By: Alison Bailin Batz

Travel is certainly therapeutic. 

But travel that features fresh mountain air with blue skies and unspoiled majestic scenery in every direction is truly the most natural form of self-rejuvenation — and a necessary prescription for the mind, body, and spirit. 

Wyoming — and Jackson Hole, in particular — is among the sneaky-best (and most sustainable) spots for a little self-rejuvenation all summer long. 

Jackson Hole is a mountain-lined paradise near the Teton Mountain Range. Certainly, it has earned national attention as a chic refuge for the likes of Kim Kardashian and Harrison Ford in recent years, but beyond being a mecca for celebrities looking to escape from it all, it is the perfect place for adventure buffs, culinary connoisseurs, and nature lovers of every shape and size. 

In recent years, many who visit do so in the thick of the winter, given the tremendous skiing at Jackson Hole Resort. But those in the know book a trip in the summer or fall, because it is heaven on Earth.

Snow King

Surrounded by 3.4 million pristine acres of the Bridger-Teton National Forest and encompassed by the iconic, jagged peaks of the Teton Range and Grand Teton National Park, Snow King Resort is one of Jackson’s most celebrated resorts providing an authentic Western lodging experience. Given its prime location, the resort is smart to offer its Snow King Adventure Tour through Grand Teton National Park year-round. The half-day tour features a professional guide, window seats in comfortable transportation, access to quality binoculars and spotting scopes, drinks, and light refreshments. During the four-hour tour, the guide seamlessly shares the archaeology and history of the region while pointing out moose, elk, grizzly bears, black bears, antelope, bison, wolves, coyotes, trumpeter swans, sandhill cranes, bald eagles, and more. 

Now through October, the resort also offers a Yellowstone adventure. The full-day tour — usually 10 to 12 hours — whisks guests through Grand Teton National Park and then ventures across the lower loop of Yellowstone National Park, making stops at Old Faithful, the Grand Prismatic Spring, Hayden Valley, and both the Upper and Lower Falls of Yellowstone River. As with the Grand Teton tour, there are ample wildlife viewing opportunities and refreshments throughout the adventure. There is a full lunch service as well. 

Once guests have walked on the wild side, throughout the summer Snow King also offers the chance to relax through its “Tame Your Mild Side” package. Guests who book this package may enjoy complimentary breakfast for two daily, two desserts, and two signature cocktails at Haydens Post restaurant on-site, and two passes to the resort’s 9,000-square-foot Grand View Spa, which boasts experiential showers, a co-ed infrared sauna, outdoor deck and hot tub with scenic mountain views, a retail boutique, and private men’s and women’s locker rooms. The package also includes a 30-minute session for two guests in the spa’s halotherapy salt lounge, which is the first of its kind in Wyoming. The treatment involves breathing in air with tiny salt particles to improve lung health, fight allergies, and ease skin conditions. A final bonus: the package provides admission for two adults to the nearby National Museum of Wildlife Art, which is the nation’s only museum dedicated solely to wildlife, art with more than 5,000 cataloged artworks and 550 artists represented in the museum’s permanent collection. www.snowking.com

Four Seasons Resort and Residences 

Another amazing option: Four Seasons Resort and Residences Jackson Hole. The Five Diamond AAA resort is conveniently located just a mile from the entrance of Grand Teton National Park, among the top mountaineering, hiking, backcountry, and fishing locales in the United States and home to thousands of species of animals, notably moose, bald eagles, elk, deer, bears, and bison. The prettier-than-a-postcard resort has a heated outdoor pool, multiple hot spring-style jetted tubs, three award-winning restaurants, a small-bite mixology bar, access to a nearby ropes course, and hiking trails. There is also a dedicated team of on-site naturalists that lead adventures ranging from wildlife safaris, fly fishing, and stargazing daily, given the greatest of the great outdoors awaits at every turn. 

Sustainability is at the forefront of everything they do at the resort. On the property, there are electric vehicle (EV) charging stations available for guest use, as well as complimentary bicycles. Linens and towels are replaced every third day, unless otherwise requested, and all of the eateries use local menu items whenever available, as well as cage-free eggs. They also have a comprehensive waste reduction program in place focused on elimination of single-use plastic bottles and food and beverage containers; recycling; organic waste diversion; and all soaps and toiletries are donated to those in need through Clean the World. www.fourseasons.com/jacksonhole 

More to Explore 

Beyond what the resorts offer both on and off their properties, adventure awaits at every turn across the region. For those looking to see it from a bird’s eye view, Fly Jackson Hole offers four scenic flight packages daily that start at $295 per person and range from 60 to 90 minutes. During the tours, expect to soar over the Tetons, Snake River, several waterfalls, alpine lakes, and canyons. For the daredevil, Teton Hang Gliding’s experienced FAA Flight instructors lead multiple hang-gliding expeditions daily using a powered buggy with an open cockpit. 

Less high in the sky and wetter and wilder, Barker Ewing White Water offers whitewater rafting and scenic float trips along Jackson Hole’s Snake River. The tours, available separately and able to be combined together into packages, many with meals included, range from seven to 15 miles. The whitewater rafting section of the Snake River is Class III, perfect for people of all ages and experience, while the scenic float is an unhurried, relaxing jaunt down the river best for photographers and nature lovers. Or if a power boat is more your speed, there are four main marinas for boating in Grand Teton National Park that offer rentals, services, and other amenities for adventures on the Snake River and numerous lakes. Signal Mountain Lodge is a best bet as they have deck cruisers, pontoon boats, and motorboats.

For more information, visit www.visitjacksonhole.com