Montana to Wyoming During Covid-19

I’ve been going back and forth, trying to decide whether or not I should share my recent trip to Montana and Wyoming. After a quick Instagram poll, I decided it’s a “go!” If you know me, you know I make this trip quite often. If we’re new friends, well, now you know! I’m confident that you’ll love my itinerary and the simple do’s-and-don’t’s of the area: Bozeman, Yellowstone, the Grand Tetons, and Jackson Hole.

I’ll start by addressing the fact that this was my first trip that involved a plane during Covid-19. Honestly, I was very nervous about it at first. I took all precautions leading up to my departure. I avoided as many people as I could for about two weeks, I relied heavily on Structured Silver, Lypo-Sepheric Vitamin C, and my tried-and-true Source Naturals Wellness vitamins. I can’t say whether or not these actually helped me stay/feel healthy, but I will say…It provided me with peace of mind.

Now, I’m not about to share my actual itinerary. I’ll be following-up with how you can get your hands on it later on, but for now, I really want to share the highlights of the trip!

We flew from Santa Barbara to Bozeman, Montana, with a quick stop in Dallas. I’ll say, the American Airlines flight from Dallas to Bozeman was probably the most sketchy part of the trip. I don’t want to speak poorly about American Airlines, but the only Covid-19 precautions that were taken were masks and sanitation wipes. We were packed into the plane as we normally would be, and the air conditioning wasn’t working. So, it was hot. It was concerning.

Masks are required indoors in both states — Montana and Wyoming. It was strange getting used to enjoying meals indoors again, but I definitely wasn’t going to complain about that! 🙂

We landed in Bozeman around 2:30pm and drove to The Lark hotel. I absolutely loved this hotel and highly recommend it. Its parking lot is shared with my new favorite ice cream joint, Genuine Ice Cream Co. I tried the Cinnamon Cookie Dough flavor and it did not disappoint. While looking at The Lark’s website, one might assume its fairly large for the area, but it’s actually pretty small. The rooms are retro country chic, if that makes sense! It’s located on Main Street and is in walking distance to all of my favorite restaurants and boutiques.

• 

• 

We hiked the famous “M Trail” the next morning. It’s about a 3 mile hike, round trip, and has a fairly significant incline. It’s hard for me to give an accurate level of difficulty because I felt a lot of altitude, which made it seem harder than most hikes than I’m used to on the Central Coast. I’m really glad we decided to hike this trail the first weekend of our trip because it actually caught on fire the following weekend! The rest of the day we shopped around and fell in love with a few boutiques. My favorite was Evrgreen, which you can also shop online!

• 

• 

We hit the road on Monday morning. It was raining, but we still enjoyed exploring the north western side of Yellowstone. This section of the national park is my favorite because it seems like there’s a lot more to see due to the terrain changing so quickly. That night, we stayed in an Under Canvas tent in West Yellowstone. In hindsight, this night was my favorite part of the entire trip. But, boy, do I have a story to share about this experience! It deserves its own post, so keep an eye out for it next week!

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

The following day we explored the south western side of Yellowstone. Two highlights of this region are the Grand Prismatic Spring and Old Faithful. Both were crowded, yet not as crowded as they normally are. If there are only two attractions that you can see while visiting Yellowstone, these two should be the chosen ones. Later on, we found ourselves in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. We checked into the Cowboy Village Resort and grabbed ourselves a BBQ dinner at Moe’s.

• 

• 

We finally slept in on Wednesday! We had a few early mornings the previous days, so this was a must-do. We grabbed coffee at my all-time favorite coffee shop: Cowboy Coffee. If you know, you know! We took it to-go and enjoyed sipping it in the Town Square, which has arches made of antlers. For lunch, we went to my favorite restaurant, Jackson Drug, which is owned by my favorite fashion lifestyle blogger’s family, Wanderlust Out West.

• 

• 

Our second grand adventure took place after lunch! We rode horses at Spring Creek Ranch and caught stunning views of the Grand Tetons, which is my favorite national park. If you’re heading to Jackson Hole and are looking for a safe trail ride with spectacular views…This. Is. It! I was really happy to be able to check this off my bucket list.

On Thursday, we grabbed a slice of the best pumpkin bread at Persephone Bakery before hitting the road to the Grand Tetons. It was my mission to go kayaking on one of the lakes during my trip. This was my third main highlight of the trip! Photos don’t do it justice…The Tetons felt like they were right in my face the entire time. This particular activity was so calming and the view left me speechless.

There are a few lakes in the Tetons that you can kayak at, but in my itinerary, I’ll include the best one with the least amount of crowds.

• 

• 

Thursday was our last day in Jackson Hole, so we wanted to make the best of our evening. We hit up the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar. If you’ve been to Jackson Hole, you know that this is a “must-do.” The local band was playing a cover of “Jolene’ and we were drinking some Budweisers and local beers. I’m not much of a “shots” kind of girl, but I was convinced to take a shot of whiskey. When in Rome, right?

The next morning, we grabbed one more coffee at Cowboy Coffee and hit the road. We drove all the way back up through Yellowstone and into Livingston, Montana. On our way out of Jackson Hole and the Grand Tetons, we stopped to admire horses roaming free with bison. This was definitely something I had never seen before. Such a beautiful and unexpected sight.

• 

• 

We were exhausted by the time we got to Livingston! We relaxed and grabbed dinner at the Rib and Chop House, where we were greeted by seven cowboys hanging out outside. We weren’t upset about that! The following morning, we drove to Bozeman and checked into the RSVP Motel.

• 

• 

• 

The RSVP Motel is another amazing place to stay! This unique boutique hotel has Instagram-friendly details everywhere you look. The Farmer’s Daughter, a delicious cafe and eatery, is on the same property as the motel. It’s design marries glamour and down-home charm for an epicurean paradise and features local farm-to-table bites.

• 

• 

All in all, it was a great trip. The uncertainty and anxiety of everything during Covid-19 has been hitting us all pretty hard lately, or so it seems. Being able to get away, eat an actual meal indoors, and just be out in nature was a grounding feeling and the perfect remedy for me. I didn’t come back feeling like a whole new person, but I was inspired.

There are a few exceptions, but right now, we can’t really travel internationally. I think now is the time to get out and explore what our own country has to offer. I regularly get on my soap box and discuss this topic with people. There is SO much to see and explore domestically and we should be taking advantage of it, especially during these times.

My mindset is in a healthy place, knowing the past should be left in the past and moving forward is an adventure in itself. Life is precious and short. Take advantage of every opportunity and say, “yes,” as much as you can.