5 Winter Activities for Teens Near Jackson Hole
Teens can be tough to travel with. There’s nothing like planning what you think is the perfect family vacay, only to realize that your teen or tween would rather be home with his PlayStation.
Luckily, if you’re headed to Wyoming this winter, there are a flurry of seasonal activities to capture your picky teen’s attention. Here are five of our favorite teen-friendly adventures in and around Jackson Hole.
1. Take a Snowmobile Tour: While summer hikes through Yellowstone National Park and Grand Teton are great for outdoorsy adults, winter visits are more action-packed and teen-friendly. Scenic Safaris offers several guided snowmobile tours of the parks, including a full-day Yellowstone adventure on a Ski Doo 4-Stroke. Wind your way through 45 miles of groomed trails to Old Faithful, where you and your teens can see the geyser pop off against a blanket of white snow. Your child will feel the winter wind whipping and see the snow fly as they ride their own machine – something that a PC snowmobile game just can’t simulate.
2. Spend Day and Night on the Slopes: With the Gros Ventre Mountains in sight, there’s no shortage of skiing around Jackson Hole. If you want to get the most out of ski day, beeline to Snow King Mountain for an all-day pass. For $90 each, parents and kids get all-day access to the activities on Snow King Mountain, including snow tubing and skiing, day or night all winter. In the summer the Cowboy Coaster is a thrill coaster that simulates the feeling of rocketing up and down hills on a toboggan. It’s a wild ride!
3. Have an Aerial Experience: While most adventure courses are popular in the warmer months, Jackson Hole Grand Adventure Park is ONLY open in summer. As the weather cools off, visitors flock to the resort for an afternoon in the treetops. The fun begins with an off-ground obstacle course known as “The Ropes.” Guests navigate across tightropes, balance beams and zip lines perched 25 feet in the air. Check out a video of The Ropes here. Other onsite activities include tram rides and a 60-foot free fall drop ride.
4. Take a Dip: We’re guessing you don’t exactly think “warm bath” when you think of Jackson Hole. Think again. Granite Hot Springs is open year-round, making it possible to travel across snowy terrain in the Bridger Teton National Forest, peel off your snowsuit to reveal swim trunks and take a hot soak in 100+ degree water. This is a great way to soothe your muscles after our Half-day Granite Hot Springs snowmobile tour There’s no winter road access to the springs, but guests can go guided or unguided via snowmobile, take a dogsled up there or spend a few hours cross-country skiing.
5. Go on a Sleigh Ride: Bummed your teen is too old for Santa Claus? She’ll still love riding on an old-fashioned sleigh at the National Elk Refuge. It’s a holiday tradition and lots of fun. Purchase a ticket at the National Museum of Wildlife Art; then, take the bus to your horse-drawn sleigh or wagon. The group ride takes you through the refuge, where hundreds of elk roam right next to your sleigh. They’re not exactly reindeer, but it’s the closest thing you’ll see this side of the North Pole.
Planning a vacation to Yellowstone National Park and Jackson Hole with your teen doesn’t need to be difficult. At Scenic Safaris, we offer tours of the area’s major recreation areas by snowmobile or snow coach. Call 888-734-8898 or contact us online and we’ll help you figure out the best day-trip option for your family.