Where: Jackson, WY

When: Late December 2015

Duration: 5 days

Activities: Snowshoeing to Lake Taggart; Snowmobiling in the Togwotee Pass area; Sleigh ride through the National Elk Refuge; Snow-tubing in Jackson

Tips:
*Fox rental cars are not allowed in Montana
*Christmas & new year are the busiest season, so make reservations much in advance
*Carry plenty of warm clothes and layer
*If driving from SLC, choose the route based on the weather. Some routes are impassable in winter.

Yet another last minute trip! We are becoming pros at this. We booked our flight tickets about four days before the trip. While searching for a winter wonderland about a year ago, I came across a picture of the Grand Tetons in winter. Since then, it has been on the top of my list of places to go to for some peace and tranquility. Google flights said I could fly to Salt Lake City for a reasonable price and that’s where we went.

The descent into Salt Lake was a little bumpy due to the thick cloud cover. Our first sight of the city as the plane emerged from the clouds was literally jaw dropping. We were definitely expecting to see some snow, but that was all we could see – every single surface was blanketed in it. The next wave of shock hit us in the form of a cold gust of wind as we exited the terminal. The previously dropped jaws froze shut. The weather app on my phone showed it was 15°F. Little did we know that things were about to get a lot more COLDER!

After the lady at the rental car counter convinced us to upgrade to a 4 wheel drive due to the heavy snowfall, we stopped for a quick lunch and began our drive to Jackson, WY. The scenery was absolutely mesmerizing. The barely black road snaking through miles and miles of whiteness, the snow covered mountains becoming one with the clouds! The snow always reminds me of songs from the movie “Roja”. The music somehow elevates the entire scene to another level. So five hours and a lot of ARR later, we reached Jackson. I pulled out my phone to check the weather. It was -20°F.

Jackson is a quaint little town with some really good restaurants. We liked our breakfast place so much that we ate there three times during our stay (Persephone Bakery). After loading up on some food and coffee on day 1, we headed to Grand Teton National Park. We rented a couple pair of snowshoes to hike up to Lake Taggart. It was about a 3 mile roundtrip trail. If I had to describe the backdrop in one word, it would be pristine. The trail was a little bit confusing owing to the fact that it was completely covered in snow. We just followed the snowshoe marks left by the previous hikers. When we reached the lake and saw no water, it dawned on us that it would be frozen. I looked at the GPS on my phone and sure enough, we were standing on the lake. After the hike, we drove a little further into the park and watched the setting sun paint the sky in a myriad of colors. It was one glorious picture.

The next few days were spent snowmobiling in the Togwotee Pass area of Bridger-Teton National Forest, sleigh riding through the Elk reserve and snow-tubing. The snowmobiling trip took an adventurous turn with the snowmobile getting stuck in the snow and then the rescuer of the snowmobile getting stuck as well. The husband had to dig his way out of the snow while I faithfully stood by his side laughing. Snow-tubing was great fun too apart from the fact that the sun was going down and we thought our toes were going to fall off because of frostbite. Overall, this was one fantastic, spontaneous trip and I got what I had always dreamed of – a white Christmas!