(This article may or may not contain affiliate links. What does that mean?)
The time to complete our bucket-list family adventures is coming to an end, and I’m not ready. We only have two more years to cross those dream destinations off our list before our son heads off to college. Sure, we might travel together again, but it’ll definitely be more complicated. These were the thoughts swirling through my head as I planned our big summer family trip last summer.
Both boys said they wanted to see nature in a grand way and we parents had always wanted to visit Yellowstone National Park. I started researching and quickly became overwhelmed. For our first trip to this magnificent park spanning thousands of square miles, there was just so much to choose from. I couldn’t know what to put on our Yellowstone itinerary because I had never visited that area. I realized it would go much more smoothly if we had someone hold our hand like we did when we traveled to Vietnam on a group family tour. So, we booked a Grand Tetons and Yellowstone National Park tour with Intrepid Travel, and then everything fell apart.
[ez-toc]
NO TIME TO ENJOY THIS ARTICLE NOW? BOOKMARK IT OR PIN IT FOR LATER!

How A Yellowstone Family Trip Became A Mom Son Trip
The first thing that happened is my father-in-law moved in with us. The second was that our youngest son, Knox, had to attend high school orientation during the week we booked our tour. My father-in-law recently lost his wife, my husband’s mom. The experience completely shattered him to the point where he became unable to care for himself. My husband decided he had to skip the trip to help my father-in-law adjust. Since my husband would stay home, Knox decided he, too, would stay to feel as prepared as possible before starting this new phase of his life.
The problem was we had already booked four spots on the Yellowstone and Grand Teton Intrepid Tour and two were now open. The solution was Lisa and Rylan. Lisa and I became friends when our middle sons, Kaleb and Blake played on the same soccer team. She has three boys and they quickly became best friends with my two. We’ve traveled with them over the years and I thought it would be great to invite them to join us as Rylan – a.k.a Ry – is entering his last year of high school and I knew she’d be feeling the feels about it like I was but even more so.
They said yes.

I see a fun trip in our future… © Rina Nehdar
Yellowstone Family Trip: Intrepid Travel Review Vlog
Read the details on what to expect on an Intrepid Travel Yellowstone family trip below or watch what happened here. Better yet, do both! Your kids will be so impressed with all your research.
Yellowstone Intrepid Tour: Day 1 Greetings and Pizzas
We arrived two days before the start of our tour to maximize our time in this new-to-us area. We squeezed into one room at the recently renovated Anvil Hotel. Intrepid Travel was great about helping us extend our hotel reservation to make this happen. We met the rest of the group two days into our stay in Jackson around Adirondack chairs set outside the Anvil lobby. We were surprised that the other family on the tour had such young kids.
The boy, Alfred (not his real name), at five, held onto his mum’s hand (they were from England) and put his face against her leg when we greeted him. The girl, Alicia (also not her name), nine, with hair parted in half and braided into pigtails, promptly shook our hands and informed us about the precise acreage of both Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks. The family was taking a cross-country trip through the U.S. and were as excited to learn about Grand Teton and Yellowstone NPs as we were. I wondered how Intrepid Travel was going to accommodate the diverse ages of the children to make the tour fun for everyone.
Our group walked through the old western town of Jackson to Hand Fire Pizza, inside a converted movie theater. Over a round table that accommodated everyone, we shared a variety of pizzas. We traded stories, and our guide, Brad, gave us an overview of the six-day tour to manage our expectations.

We made it!
Yellowstone Intrepid Tour: Day 2 Grand Teton Boat and Hike
Although we set out to take a Yellowstone family trip, we got to experience a bonus park with Grand Teton National Park.
A Little About Grand Teton National Park
Grand Teton National Park is just north of the town of Jackson – the largest of the seven towns that make up the valley of Jackson Hole. Grand Teton NP encompasses 484 square miles of jagged mountains, rivers, lakes, and pastures. It is Wyoming’s crown jewel set among a crop of western gems. Historical records date back 11,000 years, telling the story of humans who lived in the bowl of Jackson Hole, protected by the mountains.
Coming from the urban sprawl of Los Angeles, visiting Jackson Hole and Wyoming felt like we were taking a step back into the history of our country, a country built on the strong backs of cowboys and cowgirls, of explorers and the dreamers who financed them.

Bonus trip! Photo by Mick Kirchman on Unsplash
Jenny Lake
We started our day with complimentary breakfast at Anvil Hotel’s sister property, Alpine House. From there, we all piled into the Intrepid Travel shuttle van, and Brad drove us to the Visitor’s Center at Jenny Lake where Rangers from the National Park Service gave the little kids their Junior Ranger Badges and workbooks as first time visitors to the park. Our teens passed.
A Little About Jenny Lake
Carved by glaciers during the last ice age, Jenny Lake is almost two square miles, set inside Cascade Canyon. Jenny Lake was named after Jenny Leigh, a Native American woman who married an explorer, Richard Leigh (aka Beaver Dick). After assisting in the Hayden Expedition, the leaders unconventionally named the two discovered lakes after Jenny and Richard Leigh (Leigh Lake).
Jenny Lake Ferry
The day offered our group choices from which a myriad of other possibilities sprang. The first decision was whether to take a half-hour ferry ride across Jenny Lake to the Cascade Canyon trailhead or do the two-mile walk around Jenny Lake instead. We opted to ride the ferry while the younger family decided to do the walk, as it’s one of the best easy hikes for young kids.
Because the day started early for our teens, used to sleeping well into the morning during the summer months, Kaleb put his head in my lap as the ferry floated across the mirrored lake with the tour guide narrating our journey. I tried to shelter him from the light drizzle that burdened the morning. For Kaleb, this meant nothing. For me, it was my sweet baby leaning on me in a way he hadn’t in years. Several hikes start at the landing point of the ferry crossing. Our goal was to reach Inspiration Point, 1.8 miles from the dock, beginning at the Cascade Canyon trailhead. Brad had told us this was about a half-hour hike (he lied, lol). There we’d be able to enjoy the lunch we packed with a view of the lake and surrounding mountains.

Heaven? Maybe. © Rina Nehdar
Inspiration Point
The trail up to Inspiration Point begins as an accessible paved dirt path before transforming into a steeper trail with occasional steps carved into the cliff that hugs the sides of the mountain. The Inspiration Point hike has an elevation gain of 419 ft. Parts of it are steeper than others, as many hikes go, but the average slope is 16%.

A rough guide
The boys, of course, went faster than the moms. Kaleb, suddenly full of energy, pushed past me, “Come on, Mom!” came out his mouth several times, irritation coursing through his much younger body. I feel like I did a pretty good job keeping up. We got to the vantage point of Inspiration Point and took the appropriate amount of photos.

A picture-worthy day.
The trail went on and the boys decided to see what was ahead and Lisa followed while I decided to enjoy the beautiful view.

Sometimes you can rest before taking the road ahead. © Rina Nehdar
Heading back, we waited until almost the last boat shuttle was scheduled to leave. Just like everybody else. We waited in the line of people, though in hindsight, it would have been faster to walk the two miles around the lake back to the visitor’s center area.
Yellowstone Intrepid Tour: Day 3 Snake River Whitewater Rafting
We were uncertain how this day would go since the younger family had no interest in holding on for their lives bouncing between the rapids, and we didn’t want another placid float through a lake. Luckily, our guide made a phone call to Jackson Hole Whitewater Company, and they said it wouldn’t be a problem to split our group, and we’d only have to pay an additional $10 per person. Sold!
A school bus transported us to the area on the Snake River where our group of four would join 10 others on a three-hour, good ‘ol fashioned whitewater rafting trek on class III rapids. I love to participate in thrilling adventures, but I’m not going to lie. They still make me a bit nervous. Or is that a new MOM thing? It’s hard sometimes to distinguish between nerves and excitement so I try to push as much of the parts that feel anxious into the excitement compartment.
Getting ready to dip into the river involved the whole group helping to carry the rubber rafts. I may have skipped that part. Once inside the raft and floating on the river, my anxiety coalesced into actual happiness and excitement. The river was much more tame than the images cast by my imagination. As we started, most of us sat on the edges of the raft with oars, and two of us sat on the back bench while our guide used the rudder to steer.
He asked for volunteers to sit on the front of the raft to ride it like cowboys on the bucking river. Of course, both boys took that challenge.

What a ride! © Rina Nehdar
Most of the journey was marked with calm water drifting past Douglas firs and Alpine trees. The mountain range hugged the green ribbon of the river as it snaked through the valley between peaks. Inhaling deeply, it made every bit of sense that some people chose to live here. Our guide was very knowledgeable and regaled us with humorous stories about the history of the area. He warned us when we’d be going through rapids and allowed anyone who wanted to jump in the river in the calmer areas. The boys said this day was their favorite of the trip.

Victory!
Yellowstone Intrepid Tour: Day 4 Yellowstone NP
I have to say I was proud of the boys for waking up early enough every day to get breakfast with us before heading into the van to start our exploration. Despite the chronic teen fatigue, each morning found us up at 7 for the complimentary breakfast before meeting the group.
Enroute To Yellowstone NP
At this point, the tour had taken us through familiar territory. Maybe not exactly what we’ve seen in the past but the evergreens and snow-tipped mountains were visions we’ve previously encountered in other gorgeous national parks. But on this day, everything changed.
We checked out of the Anvil Hotel and made our way along Grand Teton NP with Brad narrating parts of the journey. I’ve always been the type of mom who hopes to inspire her kids with knowledge. It seldom works in our family. Although we made an effort to curtail screen time when the boys were younger, it’s been nearly impossible without going to extremes to separate them from technology. I know other kids are easier. The two young visitors from the UK were those such kids, chatting with the guide and asking cute little questions. What I’m saying is that all kids arrive with differing levels of curiosity and the part of the tour that involves information during transport may only appeal to adults or to kids who want to know how the world works. I know my interest definitely increased since I’ve gotten older. When I traveled with my family as a teen, I couldn’t be bothered either.
So, don’t feel like a failure if your parental aspirations don’t meet reality. Sometimes reality catches up to them.
There wasn’t a moment when we suddenly arrived at Yellowstone National Park. The land between Grand Teton and Yellowstone is similarly beautiful, filled with national forests and acres of lush, uninterrupted natural beauty of the alpine variety.
DON’T MISS! Chill Out In These 5 Best National Parks In Winter

A river runs through it. Photo by Suresh Ramamoorthy on Unsplash
A Little About Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone became the first national park in the world in 1872. Images and paintings created during the Hayden Expedition excited the public and inspired Congress to pass the Yellowstone National Park Protection Act to preserve this vast park of over 2.2 million square miles. President Grant signed it. The thing that makes Yellowstone spectacular is that it originated from the caldera of a super-volcano. All the features we discovered are the result of the heat pressing against the earth just a few miles beneath its surface.
This heat created these 10,000 hydrothermal features in Yellowstone NP, some unique to the area:
- Hot springs: Pools of hydrothermally heated water.
- Geysers: Hot springs with constrictions in their plumbing, which causes them to periodically erupt to release the pressure that builds up.
- Mudpots: Hot springs that are acidic enough to dissolve the surrounding rock, and typically also lack water in their systems.
- Travertine terraces: Hot springs that rise up through limestone, dissolve the calcium carbonate, and deposit the calcite that makes the travertine terraces.
- Fumaroles: These hot features, also known as steam vents, lack water in their system, and instead constantly release hot steam.

It’s what’s underneath that counts. Photo by Sandra Seitamaa
When Is The Best Time To Visit Yellowstone National Park?
The best time to visit depends on what you want to see – summer offers full access but bigger crowds, while spring and fall provide fewer people but variable weather. Winter brings a magical snow-covered landscape with limited access. Regardless of when you go, your Yellowstone experience will be unforgettable.
West Thumb – Geyser Basin
Our first stop was at an accessible wooden boardwalk that bordered a steaming Yellowstone Lake. A sign at the beginning of the half-mile-long path told visitors that since the West Thumb portion of the basin was so deep, it could only have been formed by an enormous volcanic explosion. West Thumb Geyser Basin is filled with geysers, mudpots, and thermal pools. Brad told us hot water loving bacteria caused the vivid blues, reds, and greens within them.
As we walked along the boardwalk, the brilliant pools bordered by crystal formations and shards of rock kept stopping us mid-step, our eyes widening in disbelief that this could exist outside of a sci-fi movie.

Like stepping into another planet. © Rina Nehdar
The walk was easy and Brad told us dogs were no longer allowed in most areas of the park because in the past, they’ve run into the scalding, sometimes highly acidic water, and when their owners had tried to help them, they too had horrific outcomes. Rescuers only found a floating shoe the last time this happened. I recount this story because it’s the one my teen remembers best from this stop.
DON’T MISS! These Are The Top 10 Vacation Spots For Teens In The US
Grand Canyon of Yellowstone
When we pulled up to the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, the only instructions Brad gave us was to walk down the short path and try not to look ahead. He mentioned that according to the National Park Service, it’s one of the best places to visit in the park. I’m not sure how nature has the ability to arm itself. As we walked on the dirt path bordered by a waist-high rock wall, I didn’t expect much. I’d never heard of this attraction, so when I finally faced this Grand Canyon, the sight of the yellow rocks rising 1000 feet into the sky – with a wall of thick water cascading into Yellowstone River – sent daggers into my soul. My eyes welled from the sudden onslaught of awe.

OK, it’s stunning. © Rina Nehdar
We stood at a vantage point called Artist’s Point, where a small parking area allowed visitors to access the viewpoint. It’s where Thomas Moran painted his depiction of the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. Here the 308 ft. Lower Falls is visible. The 109 ft. Upper Falls is hidden by a bend in the canyon that stretches 1500-4000 ft above the 20-mile-long river. To say it is gorgeous is an insult to this grand dame of natural wonder. I will say it’s a not-to-miss sight on any family visit to Yellowstone. But let your family be surprised by it when they arrive.

An unexpected wonder.
Lunch in Canyon Village
We drove by Mammoth Hot Springs but were too hungry to make an unplanned stop. We’ll have to check it out on our return trip. We stopped for an unremarkable lunch in a cafeteria at Canyon Village that seemed to be out of everything I wanted to order. We did get the chance to walk through the village and explore inside the Canyon Visitor Education Center which is a calm overview of the park’s volcanic development great for kids.
Norris Geyser Trailhead
There are two trailheads to explore the craters and otherworldly wonders in Norris Geyser Basin one of the hottest geyser basins in Yellowstone NP. Each has an accessible boardwalk that meanders between the gurgling mud pots, steaming pools, and sleeping geysers (at least, we hope they’ll be sleeping when families visit!) After passing the NG Bookshop and Visitor’s Center (where I may or may not have become a member of the Yellowstone Forever Foundation), visitors arrive at the Norris Geyser trailhead where they can choose to go to the right along the .6 mile Porcelein Loop or to the left to take the Back Basin Loop, which is more like two loops connected into a figure 8. This means, little legs can choose the first 1-mile loop or be brave and take the longer 1.6-mile loop.
The infamous Steamboat Geyser is .25 miles along this first section so kids can’t miss it if they head left.

Steps into another world. By Getty Images.
I’m just going to say it. It was hard to imagine that the city where we live shares the same planet with Yellowstone NP. The boardwalk took us through frozen crystal plateaus, mesmerizing rainbow pools, and disgruntled mud pots. Yes, Yosemite NP was gorgeous and Petrified Forest NP felt desolate in a moon crater sort of way, but this section of the Earth has elements beyond the capacity of my mind to have envisioned it.

Hard to imagine it’s real. © Rina Nehdar
Dinner In West Yellowstone
After our epic day migrating from Jackson, Wyoming into Yellowstone through the South Entrance and experiencing all the wonder, our group settled into the Crosswinds Hotel in West Yellowstone, Montana. This travel time took most of the day with our various stops, but it was worth every minute.
This time, the moms got their own room and after unloading, we decided to walk down the street to have dinner at the Buffalo Bar. The restaurant lived up to its name with several game animals gracing its walls and a taxidermied buffalo in the corner of the eating area that separates the casino video games from the tables. We ate dinner here both the nights we stayed near Yellowstone since it was family-friendly and the food was good, especially for such a casual environment. We also found a small grocery store to stock up on snacks for the next day’s early start.
Yellowstone Intrepid Tour: Day 5 Yellowstone NP
Intrepid partnered with a wolf trekking company for a wildlife safari. Even though the day was focused on spotting wolves, we were also on the lookout for the many other wild animals that live in Yellowstone, including grizzly bears. The best time to see wildlife is at dawn or dusk, so we prepared for an early morning.
Wolf Trekking
We woke up at 3:30 am and climbed into the van at 4 am. Night still draped the crisp morning. Animals in Yellowstone avoid the heat of the day, and since it was August, most of their activity would be at dawn and early morning.
It was about an hour’s drive to meet the guide and most of us slept but Brad played a Gabby Reece podcast that told the story of the Yellowstone wolves. I don’t think most of us heard it but I listened for a bit and learned more about wolves than before which is a lot since I didn’t know anything about them. I had no idea how smart and social these animals are so by the time we picked up our wolf trekking guide Kyle, I was a little bit in love.
Hayden Valley is a good spot to view wildlife but on this day, Kyle drove us another hour into the park to Lamar Valley, where the wolf packs make their dens. In 2024, there were 11 packs in Yellowstone, though the exact number varies due to nature and man. We parked on the side of the road and Kyle set up his Swarovski crystal high-powered binoculars on a tripod across from Slough Creek.

Our guide setting us up. © Rina Nehdar
We did spot a bighorn sheep and a few elk herds but no wolves. As the salmon fingers of dawn started to trace themselves across the milky sky, we loaded our binoculars into the van to try another spot.
DON’T MISS! These Family-Friendly Dude Ranches Are ‘Yellowstone’ In Real Life

Here comes the sun… © Rina Nehdar
We swung into an elbow of grass, hugged by brushy hills that ascended into the sky. A few other tour outfitters had already staked spots in the grass, off the small road, but it wasn’t as busy as our first stop, along Highway 212. The pack still eluded us but when I went into the van to warm up, a herd of bison passed us like a family on a morning stroll.

Why did the bison cross the road? © Rina Nehdar
Finally, a bear ambled into our sight and the powerful binoculars made him feel like he was inches instead of hundreds of feet away. We took turns watching him scavenge between trees and in the tall grass. Alfred and Alicia were suddenly wide awake observing every move and Alicia shared her knowledge of grizzly bears which Brad supplemented.

Not related to Yogi who lives in Jellystone. © Rina Nehdar
The sky was now a pale blue, the brown limbs of the trees contrasting against the yellows and greens of the grass. The sun spun its weak rays over the chill of our bodies, almost enough to chase it away but not quite.
At this point, we were pretty happy. A bear sighting, herds of elk and bison, in the distance and up close.

And suddenly…. © Rina Nehdar
Then Kyle – looking into the binocular tripod – excitedly called us all over. We took turns taking over his spot as he guided our visual quest for the two wolf pups he sighted. “Look for the tree in between the three to the right. Follow the hill down toward the bush,” he said. And suddenly, there they were! Two canines racing in and out of a hedge. Stopping. Staring. Bouncing off each other. We laughed at their antics and my eyes inexplicably filled. The wonder felt like a gift in a sometimes jaded world.

It’s like looking in a mirror. Photo by Getty Images
Upper Geyser Basin
Half the world’s geysers are inside Yellowstone NP and most of them are in the Upper Geyser Basin region. The most famous geyser of all, Old Faithful, resides in the Old Faithful area, along with four other giants: Grand, Castle, Daisy, and Riverside.
Old Faithful
There are treasures made famous by television, movies, and cultural lore that set expectations of visiting a place. Old Faithful Geyser and the Midway Geyser Basin’s Grand Prismatic Spring are two such locations and we all looked forward to finally seeing them in person.
Old Faithful is the first geyser in Yellowstone NP to acquire a name. It is one of about 500 geysers in the park (half of all the geysers in the world!) and only one of six whose eruptions park rangers can predict. As volcanic activity shifts underground, geysers and springs react aboveground. Today, Old Faithful erupts roughly every 90 minutes and that time frame has only changed by 30 minutes in the last 30 years.
Why We Almost Didn’t See Old Faithful
What we didn’t realize because the tour described on the website showed a different itinerary than the one Brad gave us on our first day, was that we would be stopping by these wonders on the last day of the tour, on the drive back to Jackson to catch our flights home. Well. This created a problem. Because the itinerary on the website showed only a drive for the last day (and the fabled attractions on day three of the tour), I decided to be smart (or so I thought) and book our flights leaving out of Bozeman.
So, my plan was to spend another day exploring a new to us city instead of driving all day just to get on a plane. I made this decision – without checking with Intrepid! – because I assumed it would be close to where we’d be staying by Yellowstone in Montana. Oh no.
Bozeman is about two hours from West Yellowstone. Not only were we going to miss the gems of the tour, we’d have to find a way to get to the airport on our own. It was my fault, of course, and a seriously rookie move.
Why We Saw Old Faithful
Luckily, Brad took pity on us and arranged for us older families to visit Old Faithful while the younger family went to rest at the hotel after the wolf expedition. Kaleb succumbed to his teen fatigue so stayed behind to nap too.
The line to see the Grand Prismatic Spring in Midway Geyser Basin was about two hours long (Brad estimated when we drove by) and because it was a cloudy day, said we wouldn’t get the full impact of the colorful bacteria blooms, so we decided to pass. He mentioned that Fairy Falls was another popular hike in that area, but we were already pushing it with this addition to our itinerary.

What no one saw that day. Photo by Denys Nevozhai on Unsplash
As visitors arrive, they can go through the Old Faithful Inn to get to the walkway that leads to the Old Faithful viewing benches. They can also park in the large parking lot and follow the signs to see the geyser. Old Faithful Inn is a log and stone structure built in 1903-4 but looks new. Inside, there is a restaurant where diners can watch Old Faithful erupt over a nice meal. There is also a coffee shop and vendors selling things like local honey. There’s a huge stone fireplace and on the day we visited, a violin player played on the second-floor open-air hall. Families planning winter trips can stay at the Old Faithful Snow Lodge, another accommodation option in this area.
DON’T MISS! Super Sustainable Travel Tips
We took the path to the steaming tendrils of Old Faithful rising from the earth. Families assembled on a boardwalk set around the geyser in a semi-circle atop wooden benches. We had passed a sign inside the Inn that showed an estimate of when the geyser was expected to blow. We had to hurry because the time was almost upon us.

Wait for it… © Rina Nehdar
Or. So we thought. Turns out Old Faithful is only semi-faithful.
Old Faithful started his show with a sputter of hot water. A ripple of ohhhhhs went through the amphitheater. Kids playing on the wooden floor beams dropped their toys. Some stood up. I got my phone ready to capture the magic. More steam billowed and a few more bursts of water shot into the air. Suddenly, the water climbed from 10 feet to 100 and the crowd awwwwd its appreciation.

Thar she blows. © Rina Nehdar
The steam kept coming with the water. From our angle, it was hard at times to see that water behind the vapor. I suspected the way the wind was blowing, the people to our right had a better vantage point. No matter. It was really cool to see a piece of natural folklore alive and well. The show lasted about five minutes and we walked back to the Inn once it was clearly back asleep.
[ctt template=”8″ link=”VHP3K” via=”no” ]From whitewater rafting to wolf spotting at dawn – our mother-son adventure through Yellowstone and Grand Teton with Intrepid Travel was unforgettable! Read our full review with tips here. [/ctt]
A Nerve-Wracking Goodbye (Why Uber Is Evil)
A Nerve-Wracking Goodbye (Why Uber Is Evil)
The younger family never made it out of their room so we never got a proper goodbye with them on our last night. Even though their kids were much younger than ours, there’s something about stalking animals and hot blasts of water that brings people together. So, instead of having our group goodbye dinner, our families went back to the Buffalo Bar and saw Brad eating at the bar.
He came over to our table, treated us to appetizers, and bought the moms a glass of wine. We toasted to a great time, and I was sorry the boys back home missed such a wonderful adventure. We had reserved an Uber the night before to arrive at our hotel for a 3:30 am pick up. They confirmed, and we got up at three and sat waiting with our stuff, ready to go.
About every 10 minutes, a reassuring text would arrive letting us know our driver would arrive at our pickup time. At five minutes before the driver was supposed to pull up, another alert came through letting us know that there were no available drivers and they canceled our ride. Five minutes before pick up. So, two moms and two kids sat in a four-street town hotel room, with their suitcases all around them, panicking about missing their plane two hours away.
I tried to keep the panic on the inside and reassure everyone that all would be ok. As a travel-lover, I wanted to show the teens that things can go wrong during trips, and that was ok. You had to focus on the solution. With the table lamps casting their yellow rays and the world in darkness, we started calling taxi companies. After the third one, a woman picked up at 4:20 in the morning. She sounded kind and patient and reassured us there was a car and they could pick us up for our rescheduled flight. With everything settled, we went back to sleep. A beautiful new Escalade picked us up at noon and we flew back home with a head full of adventure and a desire to see more.
When You Go
Getting To Jackson From Los Angeles
Flying from Los Angeles to Jackson Hole offers several options depending on the season. During summer (June-September) and winter (December-March), United Airlines and Alaska Airlines operate direct flights from LAX to JAC with flight times of approximately 2 hours and 15-20 minutes. United typically offers morning departures while Alaska often has afternoon options. Year-round service is available through connecting flights: Delta via Salt Lake City, United via Denver, and American via Dallas or Phoenix, with total travel times ranging from 4-6 hours including connections. For greater flexibility, consider flying to Idaho Falls (a 2-hour drive from Jackson) or Salt Lake City (5 hours by car), with shuttle services available from both airports. Book direct flights well in advance as they fill quickly, especially during peak tourist seasons, and favor morning departures to minimize the risk of weather-related delays.
An excellent discount site for rental cars and flights is Booking! We’ve literally saved hundreds using it.
WayAway is a flight search engine that looks for the best deals for destinations you’re visiting with the possibility of earning cash back on your purchases. Have you tried them yet? If not, give them a spin and see how much money you’ll save on flights.
To get discounts on tours in the area, we recommend Get Your Guide or Viator (which offers 51% off last-minute tours!).
IF YOU ENJOYED THIS ARTICLE, PLEASE CONSIDER PINNING OR SHARING IT!


