Category: Idaho

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Driggs Grand Teton NP Hiking Idaho On the Water Wyoming

Idaho Summer is in Full Swing

Did you miss us? Wowzers. I never thought that trying to be “normal” during a summer and sitting still could be so busy! Summer has finally arrived in Teton Valley Idaho and we are enjoying every last minute.

A few highlights from the last month or so:

70 Mile Bike Ride at Little Red with My Oldest

Proud of this girl!! As Sam and I talked leading up to the ride I told him that my goal was to get her over the finish line. I was there to pace, pull, cheer, remind her to drink, and be her cheerleader every step of the way. I’ve done long rides before. I knew I could do it, but SHE didn’t know her capabilities.

It was an honor to watch her set this goal and then fight to accomplish it. Helping my kids excel at their goals is one of my most favorite things about being a parent.

Cara is already talking about training for 50 miles next year and Rachel is eyeing Goldilocks for a 100 miler later this year. Heaven help us. 💪🚴‍♀️

Teton Valley Composite Mountain Bike Team & NICA Coach Certification

There are a lot of things we can give our kids traveling, but organized teams are not one of them. We used to laugh it off (not really being sports ball people ourselves) but as our young ones grow into teenagers I’m becoming aware of how valuable being a member of a positive, goal driven, and FUN group can be. Especially when the coaches are this freaking amazing.

There’s a lot more to come this summer about the Teton Valley Composite mountain bike team here in Idaho because we are going to enjoy every minute of it. I’m officially a Level 1 NICA certified coach which means I also get to ride and learn from these dedicated coaches and athletes.

Floating the Teton River

Sunshine? ✔️ Friends ✔️ Beautiful scenery? ✔️ Our inaugural float of the Teton River this week was a complete success! @annaraej and I managed to wrangle 7 kids from South Bates to Rainey Bridge and not lose anyone…barely. 😂 Luckily the river is fairly shallow and the current wasn’t incredibly strong.

Kind of hoping to make this a weekly occurrence especially as the temperature heats up this summer!

Volunteer Coaching at Teton High School Volleyball Camp

After attending a Gold Medal Square Volleyball Coaching camp in Long Beach, CA last month I was stoked to find out the high school team was bringing in coaches to run a local camp for the girls. I was incredibly impressed with their teaching techniques and excited that Rachel was old enough to attend! I learned a lot about coaching in action and am excited to put these skills to use this winter when club starts back up!

Camping at Jordanelle State Park for a Week

Not too shabby of a place to call home for a week.

We’ve never explored much of the Park City, Utah area but I’m really liking it. Thinking maybe we should make this an annual spring trip. Mountain biking, paddle boarding, and maybe throw in some sailing lessons?

Level 1 PMBI Mountain Bike Instructor Certification

Becoming a certified mountain bike instructor has been a dream of mine ever since I attend Outessa a few years back. Not only did I want to improve my own skills, but being able to coach and teach others is incredibly fulfilling. As Rachel put it the other day, “Wow, mom. Its like I get a free private lesson every time we ride together.”

Yes, yes you do.

“Riding in my happy place today. Rachel and I had a date on some singletrack while Sam took the other kids to a Flying Eagles event at the airport.

We worked on her climbing position, cadence, and then ready/neutral position on the descents. Plus we got a workout. 💪

Next time I’ll remember to wear the fancy new shoes MTB shoes I bought.”🤦‍♀️ @grandtargheeresort @deuter@shredly

-@currentlywandering

Family Reunion Shenanigans in Victor, Idaho

My family came to visit for a week and my mom rented a house in nearby Victor, Idaho so we could all stay together. Anyone else’s reunions crazy fun and utterly exhausting?

We hiked in Grand Teton National Park, floated the Teton River, visited a local farm for a wagon ride, took family photos, road the lift to the top of Fred’s mountain at Targhee, ate ice cream at the Victor Emporium, and played lots and lots of games. We loved showing off our little valley!

4th of July Crazy + All the Rivers

Sometimes all we do is play. Local parade, floating with lots of friends down the south fork of the Snake, Family Night lift riding at Grand Targhee Resort, and topping off the weekend with a whitewater run down the Hoback section of the Snake River. Whew. We need some sleep!

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Driggs Skiing Wyoming

Gearing Up for Another Ski Winter at Grand Targhee Resort

Last week I cracked my eyes one morning in response to my alarm clock and groggily looked out the window. Realizing what I was seeing I bolted upright and grabbed my phone for a photo. It had snowed a good 4 inches overnight which meant the local ski resort, Grand Targhee, must have gotten more than that! With opening day coming fast we will take all the snow we can get.

Last year after Hawaii, we arrived back to Driggs in early January and immediately threw ourselves into ski season with wild abandon. We rented skis, signed our kids up for lessons through the local school districts, and planned to spend most of our time learning on the slopes.

It was fantastic.

And we were exhausted.

“That’s a wrap on ski season! We’ve skied on average twice a week for the last 3 months and are so impressed with how well the kids have done.”

This year we plan to take things a little more slowly. Because we came back from our east coast trip a little early (okay, A LOT early) we made the local ski swap and got used skis, boots, and poles for all the kids. With opening day set for November 16th we have at least a month and half of skiing before lessons start again in January which will give us the perfect amount of time to get warmed up and back into the swing of things.

In honor of ski season almost upon us, Sam and I sat down and came up with our top 5  reasons we love Grand Targhee and are excited to ski there again this winter.

Beginner Terrain

Grand Targhee has one of the largest beginner friendly terrains I’ve ever seen. Not only do they have a magic carpet, but they have a beginner lift that explores acres of green, kid friendly, action packed terrain.

The kids are excited to check out all their favorite trails, and I think they will spend most of December becoming familiar again with their favorite runs. The kids also love the various paths through the trees that turn technical skill practice into something fun! Those will help with their turning and handling skills in preparation for tackling some of the easier intermediate trails.

Amazing Instructors

I’m still floored by the caliber of instructors Targhee hires for their ski school. My kids LOVED it. Even after lessons were over, their instructors would still say “hi” to my kids when we ran into each other on the slopes.  All of my kids have their fingers crossed they get the same instructor this year.

The #TargheeVibe

We are close to Jackson Hole, WY which draws a lot of the intense, ski vacation type people. We’ve often heard of lift lines over an hour long on that side of the mountains, while I get a little miffed if we can’t ski right back on the lift.

We have met some amazing people from all over the world riding the chair lift, but this side of the mountain is just….quieter. Its more intimate. It has soul. And its perfect.

Family Friendly

While the beginner terrain is immense and awesome, there’s also something for everyone. Sam and I have *almost* skied every blue run, haven’t really touched the blacks (and there are some good ones), not to mention the back country area around Mary’s that you have to hike to. Let’s be honest – that stuff just isn’t even on my radar yet.

The resort is also small, which far from being a disadvantage means that we can all grab separate runs and easily meet back down at the lodge. Its super easy to keep track of our kids with small Talk-About-Radios.

We are super stoked for another amazing ski season at Grand Targhee Resort. Check out our top 5 reasons we are headed back for another year!

And the s’mores.

Let’s not forget the s’mores every Friday sponsored by the ski school. One of my favorite things last year was meeting up with the kids after lessons and all grabbing a s’more (or two, or three) on the patio before heading home. I love the friendly atmosphere and general camaraderie that exists at the resort – it makes it so easy to want to come back again and again!

With only a few days  left until opening day, we seriously can’t wait to get back on the slopes and we are excited to help Grand Targhee celebrate their 50th anniversary this year! In the meantime, we’ll just keep praying that the snow comes hard and fast!

Categories
Idaho Outdoor Adventures Wyoming

Grand Targhee Resort Family Guide: Summer Edition

Grand Targhee Resort is located on the western slopes of the Teton Mountains in Alta, WY. Technically in Wyoming, the resort can only be accessed through the Idaho side via Driggs which is where we now have a home base.

A relatively small resort, Grand Targhee is known for its incredible powder during the winter, but also has plenty of activities to fill a summer vacation!

We recently were invited up for a 3 night stay to check out the summer activities and came away incredibly impressed.  If you are thinking about taking a trip to the Tetons, definitely bookmark this page as we’ll take you through the resort from a family perspective!

Directions:

Grand Targhee is located 12 miles from Driggs, ID right on the Idaho/Wyoming border (more lovingly called “Wydaho” by the locals). It takes about 20 minutes to drive up to the resort from downtown.

If you are flying in, the Jackson Hole Airport is 1.5 hours away and the Idaho Falls Airport is about 2 hours. Drive time, Targhee is also about 4-4.5 hours from both Bozeman, MT and Salt Lake City, UT.

Lodging:

There are a lot of options both at Targhee and in the general Driggs are for accommodations (we run an AirBnb listing ourselves when out traveling). However, we loved being right at the resort for a few days. The views were incredible, the vibe was perfect, and we had access to the swimming pool. Total plus for any kid or family on vacation.

We stayed in the Sioux Lodge, which has a loft and sleeps 6 which is great for bigger families. Cara and Andrew claimed the bunk beds, Sam and I took the queen bed upstairs and Rachel slept on the pull out bed in the main living space.

There’s not a full kitchen, but the room does have a mini fridge, microwave and coffee maker. We were able to buy groceries in town (cereal, frozen burritos, instant oatmeal, etc.) to balance eating out. With a larger family is just isn’t cost effective to eat out every meal so we appreciated the amenities.

The Sioux Lodge is next to the Shoshone lift which made mountain biking a breeze, and also across the parking lot from the swimming pool.

Camping

Another option is to camp in your RV! We’ve talked about making our AirBnb available for rent and spending a few nights in the Airstream up at Targhee next summer. There’s just something to be said for mountain biking straight from camp! #amIright?

Camping is $25/night and permits are sold at the front desk. Dry camping only and we did see an average of 5-6 trailers out in the parking lot while we were there.

Activities:

The temperatures tend to be about 10 degrees cooler than the valley which is great as Driggs usually stays about 85 degrees Fahrenheit in the summer. The crisp, mountain air is perfect for outdoor activities.

Mountain Biking

I wrote an entire blog post about our experience mountain biking with kids at the resort, so make sure to check that out if you haven’t seen it! Targhee has both cross country trails (free) or you can pay to take the lift up and bike down. Plenty of options to keep everyone busy!

Sam and I were also able to grab some rental bikes (Thanks Targhee!!) and ride the trails down from the Dreamcatcher lift. They are definitely more technical but doable at an intermediate level. At one point we got ourselves onto a black trail and did okay but had to walk a few things (seriously – how does anyone ride those drops?!). I figure we aren’t pushing ourselves enough if we can ride everything so it felt great.

On our last ride my brother in law ended up putting a hole (or three) in his tube so we had a little siesta trail side. As we sat there, bike patrol caught up to us and since she was sweeping the trails to make sure everyone got off okay we all hung out for a bit. Nice to know there are patrols up there in case anything happens!

Summer Day Camp for Kids

Our kids had the opportunity to participate in summer camp for a day. Most of the participants are bused up from Driggs & Alta, but they had no problem including our kids right from the resort as well.

Camp is run Monday-Friday and includes activities like swimming lessons, horse education (Tue/Thur), mountain biking (M/W/F), disc golf, arts & crafts, bungee trampoline, climbing wall, hiking, nature instruction and more!  I dropped the kids off at 9am and then wandered back about an hour later to find them learning about raptors! They were enthralled.

When we picked them back up around 4:3opm we had mixed reactions. Cara thoroughly enjoyed herself, Andrew had fun but was exhausted (and maybe slightly sick? He totally passed out afterwards), and Rachel was maybe a little bored. Lol! At 12.5 years old she was definitely one of the oldest participating so maybe stick to slightly younger kids and they’ll do great!

Swimming

We loved having a pool practically out our front door. Targhee heats the pool in both summer and winter, so even when the weather is a bit chilly the water feels great! Due to the day camps, the daytime hours were a bit hectic but our first evening there we practically had the pool to ourselves from 6-8pm.

The hot tub also feels great after a day on the trails. Just sayin’.

Scenic Chair Lift, Hiking, & More

Riding up the lift to the top of the mountain is actually one of my favorite things! Sure you can hike up – but taking the lift up and hiking from there is also incredible. Once you get up to the top there’s a small nature center and then up past that is my favorite view of the Teton mountain range. I expected it to be cold at the top so we went with jackets and windbreakers but the temperature was actually quite pleasant. We totally lucked out! The trail up to Mary’s Saddle is also beautiful and fairly easy. For more hiking information check it out here on Grand Targhee’s website.

Grand Targhee also offers horseback riding and they have an 18 hole disc golf course. I kept thinking that we’d go out an play disc golf in the beautiful evening light after dinner but then we were so exhausted we never managed. I think having ONE more day up there would have been perfect and we could have fit it all in!

Dining

The dining options are more limited during the summer, but what they have is great!

Snorkels is a little bakery, breakfast, soup and sandwich spot. After dropping the kids off at day camp, I grabbed a $9 breakfast burrito to share with Sam. Super filling for the two of us and tasted fantastic!

There’s a General Store located across from the bike shop where I grabbed some muffins one afternoon to tied us over until dinner.

The Branding Iron is a more fine dining experience. They have options from Elk Burger to grilled New York Steak, but also have a kid’s menu (Pro tip: the burgers are the same as the regular menu). On the recommendation of a friend we tried the Fried Brussel Sprout appetizer, and then Sam ordered a Philly Cheese Steak sandwich while I got a burger. Both were delicious! We ate out on the patio and enjoyed the view of the mountain – which is something you don’t want to do in the winter!

There’s also the Trap Bar and Grill which is popular for adults, but as its a bar no one under 21 is allowed. Not a great family friendly option, so we didn’t try it out but I’ve heard good things.

If you are staying for an extended period of time, definitely take the time to drive down into Driggs for food. For a small town, it has quite a few dining options from Mexican, Thai, sushi, pizza, and burgers.

We are incredibly grateful to Grand Targhee Resort for hosting up on the mountain. We thoroughly enjoyed our time and activities and it was nice to have a bit of a “vacation” right as we transitioned out of the condo and into the Airstream this summer. We can’t wait to explore more of what they have to offer in the future!

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Biking Driggs Outdoor Adventures Wyoming

Mountain Biking at Grand Targhee Resort with Kids

Its no secret we love to mountain bike. One of the reasons we love living in Teton Valley, Idaho is the plethora of outdoor activities and trails. Oh, and its not hot in the summer. That’s a huge plus.

We spent the winter skiing at Grand Targhee Resort (and loved it!) so when I started talking to their marketing department about potential partnership opportunities we threw around the idea of bringing the family up during the summer to test out the new beginner mountain biking trails off their Shoshone lift.

Yes, please.

After a couple of days testing out the trails, Grand Targhee is now officially our favorite in the summer as well as the winter. Keep on reading to see the reasons why!

Beginner Lift Serviced Trails

For those that have never experienced mountain biking at a ski resort this could be an entirely new concept. Many resorts convert their facilities over to mountain biking trails in the summer and enable guests to take their bikes up to the top and then just ride down back to the base. Pretty sweet, right? All the fun of downhill without having to bust a lung climbing back up again.

The lifts at Grand Targhee open for bikes at 10am as the staff needs to ride the trails early to make sure everything is clear and safe. This is great since I’m not a super morning person anyway. Plenty of time to sleep in, let the dew melt off the grass, and have the weather warm up just a smidge. Our kids were chomping at the bit to get going, so we were lined up ready to load at 10am sharp.

We dropped Cara off for her mountain biking lesson (more on that in a minute) and then Sam and I loaded up on the lift with the two older kids. The lift is slightly different in the summer as they have dedicated bike chairs – so you have to get your bike on and then you follow it around before being picked up by the next chair. The lift attendants were great, and totally helped my kids get their bikes on when needed.

After a short 10 minute ride to the top we were ready to tackle the trails. We had picked out Bring it On Home as our first trail – the easiest green one down the mountain. It was fast, flowy, fun and my kids couldn’t wipe the grins off their faces.

We then spent the rest of the day alternating between riding, the swimming pool, riding, eating, and more riding.

The trails off Shoshone are great for beginners as they aren’t too technical. There are plenty of berms to practice cornering, while Chutes and Ladders has plenty of jumps for those looking for a challenge. The trails are smooth single track which helped our kids gain confidence along with speed.

 

Mountain Biking Lessons

I’ve talked quite a bit lately about our “divide and conquer” mode of operation when it comes to family mountain biking. Anything the older two kids can ride ends in tears for Cara, and anything she enjoys riding completely bores the others. Usually we’ll start together but then split as one adult rides faster with Rachel & Andrew, while the other lags behind with Cara.

When we planned our trip up here, we decided that a lesson might be exactly what Cara needed to push to that next level. She struggles to take direction from us (Stop telling me when to shift, mom!), but as evidenced by skiing lessons, she’ll do anything for an instructor. Our Targhee contact scheduled a 1.5 hour intro to Targhee lesson first thing in the morning and we were set!

Cara was nervous to be by herself, but her instructor, Chris, immediately put her at ease. They started out in the parking lot going over basic skills, then moved to some of the easier cross country trails, and finally ended up on the lift practicing what she learned on the downhill.

We met up with them in between runs and the girl was all smiles.

I followed behind the two of them for a bit to get a feel of how it was going, and listened as Chris called out “Ready position!” and “Get high on the berm” as they flew down the trail. Cara did awesome! She was full of confidence and couldn’t wait to show us all she had learned.

I feel like the mountain bike lessons at Targhee are affordable and a great way for kids (and adults!) to improve their skills. We’ve always been impressed with the instructors at the resort both in winter and a summer. They are patient, confident, and know how to work well with kids.

Targhee also offers a 3 hour lesson that I’ve got my eye on for next summer. You can do just a lesson or a combination of lesson, rental, and lift ticket. Plus, its a great way to help your kids improve (and be supervised – ahem) while you go out and tackle some of the bigger trails! Find out more information on their website here. 

Skills Park

New this year, Grand Targhee just added a small skills park to their trail network. While not expansive, its super fun and a great way to spin your tires at the end of a day. There’s a pump track around the outside, some plank walks in in the middle, a rock garden, and boulders to hop. Andrew had fun doing a few laps after dinner our last night there.

Cross Country Trails

In addition to the lift serviced downhill trails, Grand Targhee has miles of cross country trails that are free to ride. There are some easier ones west of the lodge (where Cara had part of her lesson), which Sam and Rachel did a lap or two on after some downhill riding.

The rest of the cross country trails aren’t necessarily more technical (still pretty smooth) but have more elevation gain and loss. Sam and I had a biking date a few weeks earlier and rode out to Quakie Ridge. It was enough climbing to get my heart rate up with some flowy downhill and beautiful views mixed in.

Having both kinds of trails is great as they are different forms of exercise and use a variety of skills. We spent most of our time on the downhill trails since we had a lift ticket for the day, but living so close I can guarantee we’ll be back to tackle more of those trails with our kids.

We’ve been to a few other resorts that have downhill mountain biking (Steamboat Springs, CO, Sundance, UT, & Snowbird, UT) and really just love Grand Targhee – especially with kids. Having easier trails specifically designed for the beginner crowd is pretty unique and we felt we could enjoy the experience together as a family!

We are super grateful for Grand Targhee and their partnership with us! They provided the lift tickets, bike lesson, and accommodations but as always, all opinions are our own. We love the ‘Ghee!

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Idaho Mommy Diaries

Getting Too Comfortable

“Hey Mom! Watch this!” I paused for a moment along the trail to look back at Cara. She bent down and picked up a handful of snow and tossed it up into the air. “Its snowing!” I laughed along with her and marveled at the beautiful snowy landscape. The sun dipped behind the mountains, lighting up the sky with soft pink hues. We could hear the rustle of the swans as they swam effortlessly in the frigid, ice filled river. The scene was picture perfect and I couldn’t have been happier.

Our yurt trip at Herriman Idaho State Park lined up perfectly with some “hitch itch” anxiety. This is the longest we’ve sat still in over 4 years as Hawaii + Skiing stacked up is giving us 8 months of “regular” living. There are a lot of advantages to being in a sticks and bricks but sometimes I feel trapped and just want to go….anywhere. Luckily I have an amazing husband and kids who are adventurous and fun and who make playing in the outdoors the perfect solution. As we were falling asleep that night the kids mentioned they loved being together and sleeping in the same room. It was a throwback to life in the Airstream and for a minute we all had a twinge of nostalgia.

We needed this trip. Well, I needed this trip and luckily everyone was content to follow my madness. I have times where I can’t believe how good we have it, and other times where I think I’ll go mad if we spend one more day in the condo doing the same things over and over. Yurt camping was NEW, and FUN and DIFFERENT and I thrive on all three of those things. They help me feel alive.

We are headed back out in the Airstream for a spring mountain bike tour in 43 days. There’s actually some anxiety as we have a new truck (Ram 2500) which still needs a cover and a bike rack, a bike that needs a new front shock, and what if we get back in the Airstream and hate it? Then what?

The problem is that life in the condo is comfortable. It’d be so much easier to stay here, get involved with the local community and just be. We’ve always said that “comfort is the enemy of adventure”, however, so I think its time to start getting uncomfortable again because that’s where all the magic happens.