While many folks have heard about the skiing at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, in Jackson, Wyoming, there is a lesser known neighbor nearby, Grand Targhee Resort.Grand Targhee is the kinder, gentler of the two in regards to skiing terrain.

This resort is located in southeastern Idaho, on the western side of the Tetons.
It is an hour and a half by car from Jackson Wyoming, and about the same distance from Idaho Falls, Idaho.

The nearest town to Grand Targhee is Driggs, Idaho. It is a beautiful drive from Driggs up to the ski area. A two-lane road takes you past homes and horses for the first part of the drive. Switchbacks lead you up the remainder, allowing you to view the Grand Tetons on your way.

As soon as you enter the parking lot, you immediately sense a down home family resort. Lodging surrounds only part of the parking lot, and it is easy to find your way around the base area that has a few shops and eateries. Four lifts are available, one of them for beginners. A groomed Nordic track is located at the base of the resort, not too far from the outdoor pool and hot tub for overnight guests.

Targhee is known as a family resort, as it has mostly intermediate terrain. The politeness of the employees is outstanding, and it is common to see a lift operator or two wearing a cowboy hat while greeting you with a big smile.

The intermediate slopes at Grand Targhee offer wide swaths for the most part, with some intermittent trees spaced alongside the runs. This makes it possible for friends or family of different ability levels to ski within sight of each other if one person prefers to ski the groomed runs, and the other prefers to ski off the groomed.

As most of the resort is not heavily treed, it offers great views of the slopes and surrounding mountains in all directions. The one drawback here is that if it’s snowing heavily or it’s foggy, you’ll realize it can become, “Grand Foggy“. In the event this happens, seek out those trees and ski alongside them to help your visibility.

Guided cat skiing is also available right next to the resort. Tubing, snowshoe tours, and dinner sleigh rides are offered as well, to keep you busy when you need a break from skiing.

If you would like to ski Grand Targhee and plan on arriving by plane, check the airfare prices for both Jackson and Idaho Falls. If you would like to ski Jackson and spend a night or two there, in addition to Grand Targhee, it would be easiest to fly in and out of Jackson.