The Grand Tetons: The Best Family Vacation

Looking for some place to take the kids for vacation that doesn't involve sweaty plastic mouse ears and frustrated parents? Sure, I love Disneyworld just has much as anybody else, but last summer I visited truly one of the most magical places on Earth, where the magic was nature made and visually stunning. All the pictures in this Hub showcase the beauty and fun that the Teton mountain range can offer. Visitors to the mountain range stay in Jackson Hole, Wyoming and after enjoying the park and the adorable town for several days often head to Yellowstone via a road that connects the two parks.

The mountains of the Teton range are easily the most visually stunning centerpiece of a vacation to Wyoming. The main mountain peaks in order of size are called Grand Teton, Mt Owen, Teewinot, Middle Teton and South Teton and were formed when two plates of the earth's crust smashed into one another about 7 million years ago. These glorious mountains lack any obstructing foothills due in part to the location of the fault line and the younger age of the mountains, which has not allowed for erosion to occur. Made of dark and imposing granite, gniess and diabase rocks, the Tetons will keep your fingers glued to your camera.

Animals in the Tetons are just as plentiful and diverse as in Yellowstone National Park. During our time in the Tetons, our family went on a wildlife safari in search of the main animals located in the Tetons: Bear, moose, elk, and bison. We saw all those animals, and several other smaller types of animals, including eagles. Finding wild animals is generally more enjoyable in the Tetons than it is in Yellowstone. Less trafficked than Yellowstone, the Tetons offers more back roads and turn offs for exploration and doesn't suffer from large crowds of people enveloping every helpless deer, let alone bear or moose. I highly suggest setting up a wildlife safari with the family- our guide was incredibly knowledgeable and friendly and had the finest pair of eyes for spotting animals that I ever have seen!

For the plant enthusiast in the family (don't worry, that's totally me, so clearly you aren't unusual or as odd as your family makes you out to be!) the Tetons showcases a brilliant array for beautiful flowering plants that make a lovely foreground for your artsy pictures of the Tetons. While sagebrush does cover a lot of the surrounding flat lands, huckleberry, chokecherry and honeysuckle are just a few of the common plants that grow there. Flax, bluebell and lupine were some of my favorite purple flowers that we encountered as we trekked across the various turn offs.

Jenny Lake is easily one of the most beautiful centerpieces of the Tetons. Formed by a glacier, this ice-cold, crystalline lake is usually calm and placid. During our trip to the lake, however, a storm was rapidly descending over the peaks of the mountains, stirring the water and breaking apart the sun's rays. The scene was completely gorgeous and the time my family spent hopping from rock to rock, each trying to outdo each other with a new outlandish angle or view was just as memorable.

Besides driving around the length of the park and stopping to explore and view the scenery, the Tetons and Jackson Hole provide a lot of different family activities. My mother, allergic to all things Western, found the Bar T 5 chuck wagon (a barbecue dinner accompanied by music and a western-themed show) to be completely adorable and actually enjoyed herself-- which speaks loudly of how fun this show actually was. At the Snow King Mountain resort, your family can ride an alpine slide down the side of the mountain, zipping through the forest terrain, racing chipmunks and even catching sight of elk or moose. If you visit in winter, that same mountain provides excellent skiing. If you visit in the summer, cool down and check out Amaze'n. Located just down the road from the alpine slide, this virtually unknown stop provided an hour of unusual fun- watch your children run through a maze from a deck up above, where you can target them with water guns and soak them! Horseback riding and wildlife safari's are classic options that my family did as well, and both were very enjoyable (Even though my horse hated me).

I was once on a plane next to an older gentleman, and he made the remark that he wished he could have taken his kids to see the mountains when they were younger. I was struck by that remark, and instantly grateful that my own parents had taken me to the Tetons. Of all the vacations I've been fortunate enough to have been able to go on (and that includes Hawaii!), the Tetons were easily my favorite. I loved the beautiful scenery and raw mountain range and I loved the quaint, homey atmosphere in Jackson Hole. We enjoyed the best sandwiches ever at the New York Sub Shop, found all fifty license plates, and enjoyed the wide variety of tourist-trap shops that managed to totally avoid that tourist-trap feel. Take your family to the Tetons and enjoy the calm and serenity they provide.