The hype is real, from John Denver's “Wild Montana Skies”, to the Jonas Brothers- “Montana Sky”, and Johnny Cash’s “I’m going to Jackson.”

I have to start at the beginning because this story almost ended before it even began. For five years in a row, I booked it, canceled it, rebooked it, and canceled it again. Life just kept getting in the way.

Every trip comes up with its own soundtrack, and this one had us belting Johnny Cash (I’m Going to Jackson), the Jonas Brothers (Montana Sky), and John Denver (Wild Montana Skies).  We flew into Bozeman and drove straight to Big Sky. My daughter looked out the window and said, “You know why it’s called Big Sky? Because the sky is so big!” And honestly, she nailed it. Montana really is something else—the mountains feel taller, the ranges stretch forever, and the sky somehow looks bigger and bluer.

Throughout the trip, we constantly saw wildlife—animals just living their lives in nature, spotted from the car as they wandered freely. It’s the kind of thing that reminds you you’re not just visiting a place; you’re stepping into its world.

MONTAGE. TRUST ME, IT’S WORTH IT.

We stayed at the Montage in Big Sky, which is true perfection. Immaculate, beautifully decorated, precise attention to detail, and to top it all off, they have their own bowling alley. Spread out, comfortable, and as you drive in and out, there are deer and elk just outside your car window. 

Here is where we started being more aware of the wildlife. Yes, wildlife. No one calls them animals here, but more about that later…

MY TURN AT WHITE WATER RAFTING

Since I was always the one who stayed back with the younger kids, this was my first time white-water rafting.  The rafting levels shifted from levels 1, 2, and 3, but it was a great way to explore the terrain and the mountain scenery. For that rare mix of adrenaline and calm that makes a river day feel like a real mountain adventure, the Gallatin hits the spot. 

One moment you’re punching through the frothy waves of the Mad Mile, and the next you’re drifting quietly beneath tall pines with snow‑capped peaks in the distance. It’s also fun to spot wildlife along the way.

The Gallatin runs through a narrow canyon lined with cliffs and dense evergreens, giving you a real wilderness vibe even with a highway nearby. It’s an easy, fun group outing, and ours ended with the best surprise — a bald eagle soaring right above us.

SHORT, SCENIC AND SURPRISINGLY GEOLOGICAL

Ousel Falls is a short, easy 1.6‑mile round‑trip hike through a forest along the Gallatin River — the same river we rafted. Parts of the trail feel like Muir Woods, and others look like Hexagon Pool in the Golan Heights, Israel.

The canyon exposes sedimentary rock formed from mud that settled in an ancient inland sea about 100 million years ago—much of present‑day Montana was once underwater. Over millions of years, the South Fork of the West Fork of the Gallatin River carved through those layers, creating the narrow canyon you see here today.

A FULL DAY IN YELLOWSTONE, AND IT WAS NOWHERE NEAR ENOUGH

Yellowstone is massive—2.2 million acres spread across three states. You could fit Manhattan, Los Angeles, and Chicago inside its borders with room to spare.



Having a guide made the scale feel less overwhelming and let us actually experience the park instead of just trying to figure out where to go next. We only did the lower loop, and even then, we barely scratched the surface, but what we saw was incredible.

The terrain shifts constantly as you drive—one minute it’s wide open, the next it looks like another planet. Yellowstone holds half of the world’s hydrothermal features—geysers, hot springs, steam vents, all of it bubbling, hissing, and erupting all the time. You can read about it, but you don’t really understand what that means until you’re standing there seeing it with your own eyes.

CALDERAS, MUD POTS & HOT SPRINGS,
OH MY!

Gibbon Falls sits right along the edge of the Yellowstone caldera — the massive collapsed volcanic structure beneath the entire park. Calderas can even contain smaller calderas inside them, and standing there you realize how close you are to the magma that shaped all of this. It’s a breathtaking viewpoint with a lot happening under your feet.

Mud pots are some of the most intense features here. You see them everywhere as you drive — thick, bubbling pools that are as acidic as a battery and strong enough to burn or dissolve things over time. They form when magma heats groundwater and turns it into hot, acidic steam that breaks down surrounding rock into mud.

Hot springs are the opposite. They’re alkaline, not acidic, which is why their water stays clear and vibrant instead of turning into mud. Both are powered by the same underground heat, but the chemistry on the surface is what makes them behave so differently.

Old Faithful is Yellowstone’s most famous geyser, shooting water more than 100 feet into the air. Going off roughly every 90 minutes, people gather around and wait for nature’s show. It’s simple, but it’s wild to watch.

There’s also a great gift shop here.

BISON - NOT JUST SOMETHING
FROM THE OREGON TRAIL

Hayden Valley is where Yellowstone suddenly opens up into wide, quiet plains, and it’s usually filled with bison just lying around or slowly moving across the grass. You can really see the differences between them up close—males are larger with straighter, heavier horns, while females have slimmer, sharper ones. And the babies, with their bright reddish coats, are called “red dogs.”

The wildlife numbers are just as staggering as the scenery: around 5,000 bison, over 10,000 elk in the summer, roughly 150–200 grizzlies, about 500 black bears, and about 200 moose. You don’t always see them, but knowing they’re out there adds to the awe.

The Brink of the Upper Yellowstone Falls is where you really understand the power of water. You’re standing right at the edge, watching the Yellowstone River gather speed, force, and momentum before it drops over the cliff. The sound, the spray, the sheer push of the current — it reminds you how much of this park was carved, shaped, and defined by water moving exactly like this.

THE GRAND CANYON YOU DON’T EXPECT

The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone is something many people don’t realize exists, but it’s one of the park’s most striking places. Unlike Arizona’s Grand Canyon, which is millions of years old, this one is relatively young — about 10,000 to 14,000 years old. Its vivid orange and yellow walls come from iron in the rock reacting with heat and water, a perfect preview of Yellowstone’s geothermal world.

This area helped convince early explorers that Yellowstone needed to become a national park — the scale and beauty were unlike anything people had seen.

Fun Fact: The Yellowstone River carved the entire canyon, and the waterfalls seen here are taller than Niagara Falls.

Yellowstone Lake was one of the biggest surprises of the trip. You can actually rent a boat there, but you have to avoid certain zones because some areas of the lake sit right over hot spring vents that can reach 250 degrees.

YELLOWSTONE’S WILDEST
SCIENCE LESSON

Grand Prismatic makes you realize Yellowstone isn’t just visually interesting— it’s scientifically wild. Its rainbow colors come from heat‑loving bacteria called thermophiles, with each color band marking a different temperature zone. The center is nearly boiling, so it stays deep blue; as the water cools outward, different microbes take over, creatingthe orange, yellow, and green rings.

Those colors only exist because of a rare mix of extremely hot water, dissolved minerals, specific microbial communities, and a spring almost 370 feet across. Other hot springs around the world are colorful, but none combine all these factors at this scale — which is why Grand Prismatic is one of the most recognizable geothermal features on Earth.

Fun fact: It’s the largest hot spring in the U.S. and the third largest in the world.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN (BUT PRETTIER THAN EXPECTED) FROM BIG SKY TO JACKSON HOLE

We took what we jokingly called the “non‑scenic” route from Big Sky to Jackson Hole — which ended up being the prettiest drive of the trip.

Earthquake Lake — Trees Frozen in Time

The trees standing in the water weren’t there before the earthquake — they died when the land dropped, and the valley flooded. Because the lake has so much silica at the bottom, the trunks haven’t decayed, so they’ve stayed upright for 67 years. It’s a strange, quiet reminder of how fast the landscape changed in a single moment.

Montana gave us wide‑open spaces, real log cabins, people fly‑fishing everywhere, and homes spaced far apart with clusters of mailboxes marking each little community. Idaho rolled in with mountains, long plains, open scenery, and soft hills. The whole drive was unexpectedly spectacular.

We drove ID‑32 through Idaho, and it turned out to be a beautiful ride — wide views, soft hills, and that classic open‑country feel.

When you’re in Idaho, make one essential stop: a gas station baked potato. It cost $1 and ended up being my favorite meal of the trip.

Upper Mesa Falls was an impressive stop. The boardwalk lets you get close to the 114‑foot drop and really appreciate the power of the water. About 1.3 million years ago, a massive super‑eruption formed the Henry’s Fork Caldera, and the volcanic ash it left behind hardened into the Mesa Falls Tuff you see at the canyon today.

As you drive toward the Wyoming border, the Grand Tetons start jutting up in plain sight, overpowering everything else — the moment we started singing Johnny Cash’s “I’m Going to Jackson.”

WELCOME TO JACKSON HOLE - WELCOME
TO THE WEST!

Jackson Hole is the name for the whole valley — Teton Village, the town of Jackson, and the long stretch of road between them. At dinner, we were greeted by a moose (actually), which tells you everything about how common wildlife encounters are here.

The western feel is everywhere: the way people dress, the cowboy boots, and a downtown that leans fully into the theme. The town of Jackson itself is the perfect western square — wooden boardwalks, antler arches, and genuinely great souvenirs that feel fun rather than kitschy. The coffee, ice cream and shopping (think cowboy hats & boots) are fantastic!

Quick tip: If you’ve never heard of huckleberry honey, you must try it when you’re here! Try the ice cream too!

 The horseback riding in Jackson Hole is unbeatable — wide views, big western horses, and that classic mountain backdrop. If there’s ever a place to go horseback riding, this is the one I’d recommend.

THE BEST VIEWS IN TETON VILLAGE

The Four Seasons in Teton Village has some of the most gorgeous mountain views, huge rooms, and warm western décor. It’s ideal for skiing in winter and just as great in summer, with easy access to hiking, biking, wildlife spotting, and everything that makes Jackson Hole feel like the West at its best.

The cable car from Teton Village takes you up to Rendezvous Mountain, and the moment you step off the tram, it’s a different season. The air is colder and thinner, and the views of the Tetons are even more dramatic from that height, with every surrounding peak covered in snow. Corbet’s Cabin serves warm, delicious waffles at the top — simple, perfect, and not to be missed.

GRAND TETON — SHARP, YOUNG

AND DRAMATIC

The  Grand Teton is geologically one of the youngest mountain ranges in North America. The year-round ice sitting on top of the highest peaks is at least 95 feet thick. From the valley floor to the summit, the vertical rise is about 7,000 feet, and there are about 15 large mountain peaks. There’s no road cutting through the Tetons either; the mountains stand as one solid, uninterrupted wall. The park itself covers roughly 300,000 acres. 

Fun fact: It started as about 90,000 acres, and then John D. Rockefeller Jr. quietly bought surrounding land and donated it, allowing the park to become what it is today.

Jenny Lake is one of the park’s signature spots, and it absolutely lives up to the hype. The overlooks around the park — Jenny Lake Overlook, Oxbow Bend — each give you a different angle of the mountains. Elk Flats is one of the best places to spot bison grazing out in the open.

Spalding Bay sits on Jackson Lake- quiet, serene, and filled with multicolored rocks. Here we paused, took a breath, and enjoyed another side of nature.

It feels a little like Switzerland or like walking through a real‑life scene from Frozen. If Yellowstone is the place for otherworldly geothermal phenomena, Grand Teton is the place for pure, stunning mountain scenery.

FLYING INTO THE PARK

Jackson Hole Airport has a quirky bit of history — it was already in operation before Grand Teton became a national park. Because of that timing, it was grandfathered in, which means you end up with something truly unique: a fully functioning commercial airport inside a U.S. national park. No other national park in the country offers scheduled airline service from within its boundaries, which makes landing here feel different from anywhere else.