Day 6 Drove to Cody, WY, to spend the night before heading to Yellowstone. The drive to Cody was through the Bighorn Mountains and was very twisty with lots of altitude changes, but beautiful and well worth the drive. Cody is like the gateway to the Yellowstone area, and has lots of history with Buffalo Bill. We had a couple brews at Pat O’Hara Brewery (our 2nd favorite microbrew), and ate at the Proud Cut Saloon, where we had our first bison burger. Finally we had breakfast in the morning at Our Place before heading out to Yellowstone. (See reviews for these in our dining section).

Days 7 & 8 consisted of Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons. Just a note - the time of year to go if you can is after Labor Day but as we found out before the end of September. Some restaurants were closed for the season when we got there but the park is still open and beautiful. Also the earlier you get there in the day, the lighter the traffic and more animals are out. We entered Yellowstone from the east entrance and did half of the loop one day and the other half the other day. Heading north there are some beautiful sites to see along the way - The Low Falls, Mud Volcano, LeHardy’s Rapids, and we ended up at Mammoth Hot Springs where a herd of elk had made their way into town to rest for the afternoon. Unfortunately the route from Canyon Village to Tower-Roosevelt is closed through 2022 for road construction and we think that would have been a great route to take. (we missed the Upper Falls) We stayed in Grant Village for the night and ventured out to the west in the AM to see the geysers. Old Faithful goes off about every 60 minutes and is also surrounded by lots of other geysers which go off periodically. These were amazing sites and definitely a one of a kind attraction worth visiting. The park has lots of ways to see sites, driving, hiking, paved paths through the geysers, etc. There is something for everyone and you could spend 2 days or 2 weeks there depending on your interests. We spent 2 full days which for us was enough but if the park were busier and it took a longer time to get around, it could easily be 3-4 days.

Days 9 & 10 were spent in Jackson Hole, WY and the Grand Tetons. The Tetons are an amazing site in themselves with their high pointed peaks and the plains below filled with wildlife. We were able to see a moose which even from far away is a very large animal. Unfortunately the lift up the mountains was not working but would be something to do in either the summer or winter. Jackson Lake is in one of the pictures below, however we were very sad to see how dried up it was. I’m sure it is a blow to the area for boating, fishing, etc. The city of Jackson was bustling with locals and visitors. There are a ton of shops and quality restaurants. We ate at the Silver Dollar Saloon (see more in our dining section) and also had a drink at the Snake River Brewery and the Million Dollar Bar. These 2 places have completely different atmospheres - one a modern microbrewery and the other a historical western bar where the bar seats are saddles. We thoroughly enjoyed both of them. We also had breakfast at Persephone Bakery (probably our favorite breakfast place), and a couple beers and duck wings at Roadhouse Brew Company . For dinner we ate at The Local and then breakfast at The Bunnery. All in all Jackson offers a lot of variety with something for everyone. We understand why this is such a popular destination and highly recommend it for a visit. We were also glad we were there when we were as I can only imagine how busy it is in the summer and winter seasons.