Category: The 50 States

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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!

Categories
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!

Categories
Colorado WanderLog

Moving Across Colorado

Travel Dates: June 30-July 5, 2018

We made it out of Idaho! We had quite a few family adventures planned so it almost felt like we hadn’t started our “big” trip yet, but we enjoyed it along the way.

We had reservations to meet family in Rocky Mountain National Park over the weekend which gave us time to slowly move through Colorado.

For the last three years we’ve been working Andrew through the Cub Scout program. It’s taken a lot of hard work and dedication (since most of it was done on our own as we traveled) but it paid off last spring when he earned his Arrow of Light! We had amazing Den and Pack leaders this last year in Idaho and Hawaii which helped us push through both Webelos and Arrow of Light in less than a year (advancements that are harder to do on our own). Pretty incredible, and we are incredibly grateful for their support! As Andrew has a history of scouting on both sides of the family (more Eagles than I can probably count) we are going to keep going with the Scout program even when the LDS church drops their support at the end of 2019. We love everything he’s learning as a scout and are excited to support him all the way through!

A post shared by Jess Curren | Outdoor & Travel (@currentlywandering) on

Happy Independence Day! We spent some of this evening on a small mountain bike loop in the hills above Steamboat Springs. I love this country, and I suspect you other Americans do too. I love it not because it is free of issues, but because I believe that we can work together to improve it, and that is still an unfortunately rare thing in this world. It would be easy to believe that we are all divided with extreme views. I’ve been all over this country and met lots of folks, and I just don’t believe that. Media, both mass and social, is a poor platform for nuanced discussion of complex issues. I believe that this country is by and large filled with good, loving people of many political persuasions. I invite you to join me in this belief by learning to get to know your neighbors better, not in effort to find disagreement but in effort to find common belief. I believe our common views are far greater than our differences.

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Hawaii National Parks

7 Day Family Vacation on the Big Island of Hawaii

Visiting the Big Island to see an active volcano was high on everyone’s wish list for the time we spent in Hawaii last fall. Our original plan was to island hop between the Big Island and Maui over Thanksgiving, but after we got bogged down in the logistics, we decided to just focus on the Big Island and I’m so glad we did! There is plenty to do, and I feel like we really got to appreciate the unique beauty of this island.

When We Visited: November 22-28, 2017

Ages of Kids: 12, 10, 7

We received plenty of recommendations from friends, and in the end decided to fly in and out of Kona International Airport on the west side of the island. We rented a car through Turo – which is a peer to peer rental network.

The vehicle ended up being smaller than we imagined (our fault, not theirs) but luckily Sam is a Tetris whiz and was able to cram everything in. I’m just glad we didn’t bring that extra suitcase.  It was really nice to have the owner drop the car curbside at the airport and pick it up there as well. No waiting in a car rental line!

Where We Stayed

We started our adventure on the west side of the island in Kona. There’s plenty of condo rentals available in the area, and ours was just okay so I won’t link to it here. Kona was definitely not our favorite place – its definitely touristy and felt rather crowded.

The second half of our trip we stayed in the cutest AirBnb in Volcano near the national park. As soon as I saw it, I knew we wanted to stay there! Only 15-20 minutes away from the entrance, it was the perfect home base for exploring the park. I loved that we weren’t camping in the rain (it rained a lot and was COLD), we had a full kitchen, a hammock, and a hot tub. Doesn’t get much better than that!

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New to AirBnB? Use our link to sign up and get $40 of credit towards your first trip!

——-Day 1: Wednesday——-

Our flight was around noon, so we arrived in plenty of time to have a little adventure before checking in to our accommodations. We grabbed our car and then stopped for a quick lunch at at Annie’s Island Fresh Burgers. It was late for lunch so the restaurant was pretty empty, but the burgers were good and the onion rings were even better!

Afterwards we headed a little farther south to visit Pu’uhonua O Honaunau National Historical Park, or the Place of Refuge. It was a sacred place for Polynesians and a safe place for those who were basically running from the law.

There’s a self-guided tour, and both Cara & Andrew enjoyed earning their Jr. Ranger Badges. It was definitely a lot hotter than we expected and our short walk was plenty!

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Afterwards we drove up to our condo rental, took showers and prepped for family photos! I had this crazy idea long time ago to have or family photos taken in Hawaii and when our friend Joe Hendricks found out we were headed to the Big Island he recommend Jim Dierking as a family photographer. After a few back and forth emails, we arranged to meet up at Waialea  Bay.

The light was perfect and Jim did a fabulous job capturing the spirit of our adventurous family!

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——-Day 2: Thursday——-

Thanksgiving Day! The last two years we’ve been backpacking over Thanksgiving, and although that was a possibility this year, we did want to do something adventurous. After throwing a ham in the crockpot to cook while we were gone, we packed a lunch and headed south!

Kayaking & Snorkeling at James Cook National Monument

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We had heard amazing things about snorkeling in Kealakekua Bay, and after I found a place where we could rent kayaks and paddled out to the bay ourselves we were sold! We rented 2 kayaks from Ehu & Kai Kayaks who are located right on the bay. After parking, we loaded up our gear and pushed off right from the dock! We were immediately greeted by a sweet, little turtle.

It was about a 20 minute paddle over to the James Cook National Monument, and since it was a brilliantly blue day we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.

There’s no place to dock boats at the monument, and technically you aren’t allowed on land unless you are with an official tour & guide. We mostly just took turns snorkeling and keeping an eye on the boats. The current wasn’t strong so they mostly stayed put. I’ve mentioned before that Cara loves shallow water snorkeling where she can see everything up close, and Rachel loves deep water snorkeling because otherwise she gets claustrophobic. This spot had both! There’s a large reef that drops off fairly steeply, but also places where the water was fairly shallow.

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After an hour or so of snorkeling we pulled out our picnic lunch and ate on the boats while floating in the bay. We couldn’t have asked for a more picture perfect location! Once we were done, it was a fairly easy paddle back to the dock.

Back at the condo, we swam in the pool (cause not enough swimming yet!), enjoyed our Thanksgiving meal and watched the sun set over the ocean.

——-Day 3: Friday——–

One thing that Rachel really wanted to do while on the Kona side of the island was to attend the LDS temple. She’s old enough now to participate in some of the ordinances, so we drove her over and spent a few hours in service. Perfect way to start the day!

Afterward, we packed up and started our drive over to the west side of the island. We planned to take all day and stop at various places along our route and it was perfect!

South Point

Quick stop at the southernmost point in the United States. It was pretty blustery and cold, but that didn’t stop the cliff jumpers we saw! There is a green sand beach you can hike out to, but we opted to pass this time around.

Punalu’u Bakery

ALL the malasadas. We bought round one and then went back for more. They weren’t hot – but still pretty dang good.

Punalu’u Black Sand Beach

I’ve never seen anything like it! The kids were fascinated with the small, volcanic black pebbles that make up this beach. There’s also a group of sea turtles that relax in the sun on a daily basis. We ate our picnic lunch, wandered around and stuck our toes in the surf.

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On our way through Volcanoes National Park, we swung by the visitor center to grab our Jr. Ranger books and scout out the hiking and exploring possibilities before checking in to our AirBnB accommodations.

That evening we drove back into the park to see the Kilauea Caldera at night – which was super awesome. We spent all of Saturday & Sunday exploring the National Park before heading back over to the Kona side on Monday morning.

For more information about our visit into Volcanoes National Park  see our post here.

——-Day 6: Monday——-

We woke up to rain Monday morning which was fine, since it was a driving day. The east side of the island is more jungle-ly and it is incredibly beautiful. I had hoped to do some snorkeling on this side of the island before we left Hilo, but it was not to be.

ʻAkaka Falls State Park

We did make a brief stop at ‘Akaka Falls State Park. We paid a small fee for parking and then sloshed down the pathway to the falls overlook. Despite the fog, clouds, and rain the 442 falls were still quite impressive! Even with rain jackets and umbrellas we still were drenched by the time we made it back to the car.

Pu’ukohola Heiau National Historic Site

As we drove across the north shore of the island the weather became increasingly better. So crazy how one side of the island can be pouring rain, and by the time we get to the west shore we are pulling on our shorts again.

We did find more malasadas – hot from a food truck this time – which we counted as lunch. Probably not the healthiest option but it worked.

Andrew was in full on Jr. Ranger mode so we spent some time exploring the Pu’ukohola Heiau National Historic Site. The park is dedicated to the history of the early Hawaiian kingdom and we enjoyed walking around on the property to stretch our legs.

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Despite the terrible weather, we knew this was our only chance to visit the Mauna Kea observatory. As we climbed the road up the mountain the weather became increasingly overcast until it was once again, a downpour. Turns out all of the star watching that evening was cancelled. 🙂

We brought our own hot chocolate (which was good because it was freezing up there!), and watched the video in the small visitor center.  Kind of a let down because we had heard amazing things, but we also can’t control the weather.

Costco was on our route home, so we grabbed a pizza for dinner and some muffins for breakfast in the morning before settling in to another AirBnb condo in Kona.

——-Day 7: Tuesday——-

Our flight wasn’t until noon, so after packing up we attempted one more national historic site near the airport. Unfortunately to earn the badge we needed to visit more sites than we had time for, so we just strolled along the ocean instead.

This was our first legitimate vacation in years. Sam left the laptop at home and we acted like tourists. It was a blast! Although there is much more to see and do (we left Hilo relatively unexplored) we accomplished our goal of seeing lava and everyone went home happy!

Categories
Biking Hiking National Parks Utah WanderLog

Boondocking in Southern Utah, Hiking the Narrows & Mountain Biking

Southern Utah is one of my favorite places. Like ever. The red rocks are unreal and there are piles out of outdoor activities that could keep an sane person busy for a lifetime. Mountain biking runs a close competition to skiing as my favorite sport, so naturally as snow season wound down we started planning a spring trip to warmer, dryer climates.

To make re-entry in full travel a little easier, we decided to head right back to where we left off last spring: Hurricane, Utah. The camping is free, the trails are incredible, and if we get bored Zion National Park is a quick 30 minute drive. Not too shabby, right?

JEM Mountain Bike Trails

We were able to camp right along Sheep Bridge road (Campendium Link) in the middle of the JEM trail system. It was perfect for intermediate enthusiasts that we are. Enough uphill to give our lungs a work out, and some sweet rolling downhill to bring on the fun. Our oldest two kids had a blast, and we would switch up who rode with who. Andrew and I did a loop together up Dead Ringer to the top of the Mesa, Sam & Rachel took a spin, and Cara & and I had some one on one time on the easiest trail we could find. At one point Andrew said to me, “Mom, if we came here every year then I could see how much better I’m getting by the trails I ride.” Wise words, my boy, wise words.

For deets on the trails, we love the Trail Forks app (Apple, Google). I love the GPS dot that shows my location and its easy to plan a ride that loops back the way we want. My favorite loop was up Dead Ringer to More Cowbell, down JEM, down Goosebumps, and then back up Dead Ringer. Pretty sweet ride. Cara loved the little green loop we did on JEM from the Gould South parking lot.

Cool off in the Virgin River

Since the temps were flirting with the high 90’s (a little too hot for us actually!) we spent a great deal of time cooling off in the Virgin River. Our Airstream friends, the Ericksons, were camped inside Zion so one afternoon we drove in for a potluck and a swim.

Another evening we met up with Arika from Zion Adventure Photography (she took our photos back in December of 2016 and we LOVE them) and Shanti from Hike it Baby and their families for pizza and a dip in the secret spot with the swing. Totally fun meeting up with these ladies and the kids all had a blast swimming in the river. We ate at River Rock Roasting Company and I wish I could eat there everyday. We had an assortment of pizza, sandwiches, and salad and it was all delicious. Also ordered a cinnamon roll to go and secretly ate it with Sam after the kids were in bed so I didn’t have to share. 🙂

Hike the Narrows

We hiked a small portion of the Narrows back in 2015 when our kids were super little. Although we knew we didn’t have the gear (or the desire) to hike the entire thing this year either, we decided to hike up as far as we wanted and then turn around. We jumped on the shuttle around 3pm at the main Visitor Center and started hiking about 45 minutes later.

The water was cold, but not completely freezing, and we managed okay in just our Chaco sandals & swimsuits. The trail in from the shuttle stop is about a mile along a paved path, and then we hiked for about another mile through the water until we came to a swimming hole. The kids were brave and took turns jumping in, then we found a quiet spot to eat our picnic dinner and headed back.

Someday I think we’ll hike the distance (and rent dry suits!) but for now we just needed to cool off and this totally did the trick!

Relax

Most importantly we dove right back in to traveling life. There’s been some adjusting, but mostly I feel like we picked up right where we left off. The weather was a tad windy, but we did manage to have some good outside relax time while we were at it!