Find out how to Plan a Ski Journey to Grand Targhee Resort

There is a time and a spot for curbside valets, five-star lodging, and après-ski outfits consisting of fake fur, Moon Boots, and matching sweater units  — and it is not the winter months at Grand Targhee Resort. As a result of should you’re making the journey to Alta, Wyoming, presumably traversing the treacherous Teton Go alongside the best way, you are there for one factor and one factor solely: the powder.

With 500 inches of annual snowfall and a “the place snowboarding nonetheless guidelines” motto, it is a resort that prioritizes time on the slopes above all else. The stroll from the parking zone is minimal, the visitor lodging are inside ft of the lifts, and there is an effectivity that stems from the usual facilities. And whereas Grand Targhee is frequently talked about in the identical sentence as close by Jackson Gap Mountain Resort and Snow King Mountain, an apples-to-apples comparability is almost inconceivable — until you are speaking in regards to the quantity of in-bounds terrain. In that case, Grand Targhee, with a grand whole of two,600 skiable acres, comes out on high.

The privately owned resort has been round since 1969 and famously starred in Warren Miller’s 1990 ski movie Excessive Winter, but it nonetheless manages to fly below the radar (not less than to winter sports activities lovers exterior of Wyoming, Idaho, and Utah).

“Grand Targhee is exclusive within the business in that it stays a comparatively quiet vacation spot resort,” says Joshua LaForest, the director of the Mountain Sports activities College. So, should you’re looking for a mountain with room to get comfy on the slopes, enhance your approach, or sort out professional terrain, there is not any higher place to go. To not point out, on a bluebird day, the views of the Tetons are practically unmatched. 

This is every little thing it’s essential to know to plan the proper ski journey to Grand Targhee Resort. 

When to Go

Grand Targhee’s winter season sometimes kicks off in late November and runs by means of mid to late April — though, like most ski resorts, the precise dates are likely to shift every year primarily based on the climate and snow circumstances.

Whilst you could need to be among the many first skiers and snowboarders on the mountain, leaping on the lifts on the very starting of the season, LaForest says that you just’re extra more likely to expertise “deep, chilly snow and no crowds” from mid-February by means of mid-March. Simply be sure you costume appropriately — winter temperatures can attain under 0 levels Fahrenheit — and keep away from President’s Day weekend should you favor much less congested runs.

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The place to Keep

Slopeside lodging: Grand Targhee has 4 totally different lodging services, with rooms starting from commonplace kings to bi-level suites. The lodging at Teewinot Lodge can match between two and 4 visitors — select from one king mattress or two queen beds — and every room has its personal espresso maker, mini fridge, and boot dryer. Targhee Lodge is geared extra towards budget-conscious skiers, and all rooms are outfitted with two queen beds. The Sioux Lodge has bi-level suites that home as much as 10 folks; six-guest, open-concept loft suites; and slope-view studio suites that may technically sleep as much as 5 (but it surely’s a fairly tight squeeze). The Tower Suite is definitively essentially the most spacious choice, with two bedrooms and two and a half loos, in addition to panoramic resort views.

Off-mountain: Skiers preferring to remain in a single day in close by Driggs, Idaho (a 20-minute drive from Grand Targhee) have a number of rustic, albeit comfy, potentialities. Teton Valley Cabins gives pet-friendly log cabins, and visitors can make the most of the recent tub, high-speed Wifi, and day by day housekeeping providers. Teton Valley Resort additionally has a lineup of cozy cabins that sleep wherever from two to eight folks. 

In Jackson Gap: When you’re solely planning on snowboarding Grand Targhee for simply someday — and the remainder of your journey might be spent in close by Jackson Gap — you might lean towards holding the city of Jackson as your base camp. Each The Lodge at Jackson Gap, which accomplished an $8 million renovation in 2024 and The Virginian Lodge are strong picks (and every property has a sizzling tub for post-ski-day restoration). Grand Targhee additionally gives a day by day shuttle service for visitors staying in Jackson or Teton Village. 

The place to Eat

Snorkels Cafe: Begin your morning at Snorkels Cafe with a burrito (a Wyoming staple) or a breakfast sandwich and a cup of espresso. The informal eatery can be an excellent spot for lunch — suppose soups and sandwiches — and a candy deal with towards the top of the day. 

Powder Cache: Powder Cache is essentially the most elevated restaurant at Grand Targhee, with lunch and dinner menus that embody elk bolognese, bison brief ribs, and steak frites. The ground-to-ceiling home windows and stone fire solely up the ante on the atmospheric temper. 

The Lure Bar & Grill: The Lure Bar & Grill, affectionately often called “The Lure,” is the place you’ll discover all types of snow-day classics: burgers, wings, nachos, and a curated record of signature cocktails. Simply go straightforward on the Targhee Scorching Toddys and the Teton Teas till it’s time for après. 

The Mom Truck: Winter weekends at Grand Targhee imply The Mom Truck is open for enterprise. From 11 a.m. to three p.m., Friday by means of Sunday, the meals truck serves avenue tacos, burritos, and margaritas, all of which could be loved from the deck of The Lure. 

The place to Après-Ski

The Lure Bar & Grill: When you’re the kind of skier or snowboarder who wants a large après-ski scene, you will not be tremendous impressed with Grand Targhee. That isn’t to say that après-ski doesn’t exist on the resort, although; it’s simply concentrated in a single place. After the lifts cease working, The Lure fills its high-top tables, bar seats, and stage-front areas with these keen to finish the day with an grownup beverage and a little bit of reside music. It’s basic ski tradition at its most interesting; there’s no want to vary out of your base and mid-layers into one thing nicer. To see which bands and acts will take the small stage at The Lure, try the resort’s occasion listings or observe the Grand Targhee Instagram account.

Off-mountain Actions

Spend a day snowmobiling: “Teton Valley gives entry to miles of snowmobile, cross-country, and snowshoeing trails,” says LaForest. These within the former exercise can ebook four- to 12-hour snowmobile adventures with Teton Valley Adventures, an clothing store primarily based in Driggs — or take a snowmobile out on their very own. 

Go snowshoeing or cross-country snowboarding: You may’t enterprise to northwest Wyoming and never step foot in Grand Teton Nationwide Park, even in winter. When the snow covers the bottom, the park turns into an unimaginable place for snowshoeing and cross-country snowboarding. You may lease tools by yourself from Skinny Skis in downtown Jackson, or, should you’d really feel extra comfy, go along with a information. Jackson Gap EcoTours gives half-day excursions with its naturalist guides. 

Seize your skis and head into the backcountry: Need an exercise that’s a bit extra adventurous than alpine snowboarding? Driggs-based Yöstmark Backcountry Excursions takes intermediate and skilled skiers out into the backcountry — both alongside the Teton Go or within the Targhee aspect nation — with guides advising on all issues uphill journey and danger administration.

Find out how to Experience

Tickets: To entry the runs at Grand Targhee, you’ll want a Targhee Card, a $5 reusable RFID card that may be picked up on the resort. Full-day grownup raise tickets begin at $135 on-line, and half-day tickets, with mountain entry starting at 12:30 p.m., will run you wherever from $108 to $132. Shoshone-only raise tickets are an alternative choice for newcomers and households sticking to the greens on the backside of the mountain; costs begin at $57. Youngsters below 5 trip without spending a dime, though they’ll nonetheless want the Targhee Card. Grand Targhee additionally accepts the Mountain Collective go — which permits holders two free days plus limitless half-price single-day raise tickets after that — and its personal season passes. 

Leases: Rental gear — skis, snowboards, boots, helmets, goggles, and poles — can be found to lease on-site from the Rental and Demo Store, situated slightly below the Predominant Plaza. Anybody renting tools or staying on the mountain in a single day can use the complimentary ski verify (no have to haul every little thing round if you’re not getting in runs). 

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Snowboarding Information 

Grand Targhee Resort has six lifts — together with Colter, a high-speed six-seater that opened in 2022 — to entry its 95 runs. The skiable terrain is 10 p.c newbie, 45 p.c intermediate, 30 p.c superior, and 15 p.c expert-level. With the bottom space at a 7,851-foot elevation, the vertical drop is available in at 2,270 ft. 

When you’re comparatively new to snowboarding or snowboarding, LaForest recommends staying near the bottom space: “The terrain off Huckleberry conveyor is a delicate, wide-open studying space … Little Huge Horn, Mark’s Meadow, and Outback, [all] off the Shoshone chair are perfect for newbie to novice skiers or riders.” For anybody who falls into the intermediate class, he suggests attempting out Chief Joseph Bowl, a piste he describes as “extensive with undulating terrain that affords intermediates a future and entry again to our base space.” Rolling Thunder, one other blue run, tends to depart skiers raving in regards to the Tetons within the distance. 

And should you’re comfy with steep slopes and difficult terrain? You’ve got a ton of choices. “Venturing wherever off-piste will present glades, wide-open bowls, and deep snow,” he says. “An incredible development is to begin someplace in The Good, The Unhealthy, and The Ugly — accessible by the Dreamcatcher raise. Subsequent, head to the Sacajawea raise and take a look at your grit in our professional terrain of Das Boat, Dependable, and Otter Canine.”

Programming

Grand Targhee’s Mountain Sports activities College gives a number of various kinds of instruction. First-timers will profit from the Begin Met Up Bundle, the place newcomers expertise a 3:1 guest-to-instructor ratio whereas studying the ropes. Group and personal classes are additionally out there for anybody ages 6 and up; kids ages 3 to five could be booked into Mini Moose one-on-one classes. There are additionally adaptive packages particularly designed for skiers or riders with bodily, mental, or cognitive disabilities.