire valley, here you will find truly excellent sandwiches, salads and full lunch entrees. Make sure to order their confit of duck wings (best to share) and their lemon-rosemary chicken “French dip” served on fresh, crispy ciabatta roll with a dip of pancetta butter. For dessert, don’t miss their skillet of Warm Monkey Bread with banana caramel and cinnamon salt.

Piste Mountain Bistro // website

Afternoon

After lunch, we suggest arranging for a breathtaking paragliding flight with Jackson Hole Paragliding. Operated from the top of the Jackson Hole gondola, you will be strapped to the front of your paraglider professional pilot and after a few short steps down the mountain you will launch into the air and soar over the entire Jackson Hole resort. The paragliders are extremely maneuverable, and the pilot can demonstrate some basic acrobatic moves as you descend to the valley floor 3,200 feet below.

Jackson Hole Paragliding // website

After a hard day of skiing, relax with a beer or drink the Four Season's Handle Bar, a pub and beer hall that features a large selection of American and international beers and whiskeys. If the weather is nice, find a spot on the outdoor terrace which has great views of the mountains.

Handle Bar // Four Seasons Resort Jackson Hole // website

Evening

One of our favorite restaurants in the town of Jackson is Trio. This casual American bistro features an eclectic menu that includes a well-crafted selection of appetizers and entrees. Don’t miss their wood-fired pizzas, wood-fired roasted chicken and a decedent S’more dessert.

Trio // 45 South Glenwood, Jackson // website

Due to the high altitude and lack of light pollution in the area, the night sky in Jackson Hole is stunning with the Milky Way spanning the entire valley. We suggest booking the Four Season’s resident astronomer for a private stargazing evening at the Resort or in Teton National Park. Using the Resort’s professional-grade Schmitt-Casgranian 11-inch telescope, your guide will bring the night sky to life as he points out the planets, stars, nebulae and galaxies visible through the telescope.

Sunday

Morning

We love starting the morning with a delicious breakfast at Persephone Bakery, Jackson’s French-style bakery and coffee shop. In addition to serving delicious French breakfast pastries, the breakfast selections include Persephone Porridge made with warm quinoa, homemade granola, toasted cashews, shaved maple syrup and steamed almond milk, Milk Toast made with strawberries, sweet milk brulée, sea salt and brioche bread and decadent Bread Pudding French Toast made with croissant bread pudding, fresh blueberries, lemon curd, and served with bourbon barrel aged maple syrup.

Persephone Bakery // 145 E. Broadway, Jackson // website

Images courtesy of High Mountain Heli-Skiing

While the skiing at Jackson Hole is hard to beat, if you are look for serious adventure, consider a full day of backcountry heli-skiing with High Mountain Heli-Skiing. With over 40 years of experience, their guides will fly you to the best backcountry deep powder, open bowls, steep chutes and open glades.

High Mountain Heli-Skiing // website

In addition to skiing, the Jackson Hole area offers a myriad of winter activities. Your hotel’s concierge can arrange for cross-country skiing, wildlife tours to the Elk Ranch Flats, a private Iditarod-style dog sled tour to Granite Hot Springs (where you can soak in the warm springs), snowmobile rides, sleigh rides in the National Elk Refuge to see elk up close and glider rides over the Teton Range, to name a few of the many available activities.

Lunch and Afternoon

If you in the town of Jackson around lunchtime or looking for a great place to spend the afternoon, drop in Bin22, a downtown favorite, for tapas and wine. This tapas/wine bar is in the middle of an artisanal grocery store/wine store and serves exceptional tapas and wines by the glass. Ask the bartender for a recommendation from the wines listed on the chalkboard. Also, don’t miss their house-pulled mozzarella with wild mushrooms!

Bin22 // 200 West Broadway, Jackson // website

After a full day of winter activities, treat yourself to a massage at the Four Seasons Spa, a luxurious spa facility offering 16 treatment rooms, including two private spa suites – each with a Swiss shower, fireplace and deep soaking tub. Your tired muscles will thank you!

Four Seasons Spa // website

Evening

For over 20 years, the Snake River Grill has been considered one of the best restaurants in Jackson. The restaurant, located on the town square in the center of Jackson, features an intimate bar and large dining rooms decorated with rustic-elegant roughhewn logs and linen covered tables. In the center of the dining room is a large wood burning fireplace. The service is excellent (somewhat unusual for a ski resort town) and the well-curated wine list includes over 300 selections. Chef Jeff Drew offers a very creative menu of New American dishes. Some of our favorites starters include wild game chorizo stuffed dates and Steak Tartare Pizza made with homemade garlic aioli. Their steaks are excellent, as are their seasonal Elk tenderloins. For dessert, their Bananas Foster Chocolate Cake is exceptional.

Snake River Grill // 84 E Broadway // website

After dinner, consider stopping in one of the local “western” bars in the town of Jackson. The Million Dollar Cowboy Bar and the Silver Dollar Bar are famous and popular with locals and visitors alike. For something different, head to The Rose for craft cocktails in a speakeasy style bar with Prohibition-inspired décor.

Final Thoughts

Summer Activities in Jackson Hole

While Jackson Hole is well known for exceptional skiing during the winter, Jackson Hole comes alive in the summer with a great mix of cultural and outdoor activities. Here you will find exceptional road and mountain biking, fly fishing, hiking, horseback riding, white water rafting, golf, mountain climbing and rock climbing (book your climbing activities with Exum Mountain Guides, North America’s oldest and most experienced guide service).

The area is also known for its exceptional national parks. Most famous is Yellowstone National Park, a 3,500-square mile park with over 10,000 active thermal features (most notably Old Faithful). During your visit you will spot plenty of wildlife, which many include wolves, elk, bison and bear. Also, just outside of Jackson is the Grand Teton National Park which offers stunning mountains and pristine lakes, all accessible by well-maintained hiking trails.