Granite Hot Springs and the Jackson Hole Rodeo

My goodness you guys. I’ve been waiting ALL DAY to sit down and write this post. We’re heading back to Jackson Hole for our “free day”. So, before we get started let me explain what I mean…

Every time I’ve ever gone on a vacation, my family has planned a “free day”. It’s a day where most of the day is open, so that in case there is bad weather, or something else happens, we can switch it from one day to another. Make sense? It’s honestly one of the best things my parents ever taught me. We planned a free day on our honeymoon and were SO happy we did, because when it was too rainy to go to Lake Louise, we were easily able to move it to the day we had free. I like to think of it as an insurance policy for my vacations 🙂

Anyways, we were SO BLESSED during our time in Jackson. It only rained on us once (and it was on a day that it totally didn’t even matter that it was raining.) So after sleeping in, we headed outside to enjoy our coffee and decide what to do that day. We talked about it, and voted unanimously on taking a day trip to Granite Hot Springs. None of us had ever had the chance to swim in a natural hot spring, and since it was a little bit chilly and overcast that morning, we knew it was the perfect plan!

So we grabbed our swimsuits and started towards the hot springs! Now, this is not the easiest place to get to. You for sure need a car that can make it down a long, gravel/dirt road. And when I say long… I mean long. It’s right in the ball park of 11 miles back in the Gros Venture Mountains. It’s rough, it’s rocky and it’s totally beautiful.

So pretty! Right? 

We were pretty shocked when we arrived. It wasn’t what we were expecting at all! The hot springs literally look like a pool. No joke. I instantly got a little disappointed. I’m not sure what I had been expecting, but that surly wasn’t it. However, we drove all that way, so I decided to give it a chance.

And I was so happy I did!

The hot springs felt AMAZING. It was so nice to relax after hiking the past couple of days. I could only imagine how great this would be in the winter. When we were there, there wasn’t too many people around, and we were able to enjoy the sights and sounds of Wyoming. It turned out to be pretty dang perfect. (The place also had humming bird feeders all over the place and we saw 100s of humming birds! It was amazing. I hadn’t ever seen anything like it before.)

A soak in the hot springs will only cost you $6 per adult, and $4 per child. If you’re in the mood to camp, this just so happens to be a campground too. You can find more information on it here.

We left the hot springs to head back to our cabin. We all needed to shower and get cleaned up, because we had a HUGE night ahead of us.

Side note… this was the freaking driveway to our cabin. Prettiest driveway EVER. 

You guys… we went to the rodeo!!!

I was so flipping excited! I’d never been to a rodeo before, and knowing we were going to a rodeo in the last of the wild west, I was thrilled! We happened to be in Jackson during the Teton County Fair. So after meeting up with two family friends (they were joining us for the rest of our trip) we headed to the fair to check it out before the rodeo.

Honestly, the fair wasn’t anything super special. It was a typical fair. We wandered around, ate an elephant ear, and enjoyed being around the locals before it was time to walk into the rodeo.

The Jackson Hole rodeo is absolutely historic. It has been happening for over 100 years,  and when they say it’s legendary, they really mean it. From girls and their horses jumping barrels, to cowboys riding bulls, you are in for such a fun night. The best word I can think of to describe the rodeo is thrilling.  I can’t even count the amount of times my heart stopped. Those cowboys are SO DANG BRAVE. Like, seriously. The bulls are freaking scary, and they hop on and go. However, my personal favorite were the Mutton Busters. I mean miniature cowboys that ride on sheep?! Excuse me while I die from cuteness overload. Plus, I totally fit in wearing cowboy boots, jeans and plaid shirt. It didn’t take me long to realize a Wednesday Night Rodeo was my happy place. You can find a whole bunch more information on the rodeo here. But I promise you, you can’t plan a trip to Jackson without seeing it!

Basically, real life Scott Eastwood from The Longest Ride.

A relaxing morning, and an exciting night were the perfect way to spend the middle of our week in Jackson! Next week, I’m talking about my all time favorite hike in the Tetons. Oh man you guys, I’m so excited to share it with you, because it was SO BEAUTIFUL. Plus… I have a bear story to share 🙂 I just can’t wait!

Does anyone else feel like they are having a “Monday” on a Tuesday? Ugh. That’s totally been me today. You have no idea how pumped I am to just sit back and relax a bit tonight. Scream Queens and New Girl are back! Oh and we’re having tacos for dinner. And everyone knows tacos make everything better! HAHA

Enjoy your Tuesday!

Xx.
Savannah