Frosty Winter Fun in Yellowstone Teton Territory

Island Park Area

Looking for a snowmobiler’s paradise? Twenty-eight miles southwest of Yellowstone sits Island Park where more than 500 miles of snow-glistening, groomed trails await you. Suit up and rev your engines on your own snowmobile or go on a guided tour with High Mountain Adventures, a longtime outfit that rents stellar sleds and gear.

Then switch gears, literally, by trading your snowmobile for skis. Look for moose, bald eagles, porcupines and ermines on a solitude-fueled cross-country ski in the Caribou-Targhee National Forest to Mesa Falls, two waterfalls, stretching 110 feet and 65 feet, Just 12 miles from Ashton, the Bear Gulch-Mesa Falls trailhead offers a 3.8-mile loop, a 5.8-mile loop or a 9-mile excursion that includes both loops, plus a spur.

Then nestle in for a starry night in a Harriman State Park yurt that sleeps six and stays toasty with a woodstove fireplace. Outside your door, 25 miles of groomed ski trails beckon, offering you a rush of adrenaline and the opportunity to see coyotes and moose traipsing through the forest, as well as trumpeter swans floating in the Henrys Fork. Afterwards, drive to Lakeside Lodge through its festive light-covered ranch entrance and past its trees awash in twinkling lights to feast on rib-eye steak and other house specialties.

Teton Valley

The best-kept secret of Grand Teton National Park is its towering granite peaks look even more gorgeous from the western side of the range. Get intimate views of the Grand Teton and its sister peaks when you downhill ski at Grand Targhee Ski Resort or hit the cross-country trails in Teton Canyon near Driggs. In Teton Canyon, every glide you take along this groomed, nearly flat 10-mile, out-and-back route gives you breathtaking views. Nearby, strap on your cross-country skis for an 8-mile, out-and-back, hilly route along the Darby Creek trail. It’s not groomed, making you feel as though you entered a private winter wonderland.

Those interested in fat biking can rent bikes at High Mountain Adventures in Island Park or Fitzgerald’s Bicycles in Teton Valley. Every January, you can participate in Fat Pursuit, a winter bike race.

In the evening, swing by the Knotty Pine Supper Club for Kansas-style BBQ and live music. But if you’re in the mood for drunken brie or a salmon salad, dine at Forage Bistro & Lounge. Don’t leave Driggs without taking a Grand Teton Distillery tour and purchasing a bottle of Grand Teton Huckleberry-flavored Vodka. Its award-winning potato vodka owes part of its success to a key ingredient: the 500-plus inches of pristine snow that falls on the Tetons and turns into snowmelt.

Idaho Falls Area

Immerse yourself into a winter wonderland in four really exhilarating ways. Just west of Idaho Falls sit two ranches and a ski area that offer everything from snow tubing to fat biking. Head to 7-N Ranch Resort to cross-country ski for free or rent a snow tube, ride a tow lift up a hill and coast down on your giant tube.

To downhill ski, snowshoe, cross-country ski or fat bike, head to Kelly Canyon Ski Resort. You can get a special $10 pass for Shred Trails, Kelly Canyon’s area for snowshoeing, cross-country skiing and fat biking.

Break for lunch and warm up by the fire at Heise Pizza Parlour, known around the region for its quality. Afterwards, head down the street and hop in the 104-degree waters at Heise Hot Springs. If you’re with young kids, a second pool is shallower and cooler at 92 degrees.

There’s also the La Belle Lake Ice Palace in East Rigby, which offers ice slides, fire shows and horse-drawn sleigh rides.

In the evening, take a horse-drawn sleigh ride across snowy fields followed by a scrumptious dinner of filet mignon, rack of lamb or grilled king salmon at Linn Canyon Ranch in Victor, Idaho. You’ll enjoy sitting at your own private table for a prix-fixe, three-course meal, followed by house-made dessert and coffee

Learn more about eastern Idaho that includes towns like Island Park, Victor, Driggs, Heise and Idaho Falls at yellowstoneteton.org.