While Grand Teton National Park draws in record crowds each year, consider exploring Teton Valley on the west side instead or in addition to your visit to the national park. The quieter side of the Tetons does not disappoint!

In this post we recommend a visit to Grand Targhee Resort for their scenic chairlift ride. At almost 10,000 feet, the top of this ski resort offers some pretty amazing views without much effort! Our family really enjoyed the ride up. Once there we didn’t have to go far to feel like we got our money’s worth with the scenery!

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Grand Targhee Resort

Grand Targhee is a ski resort on the west side of the Tetons. While the resort itself is just inside the Wyoming border, the West Tetons are usually thought of as “the Idaho side.”

In summer it’s a popular mountain biking location. It also makes for a great family friendly day trip. We paid $18 per adult for the scenic chair ride. Kids under 6 ride for free! Otherwise, kids tickets are $14.

The chair lift takes you up 2,000 feet in about 10 minutes. Which leaves a lot of time to soak in the beautiful views on the way up. At the top there is a viewing platform and a short summit trail with amazing views in all directions. When you’re done you can head down to the bottom and enjoy a meal at the resort which is what we did.

Tickets for the scenic chair lift ride are only good for one use. So if you had hopes of riding it multiple times to entertain your kids *raises hand*, that’s a no go. However, if you want to make a longer day of it there are more hiking options. You can skip the lift altogether and hike the 4 mile trail to the top instead if you’re feeling ambitious! That was too much for us with young kids.

Teton Scenic Byway

Beginning in the town of Swan Valley and ending in Ashton, this 68.9 mile drive lives up to it’s name! If, by the end of it, you still haven’t had enough amazing scenery, the Mesa Falls Scenic Byway picks right up in Ashton. That is actually right where we saw the Best Waterfalls in the West Tetons.

The start of the byway in Swan Valley is already scenic!

Driving in from Swan Valley, heading north, you will pass through the towns of Victor, Driggs, and Tetonia. Victor and Driggs are slightly larger, but the best views of the Teton mountains are from Tetonia.

The Ashton to Tentonia rail trail is a great activity to enjoy the views while bike riding over 3 historic train trestles. All 3 towns offer lodging, but the dining options are better in Driggs and Victor.

While in Wyoming you could do a hike to Darby Wind Cave if you’re looking for a challenging hike. Back in Idaho we highly recommend a pretty chill float down the Teton River.

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