1,000 Places to See in the U.S.A. & Canada Before You Die (85 page)

Wyoming’s Hometown for Cowboy Chic

Wyoming

“There are two places I love: Africa and Wyoming,” wrote Ernest Hemingway, and judging from the boom in Wyoming tourism, many people concur with at least half of his sentiment. The town of Jackson
, one of the art, recreation, and lifestyle capitals of the New West, has become one of the major draws in Wyoming, evolving from a former furtrading cow town into a bustling tourist center that borders on the cosmopolitan: Just take a stroll through the lobby of the Amangani, the
exquisite and sole U.S. representative of the luxury hotel chain Aman Resorts (see next page). While the scenic 48-mile-long Jackson Hole area (“hole” is what settlers called a high, enclosed mountain valley) fills with trophy homes and gated communities for celebrities, seasonal nouveau riche residents, and the Lear-Jet-eratti, Jackson itself retains a spirited Western character and encourages an egalitarian mix of ski bums, the moneyed elite, gung ho hikers and climbers, and even a real Wyoming cowboy or two.

Jackson’s ground zero is Town Square, a tree-lined park with four entry arches made from thousands of elk antlers. Surrounding the square are many of Jackson’s top bars, restaurants, boutiques, and dozens of art galleries; Jackson is particularly noted for its blue-chip Western art, and its September art festival turns the town on its ear. Drop by timeworn hangouts like Bubba’s Bar-B-Que and the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar on the Town Square, where local folks have filled the huge saloon since the day it opened in 1937. The Silver Dollar Bar and Grill in the historic Wort Hotel boasts 2,032 silver dollars embedded in its bar, a lively crowd, and enjoyable bonhomie.

Whatever you may think of Jackson’s new popularity, there’s no denying that the influx of new money has elevated the quality of food and lodging in this mountain town. Case in point is the Spring Creek Ranch, where elegant log cabins are scattered about a 1,000-acre wildlife sanctuary, sitting high above the Jackson Hole valley. The only thing that can compete with the view is the ranch’s acclaimed restaurant, The Granary.

Down in town, the Rusty Parrot Lodge and Spa is a modern version of a traditional logand-stone lodge, combining woodsy and inviting informality with sumptuous comfort. Regional cuisine and fresh seafood at the lodge’s Wild Sage Restaurant are top-notch. The lodge’s Body Sage Spa, one of the city’s first, remains one of its best. For a taste of refined Rocky Mountain cuisine, take a seat at the Snake River Grill, right on Town Square in an intimate dining room with a double-sided fireplace and log walls. The sophisticated menu focuses on dishes that reflect Wyoming traditions—fresh trout, grass-fed beef, buffalo, and elk—with stylish preparations that deliciously tweak the mountain-man ethos.

Of course, Jackson’s true glory is location, location, location. Within range of some of America’s most exalted scenery, including Grand Teton National Park’s lofty peaks, which rise just to the north (see p. 667); a day trip away from Yellowstone (see p. 676); and minutes away from some of the West’s most challenging skiing (see p. 671), Jackson offers stellar opportunities to fill your day. Jackson Hole’s twisting Snake River, one of the country’s cleanest, is beloved by anglers and rafters. From May to late September, nearly 20 outfitters offer whitewater and float trips down Wyoming’s largest river. Long-established dude ranches offer Old West–style recreation—an hour north of Jackson, at the Heart Six Ranch, trail rides, float trips, stream fishing, and rodeos are the main attraction in summer. In winter, guests explore a virgin wonderland aboard snowmobiles and enjoy the solitude of the snowbound Rockies before returning to their cozy cabin.

One of the area’s unmatched pleasures is a visit to the 25,000-acre National Elk Refuge, the winter home for thousands of migrating elk, the largest herd in North America. You’ll first start to hear them bugle in the fall during mating season, and from mid-December through March you can get up-close glimpses of them via a horse-drawn sleigh ride offered by the Fish and Wildlife Service.

W
HERE
: 275 miles northwest of Salt Lake City, UT.
Visitor info:
Tel 307–733-3316;
www.jacksonholechamber.com
.
S
PRING
C
REEK
R
ANCH
: Tel 800–443-6139 or 307–733-8833;
www.springcreekranch.com
.
Cost:
from $150 (off-peak), from $250 (peak); dinner at the Granary $40.
R
USTY
P
ARROT
L
ODGE AND
S
PA
: Tel 800–458-2004 or 307–733-2000;
www.rustyparrot.com
.
Cost:
from $185 (off-peak), from $350 (peak); dinner at Wild Sage Restaurant $55.
S
NAKE
R
IVER
G
RILL
:
Tel 307–733-0557;
www.snakerivergrill.com
.
Cost:
dinner $45.
H
EART
S
IX
R
ANCH
: Tel 888–543-2477 or 307–543-2477;
www.heartsix.com
.
Cost:
from $75 per person per night (off-peak), from $1,750 per person per week (peak), includes meals and activities.
N
ATIONAL
E
LK
R
EFUGE
: Tel 307–733-9212;
www.fws.gov/nationalelkrefuge.com
.
When:
mid-Dec–Mar.
B
EST TIMES
: late May for Old West Days; June–Sept for best weather; the 10-day Fall Arts Festival in mid-Sept features hundreds of top Western artists.

Old wooden sidewalks and Western attractions line Jackson’s Town Square.

East Meets West

Jackson, Wyoming

Perched high above the lush Snake River valley, eye-to-eye with the awesome peaks of the Grand Teton range (see page 667), the luxurious and beautifully designed resort hotel Amangani is the most exclusive of Jackson’s many upscale lodgings. Built of
Oklahoma sandstone, Douglas fir, cedar, and redwood, Amangani is cut into the flank of East Gros Ventre Butte at an elevation of 7,000 feet—this is the view of eagles. Entirely distinctive, with 40-foot-high picture windows and a cliffside infinity swimming pool heated year-round, the resort also blends into and reflects the colors and contours of the landscape like a natural extension of the Rockies themselves.

Amangani (which means “peaceful home” in a mixture of Sanskrit and Shoshone) is the first U.S. outpost of the upscale Aman Resorts, a Singapore-based chain of luxury hotels in unique and dramatic locales. Aman’s design for its Rocky Mountain property is, like its name, a beguiling mix of Eastern aesthetic and Western cool. It has the stone and wood accents of a traditional mountain lodge, but with a sleek, minimalist touch that reveals a soaring sense of spirit. Each of the 40 suites in the three-story complex shares the astounding views of jagged peaks and meadowlands below—vistas available not just from the balcony or floor-to-ceiling windows, but also from each room’s shower and deep soaking tub.

Amangani’s health center and spa has a full selection of offerings, including hot stone massages and classes in yoga and tai chi. Many spa treatments can be scheduled alfresco at the cliffside pool and terrace overlooking Jackson Hole. Your eyes can continue to feast—along with your remaining senses—in the Grill, Amangani’s elegant dining room, where fresh local ingredients are transformed into a nouveau mountain fare.

W
HERE
: 5 miles west of Jackson; 1535 N. East Butte Rd. Tel 877–734-7333 or 307–734-7333;
www.amanresorts.com
.
C
OST
: from $565 (off-peak), from $750 (peak); dinner at the Grill $50.
B
EST TIMES
: late May for Old West Days weekend; June for film festival (
www.jacksonholefilmfestival.org
); July 4th for Jackson’s Music in the Hole Concert.

Steep, Deep, and Western

Jackson Hole, Wyoming

Many ski resorts crow about their steep slopes and deep powdery snow, but the phrase “steep and deep” must have been coined at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort in the Grand Tetons (see p. 667). The snow here is
abundant and fine, and the trails, with a stunning total vertical drop of 4,139 feet down the east face of 10,450-foot Rendezvous Mountain, are long and varied. Ski or ride almost straight downhill for 3,000 feet on the Hobacks run, but don’t forget to take in the genuinely breathtaking views from the top first. And blue-run skiers needn’t shy away—Jackson Hole also has outstanding intermediate skiing, such as the chivalrously named Apres Vous Mountain run.

Mosey on back to the town of Jackson (see p. 668) or hang around Teton Village at the base of the resort and swing by the forever popular Mangy Moose, a boisterous bar in a big barnlike structure just south of the tram. Try their signature buffalo meat loaf, and stay late for live music and Western swing dancing. Of the handful of lodgings in Teton Village, the slopeside location of the new Teton Mountain Lodge can’t be beat. Owned by an ex-ski bum, it blends Western warmth and flat-out luxury, making it a perfect year-round base to explore the area’s riches.

Just over the divide from Jackson Hole, Grand Targhee Ski Resort extends across two mountains (one of which is devoted almost entirely to snowcat skiing, where runs are accessed by snow machines) on the western slopes of the Tetons. Receiving full-blast winter storms and averaging a whopping 500 inches (40 feet) of snow a year, it’s frequently cited as having the most (and best) snow in the U.S., making it one of skidom’s Holy Grails.

J
ACKSON
H
OLE
M
OUNTAIN
R
ESORT
: Tel 888–333-7766 or 307–733-2292;
www.jacksonhole.com
.
Cost:
lift tickets $70.
When:
Dec–mid-Apr.
M
ANGY
M
OOSE
: Teton Village. Tel 307–733-4913;
www.mangymoose.net
.
Cost:
dinner $25.
T
ETON
M
OUNTAIN
L
ODGE
: Teton Village. Tel 800–801-6615 or 307–734-7111;
www.tetonlodge.com
.
Cost:
from $119 (off-peak), from $269 (peak).
G
RAND
T
ARGHEE
R
ESORT
: Tel 800–827-4433 or 307–353-2300;
www.grandtarghee.com
.
Cost:
lift tickets $55.
When:
Dec–mid-Apr.
B
EST TIMES
: Jan–Mar for skiing. The Grand Teton Music Festival brings classical concerts to Teton Village from Jan–Mar and July–Aug (
www.gtmf.org
).

Steep trails await expert skiers at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort.

Hot Springs, Pools, and Fishing Holes in Ranch Country

Wyoming

In some areas of Wyoming, the Old West isn’t really that old—the low-key, courtly ways of the rancher and cowboy still provide the rhythm of daily life. Saratoga is one such place, one of Wyoming’s most alluring small towns
, on the edge of the prairies and backed up against the foothills of the Snowy Range Mountains. A town with a deep sense of Western history in a stunning big-as-all-outdoors setting, Saratoga got its start when hot water—lots of it, bubbling to the surface in natural springs beside the North Platte River—caught the attention of settlers. A town had already taken hold beside these hot springs pools when an early booster decided that the fledgling community needed to think big, and in 1884 the town was renamed Saratoga after the upscale mineral water resort town in New York State (see p. 203). Unsurprisingly, East Coast moneyed gentry seeking to “take the waters” didn’t suddenly beat a path to remote southern Wyoming—and instead, Saratoga became the main trade town for cattle ranchers in the upper North Platte valley.