How to Spend 36 Hours: Top Things to Do in Jackson Hole, Wyoming

Last updated: July 2023

Explore the perfect itinerary to help you make the most of a 36 hour trip. Let’s dive into the top recs covering all the best things to do in Jackson Hole, Wyoming!

Having never been to the state of Wyoming before, I was excited to check it off my list of 50 states this year along with Montana, Wyoming, New Hampshire, and Maine (anyone else have a goal to travel to all 50 states??).

We flew from Memphis into Bozeman, MT for a full 7 day spring break trip. We spent days 4 and 5 road tripping to Jackson, Wyoming to eat, drink and explore the beautiful Teton mountains.

First, let’s learn a little about the specific names for each of the regions. I always thought the town was named Jackson Hole. But in fact, “Jackson” is the name of the town, while “Jackson Hole” refers to the entire valley. The valley also includes places like Teton Village (more on that later). Now you know!

Don’t have time to read the whole post now? Pin it here for later!

Start your Road Trip

Using Google Maps, the drive estimates 4 hr and 15 min from Bozeman, MT to Jackson, WY. I had a few stops planned along the way so it took us a bit longer.

We wanted to drive up to Big Sky, MT to see if that’s somewhere we would like to vacation in the future (spoiler: it is!). We also stopped to take a picture by the Yellowstone National Park sign, the Idaho state sign, and to admire beautiful landscapes at turnouts along the way.

Finally, take the Wyoming 22 Teton Pass through the mountains and you’ve made it to Jackson! We shopped around downtown and the square as soon as we got into town. This is where you must get a picture in the famous antler arches!

Did you know the Boy Scouts collect the antler sheds from the Elk Refuge to build the arches? During the winter, thousands of elk migrate down to the meadows below the mountains so you can see herds of elk.

Antler arch in Jackson Hole
Things to Do in Jackson hole

Top Things to do in Jackson Hole

We started the next day bright and early at Persephone Bakery. It was adorable! The scone skillet ruined me, never again will I enjoy basic biscuits and gravy. They were a James Beard Award semi-finalist in 2020, and I know why. Probably my favorite meal on the trip, 11/10.

Things to do in Jackson Hole: Grand Teton National Park

Next, we headed to Grand Teton National Park. We drove up the southern entrance, but it was only open for about 7 miles due to winter roads that were not plowed.

Because of the road closures, we were not able to go to Jenny lake. We backtracked and took HWY 191 to another park entrance after the fork in the road. We paid $15 for a day pass at the other entrance which was good at this entrance too. This road was open for about 28 miles, and you get to see Jackson Lake. In mid March when we went, it was still snow covered.

Next, we drove to Snake River brewery. We had heard great things about it, but unfortunately it was closed for renovations. We ended up at StillWest Brewery which backs up to Snow King Mountain. If we had one more day, we probably would have skied at Snow King Mountain at least a half a day- it has affordable day time skiing, night skiing starting at 4pm Mon-Sat, and snow tubing!

Things to do in Jackson Hole: Million Dollar Cowboy Bar

After the brewery, we headed for a drink at the famous Million Dollar Cowboy Bar which has been open since 1937. It’s right on the square, and has saddles for seats up at the bar. It’s a neat atmosphere and has housed lots of famous people over the years.

Check out their live music schedule to see if you are lucky enough to catch a show while you are visiting! Some big names have played in the past including Waylon Jennings and Hank Williams Jr.

Before we hit the road again, we went up to Teton Village. The area was full of skiers when we visited mid March. This is another option to ski or stay if you visit! We went in search of the infamous made to order “top of the world” peanut butter waffle from Corbet’s Cabin. However, hours and availability were affected by Covid 19 when we visited, so we were out of luck.

Our only regret?

Not getting to eat at more restaurants while we were there, 36 hours goes quick! Heres a list of restaurants that were recommended to us that were were not able to try in Jackson:

Full Itinerary for a 7 Day Trip To Montana & Wyoming

Here’s how we spent our full 7 days out west on spring break!

Day 1: Fly in, shop and explore downtown Bozeman, MT

Day 2: Ski Bridger Bowl

Day 3: Fly Fish the Madison River

Day 4: Drive to Jackson, WY

Day 5: Grand Teton National Park

Day 6: Drive to Bozeman, visit the hot springs

Day 7: Fly Home

This sums up how to spend 36 hours in Jackson Hole, including a 7 day trip itinerary I was so happy with. I wouldn’t change a thing about this vacation. If you are interested in the trip map, with all the stops pinned for your convenience, you can download it here.

Enjoy the journey,