In winter, Yellowstone is closed to cars, and the only road kept open is US-212 between Gardiner and Cooke City, Montana, at the northern edge of the park. But if you’re here anytime but summer, don’t despair: US-26, a very different but still unforgettable route, is open year-round, running south of Yellowstone between Idaho Falls and Casper, through the Wild West town of Jackson Hole and the spectacular scenery of Grand Teton National Park.
Climbing up from Idaho Falls along the banks of the Snake River, US-26 crosses into Wyoming on a sinuously scenic route, past cottonwood trees and whitewater-running kayakers, before linking up with north–south US-89. The tourist mecca of Jackson Hole, one of the country’s most popular “wilderness” destinations, takes its name from the main town, Jackson (pop. 8,647), which sits at the center of a broad, mountain-ringed valley. Drawing upwards of 35,000 visitors on a summer day, Jackson isn’t exactly an idyllic spot, but it has managed to retain its Wild West character, especially in the few blocks around the lively Town Square. Here, false-fronted buildings linked by a raised wooden sidewalk hold upscale boutiques and the wonderfully kitsch likes of the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar, on the west side of the square, a huge and always lively hangout with silver dollars implanted in the bar top and real leather saddles instead of bar stools.
Jackson has many very good (and very expensive) restaurants, like the art deco–style Cadillac Grill (307/733-3279), which has grilled ahi tuna and similarly sophisticated fare on the Town Square at 55 N. Cache. The Cadillac Grill shares space with Jackson’s best burger spot, Billy’s Giant Burgers, which burger-loving Bill Clinton rated as the best he’d ever tasted. Jackson caters to so many visitors that accommodations, however plentiful, can be booked solid in summer. There’s something for everyone here: campgrounds and RV parks, B&Bs and highway motels—including a Motel 6 and the nifty log cabins of Wagon Wheel Village ($90 and up; 307/733-2357), at 435 N. Cache Street—and $4,000-a-week guest ranches.
