There arent many things on earth more beautiful than the Tetons. I visited Jackson Hole once in the summer many years ago and I still think about that trip almost weekly. We did a lot of sightseeing, ate great food, shopped like crazy and had a great time in general. One thing we did NOT do was whitewater raft. I wish we had, especially after seeing this video on YouTube!

Video Courtesy Karen Eason Photography

This is the ultimate commercial for why Jackson is so much fun in the summer. I cant imagine having a better time with friends and family. Some best bets from our visit and from reviews I’ve read lately are:

Get a vacation rental - even though the food is great here, it can be expensive. If you choose a condo or home rental you will have a kitchen to cook a few meals in, even if you just do breakfast in you can save a good deal of money.

If you’re headed to Grand Teton or Yellowstone, leave early. Summer time traffic in both parks can be a bit of a problem sometimes, so be prepared to wait and be prepared to have FUN!

Book your “extra-curricular” activities before you get there. Rafting, climbing and other types of activities book up quick, if you make reservations for these things before you even get to Jackson you’re guaranteed the chance to participate.

The animals are WILD, people - dont try to feed them skittles or some other sort of “people food.” Buffalo are not nice animals, they’re beautiful, but mean - stay away! Same with elk and moose.

Most of all, come with a few extra memory sticks for the camera, let loose and have a good time - you wont regret it.

Dining Recommendations:
Breakfast - You cant miss The Bunnery - best bread in the country, let along Jackson Hole
Lunch - We enjoyed the Cadillac Grille when we were there, but the Tripadvisor.com reviews are mixed a bit. Their burgers over at Billy’s Giant Hamburgers were great (one side is the grille, one side is the hamburger joint)!
Dinner - We liked the Mangy Moose - and they have decent Tripadvisor reviews. The gift shop that is attached is great fun also.

Lodging Recommendations:
Mountain Property Management of Jackson Hole offers great vacation rentals and is definately a Jackson Hole Lodging alternative to hotels.
Wagon Wheel Village - Motel rooms for budget travelers to Jackson - I havent stayed here but they have pretty good reviews in Tripadvisor.

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Mountain biking is big in Tahoe and with plenty of up and down, the emphasis is on definitely on “mountain”.

Terrain
Trail surfaces tend to be dirt cushioned with soft, but squirrely pine needles and are usually studded with angular rocks that add to the challenge. Depending upon where you ride, it’s not unusual to traverse long rock garden sections which can consist of sharp, broken shale. Don’t forget your patch kit and pump. Savvy locals carry a spare tube and tire, as well. With cold streams everywhere, be prepared for wet feet and brakes. It’s not usual to find downed trees across the paths, which sounds like a minor inconvenience until you relalise the giant tree trunks are often 3 feet thick.

Tahoe Rim Trail
It’s possible to circumnavigate the lake on this system of trails, but it is a hugh undertaking requiring a lot of planning. Try some of the day trip sized sections instead.

Nevada

The eastern side of the lake, which is in Nevada, offers spectacular rocky trails that wind along the lake rim high above the water. Check in with a local bike shops when planning your ride. They can help you run a shuttle and are up-to-date or which days you can bike and which days are reserved for horseback riders. Some offer guided tours, as well.

California
The southwestern section boasts some great California State Parks, such as Sugar Pine Point, where you can hit the trails right from your campsite and wind up and into the hills. There are easy family-friendly paths leading around the parks and down to the lake, as well.

Author’s Pick
One of my favorite places to just ride for fun and exercise is the Nordic Ski Center on the west side of the lake. Some of the paths have natural and man-assisted obstacles and whoop-de-doos that let you practice your skills. This is a maze of wide trails and nearly all of them will return you to your starting point at the Nordic Center parking lot. However, check the map and keep your bearings or you may find yourself descending through the wrong drainage and end up miles away.

Ski Areas with Mountain Biking
Some of the numerous ski resorts around Tahoe offer lift-assisted riding in the off-season. Northstar, at the north end of the lake is probably the most popular with the adrenaline crowd and has more than 100 miles of trails and a mountain bike park where competitions and training are held throughout the summer.

Road Biking
Although there are plenty of riders who do it, they are much, much braver than I am. The traffic can be thick and irritable on the curvy, two lane, mostly-shoulderless roads that wind around Lake Tahoe. I’ll stick to the trails!

Nightlife for Teens and Tweens
We’ve all been to a beach resort that offered plenty of things to do while the sun was out, but shut up tighter than a clam after dark, leaving your teenagers lazing around moaning “there’s nothing to do”. Myrtle Beach is not one of them. The multitude of amusement parks will give them the crowds and excitement they crave and the boardwalk offers endless opportunities for mingling with those of the opposite sex.

Golf
Myrtle Beach is like an amusement park for golfers. The venue provides a showcase for nearly every big name links designer and you get a phenomenal choice of styles and terrain. The weather can occasionally shut you out, but the mild climate generally allows for year round play. That’s a plus, since, with over 120 courses, you can play a different one every day for 4 months without replaying a single hole. There’s a lot of competition in the area and you’ll find the best deals by booking one of the many Myrtle Beach golf specials available online.

Baseball
Ever heard of the Myrtle Beach Pelicans? They’re a farm team for the Atlanta Braves and play in the Carolina League against other minor league teams at the 4,300 seat Coastal Federal Field. Fans large and small enjoy the hometown feel of the scene where they can watch and meet soon-to-be stars. Another cool to-do for hardball freaks is The Ripken Experience Cal Ripken’s new youth tourney center in Myrtle Beach.

Okay, listen up. I’m only going to whisper this secret to you once, “Ruby Canyon and Horsethief Canyon”. This incredible float, just west of Grand Junction, Colorado is a rafting experience extrordinaire.

For 26 miles, the Colorado river slices through a dreamlike southwestern landscape of towering canyons and ageless black rock formations. Except during extreme spring run-off, the pace is lazy, leaving plenty of time to enjoy the scenery and play in the water.

No whitewater experience is necessary, but once you cast off, you’re committed to making the entire run. So, travel is self-contained and you must be prepared to deal with any problems that might arise along the way. By the time you drag yourself off the river 1-3 days later at Westwater Utah, you’ll already be planning your next trip.

If whitewater makes you wary, this is a great way to enjoy river running without suffering from adrenaline poisoning. See the BLM website for details and check with outfitters in Grand Junction or Fruita for help planning your adventure and getting set up with equipment and shuttles.

Personally, I never thought of Alabama as a great beach vacation, but boy was I worng. I suspect the natives would like to keep this secret to themselves. The sands are fine white “sugar”. The waters glow in cool emerald and the combination is irresistable.

In addition to ocean beaches, this intricate tidal area is laced with rivers, deltas, back bays, lagoons, lakes and bayous. To get you started, here a few of the most popular places for sun, surf and sand:

Fort Morgan

The main attraction in this area is the Bon Secour (safe harbor, in French) National Wildlife Refuge, which has 6800 acres devoted to habitat for native plants, migratory birds, nesting sea turtles and, yes, the endangered Alabama beach mouse. You can park at the end of Mobile Street or approach the all-natural beach through the sea palmettos and dunes of the Pine Beach Trail.

Gulf Shores

The most popular beach is at the end of Highway 59, where most of the action is. You’ll find a large parking lot, boardwalk, pavilions, beach volleyball, restrooms and places to eat and drink. This is also where the National Shrimp Festival is held - an enormous seafood celebration that attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors every October.
Public parking and beach access is available at 2nd, 5th, 6th and 13th Streets. if you’re lucky enough to be staying at one of the many condos in the Gulf Shores section, there’s also convenient pedestrian access at 4th Street.

Gulf State Park

Elbow room and every imaginable facility are the highlights of this coastal playground. Besides about 2 miles of ocean beach, there are two large lakes and a long lagoon to fish and frolic in. The park is outfitted to accommodate large groups, with an enormous pavilion on the beach and a picnic area on Lake Shelby. There’s a nature center with interpretive trails, camping, RV spots and nice cabins you can rent by the night or by the week.

Orange Beach

Perdido Point, with over a mile of shoreline, and Cotton Bayou Beach are the best public beaches in this area. Both offer parking and Perdido Point has long boardwalk for strolling, as well. Surfers congregate at Alabama Point just inland from Perdido Point.