36 Hours in Jackson Hole, Wyoming: Things to Do and See

• Town Square, a city park flanked by four giant entry arches constructed from elk antlers, is the geographic and cultural heart of downtown Jackson.
• Moose is a tiny, historic crossroads village that is the administrative headquarters for Grand Teton National Park. It’s still home to a chapel built in 1925 and the site where a ferry operated along the Snake River in the 1890s.
• Teton Village serves the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort ski area, with a 12-minute tram ride to a 10,450-foot summit offering panoramic views.
• Opened in 1955, Jackson Lake Lodge is the first major lodge with modern architecture in the national park system, with a design that blends into the landscape despite its upper lobby’s 60-foot, floor-to-ceiling windows that perfectly frame the Tetons.

• Learn about Jackson Hole’s history, geology and ecology at Grand Teton’s Craig Thomas Discovery and Visitor Center.
• String and Leigh Lakes are alpine lakes great for hiking and an afternoon swim or wade.
• Explore the history of early Jackson Hole settlers at Mormon Row, and snap your own masterpiece of the T.A. Moulton Barn, a weathered, century-old wood structure that glows in morning sunlight against a backdrop of the Tetons.

• For a reliably delicious dinner at a longtime favorite for residents, Trio offers unpretentious wood-fired fare.
• The rooftop at Kampai features an izakaya‑style selection of Japanese small plates with inspiring mountain views.
• Picnic offers simple breakfasts away from downtown and to-go lunches to enjoy in the great outdoors.
• A historic log cabin with a peaceful, shaded patio houses Cafe Genevieve.
• The Million Dollar Cowboy Bar may seem like a movie set for a cowboy honky-tonk, but the music and vibes are just right.
• Dornans is a top spot in Grand Teton for a tasty meal, great wine and unsurpassed Teton views.
• The Silver Dollar Bar is a sometimes-crowded spot favored by locals for bluegrass and Western music.

• Jackson is bursting with new boutique and luxury lodging options, but none deliver the total package of historical context, prime location, lavish comfort and Western authenticity like the Wort Hotel, a half-block from Town Square. Opened in 1941 at the site of a former livery stable, the 55-room Wort is Jackson’s grande dame. Rooms start at $799.
• The White Buffalo Club is a 30-room boutique hotel three blocks from Town Square. Its suites and rooms all have washers and dryers (some with full kitchens), and the rates are often significantly lower than standard hotel rooms nearby. The property includes a fitness center, spa services and a speakeasy-style steakhouse with a wine cellar of 1,100 bottles. Rooms start at $300.
• Camping is a great option for reveling in the natural splendor of Grand Teton National Park, and several Jackson stores rent tents, sleeping bags and other gear. Gros Ventre Campground is the closest park campground to town, just 20 minutes away near the Gros Ventre River, where you can fish for trout or spot moose among the willows. Reserve your campsite in advance for $58 per night. (Jaw-dropping views of the Milky Way are complimentary.)

• You’ll likely need a car to make the most of your Jackson Hole trip, with rentals available at Jackson Hole Airport, just 15 minutes from Jackson. Limited bus options serve stops around town and connect Teton Village. Ride-hailing services like Uber and Lyft are adequate for short trips, but can be pricey and sparse at odd hours. Many hotels and resorts provide courtesy cars and shuttles. Bikes and e-bikes are widely available for rent from local cycle shops, and a network of separate, mostly flat, paved pathways connect Jackson, Teton Village and Grand Teton National Park. Cycling is a favorite activity among locals, and the perfect way to avoid at-times formidable traffic.

3:30 p.m. Drink whiskey and play with knives (not in that order)

Jackson’s walkable downtown is centered around Town Square, home to the mountain melodrama of mock Old West gunfights at 6 p.m. daily (except Sundays) in the summer. Galleries surround the square; Thomas D. Mangelsen’s Images of Nature Gallery showcases more than four decades of work by the acclaimed local wildlife photographer, including a series featuring Grizzly 399, one of the world’s best-known bears, and her many cubs. Browse Mtn Man Toy Shop for locally made hunting knives, tomahawks and perfectly balanced chef’s knives. Stop by the Wyoming Whiskey Barrel House for limited-edition bourbons with names and label designs honoring Wyoming places and people, such as Grand Teton National Park and legendary showman “Buffalo Bill” Cody. Try before you buy with a $10 flight of four varieties.

5 p.m. Bike along the Snake River

Rent an e-bike ($95 per day at Open Range Cycles, including helmet) and take a flat, scenic 12-mile round trip along the Snake River. From the cycle shop, pick up the pathway at the intersection of Highway 22 and Highway 191. Head north 3.5 miles to Emily Stevens Park, next to the river. From there, a smooth, hard-packed gravel trail runs a total of 4.5 miles out and back along the riverbank. (You don’t have to ride to the end.) This riparian habitat boasts wide-open mountain views, and the chance to spot moose, bald eagles, swans and other birds. It’s a popular spot where locals walk dogs and jog, so share the trail.

8 p.m. Dine at a wood-fired mainstay

Locals still fight for reservations at Trio, where for two decades the chef and co-owner Will Bradof has cooked beef and pork from regional farms and ranches in his open kitchen’s wood-fired oven. Sit at the bar to watch the flames in action. Try a pizza with bison and elk sausage ($24) or the pork shank rigatoni ($36). Don’t forget a side of bleu cheese waffle fries ($11) — you’ll hike it all off tomorrow, right?

9:30 p.m. Indulge in late-night honky-tonkery

If your ideal Friday night in Wyoming includes a little dancing, a bit of drinking and a procession of cowboy hats and big, silver belt buckles, Jackson has you covered. The Silver Dollar Bar is beloved by locals for showcasing top regional western, bluegrass and Americana acts, such as One Ton Pig and Sterling Drake. Be prepared for standing room only on busy nights. Or walk around the corner to embrace your unrepentant tourist side and climb onto one of the horse saddle barstools at the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar (may include a small cover charge after 8 p.m.), where the rowdy, kick-up-your-heels music is just right for dancing and the unapologetic cowboy kitsch is ubiquitous.

A stagecoach passes Million Dollar Cowboy Bar on Town Square.

8 a.m. Make a picnic

Escape Jackson’s hectic downtown with a two-mile drive west for breakfast at Picnic, on a quiet side street. Get a Jackson Hippie breakfast sandwich to go, made with egg white soufflé, tomato jam, goat cheese and roasted summer squash ($13). While there, pick out something tasty from their selection of pre-packed salads, sandwiches and baked treats (the owners Ali and Kevin Cohane were James Beard Award semi-finalists for their pastry skills) for a picnic in Grand Teton. Or order ahead online for quick to-go pick up.

10 a.m. Park it for the day

From town, drive 13 miles north on Highway 191 to the crossroads village of Moose and its park entry gate (park entry, $35 fee per vehicle; valid for one week). At the Craig Thomas Discovery and Visitor Center, learn about the park with displays featuring real animal fur that kids can touch, early mountaineering gear, intricately beaded Native American clothing, and more. Then cross the street to explore two nearby historical sites. The Chapel of the Transfiguration is a rustic 1925 church where Sunday services are still held, and a replica boat sits at the site of Menor’s Ferry, where 1890s settlers paid 25 cents to cross the Snake River. Five miles from there is the photogenic T.A. Moulton Barn at Mormon Row, where a handful of buildings remain from a community started in the 1890s.

1 p.m. Eat lunch with a Rockefeller and visit a mid-century landmark

About 20 miles north of Moose is Jackson Lake Lodge, where you’ll find Lunch Tree Hill. John D. Rockefeller Jr. had a picnic there in 1926 that helped inspire him to acquire and preserve much of the land that now makes up the park. Lucky you — the same view awaits your picnic lunch. Walk 10 minutes along a trail from the Lodge’s northern corner to find a plaque that commemorates the Rockefeller picnic. But anywhere nearby will give you jaw-dropping views of Jackson Lake and the Teton Range. After lunch, check out the mid-century modern architecture of the Lodge, a National Historic Landmark opened in 1955, where 60-foot, floor-to-ceiling windows frame a picture-perfect Teton view.

3:30 p.m. Hike around String Lake

Skip the crowds at Jenny and Taggart lakes (among the park’s busiest hiking spots) and spend the afternoon at nearby String and Leigh Lakes, a pair of scenic lakes connected by a narrow channel crossed by a footbridge. Among the many hikes in the area is the String Lake Loop trail, an easy, four-mile trip that should take about two hours. Watch for moose, elk, beavers, osprey, bald eagles, great blue heron and black and grizzly bears — so take bear spray, which you can buy or rent ($16) throughout the area. String Lake is shallow and warms up throughout the day, in case you want to swim or just soak your feet after your hike.

8 p.m. Go for an izakaya-style meal

Diehard sushi aficionados are likely to prefer the ground-floor dining room at Kampai, a standout among the half-dozen Japanese restaurants in Jackson Hole offering high-grade fish. But the rooftop at Kampai is a more relaxed — and affordable — option, offering laid-back vibes and golden-hour views of the hills surrounding Jackson. The rooftop’s izakaya‑style menu features small-plate options like karaage fried chicken with a spicy fermented rice seasoning ($19), plus creative cocktails such as the gochujang Paloma, made with grapefruit, mezcal, tequila and Korean chile paste ($18). Reservations are recommended, and bring an extra layer, since summer evenings in Jackson can be chilly.

The Teton Range from the top of Rendezvous Mountain.

8 a.m. Breakfast on the patio of a historic log cabin

This is Wyoming, where many early settlers in what is now Grand Teton and elsewhere often staked their claims to public land under the Homestead Act of 1862 by building rustic, one-room homes. So it’s only fitting to start the day with breakfast in a 1911 log cabin listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Cafe Genevieve, with a shaded, peaceful patio, is just the spot for vacation fare like chicken and waffles ($22) or breakfast s’mores ($20) — Nutella french toast with toasted marshmallow graham cracker crumble.

10 a.m. Ride the high wire to the summit

Drive west out of town and then north along the Moose-Wilson Road for the 30-minute trip to Teton Village. Take a 12-minute ride ($58 one day in advance, $64 walk-up) on Jackson Hole Mountain Resort’s tram to the 10,450-foot summit of Rendezvous Mountain. (Bring a jacket; it’s windy at the top.) Fiddle with your smartphone’s photo features as you fail miserably to adequately capture a fraction of the 360-degree views of the mountains and the vast Jackson Hole valley. Hike along the Top of the World or other summit trails, where you might spot paragliders, mountain bikers or rock climbers. Then watch for moose, foxes, black bears and golden eagles as you ride the tram back down.

12 p.m. Drive the slow road to Moose

Continue north from Teton Village along the eight-mile, final section of the Moose-Wilson Road. This meandering, scenic route (partly unpaved) was once prone to flooding thanks to overly busy beavers. (Today, it is prone to occasional repairs and construction holds.) At the road’s terminus in Moose, stop for lunch at the 100-year-old Dornans, whose adjacent wine shop has been a trailblazer since 1978 in bringing fine wines to the region. Buy a bottle and enjoy it with no corkage fee along with a Thor Peak pizza (caramelized onions, Canadian bacon, pepperoni; $21 for a 12-inch) on the rooftop deck visitors often miss. Drink in your last views of the Cathedral Group, three jagged giants each over 12,000 feet in elevation: Teewinot Mountain, Mount Owen and, at 13,775 feet, the Grand Teton itself.