If you are just getting started on what we lovingly call our “Epic Trip Out West,” where our family of four drove from Yellowstone to the Grand Canyon, hitting all the parks we could in between, start with our FAQs and full itinerary here. Otherwise, here’s the low down on what we learned on a family visit to Fossil Butte…
DAY FOUR: Jackson Hole to Park City
Drive Jackson Hole to Park City
Fossil Butte National Monument
Lodging: Shadow Ridge Condominiums and Resort Hotel
This was new, uncomfortable – but we had no place to stay that night. While planning this trip, we weren’t sure what we would feel like, or where we would want to end up. Originally, we had thought we would be in an interstate hotel off of Salt Lake City but when our friends suggested Park City, we decided to do it. We love Park City, having been there twice before.
We got in the car around 10, a later start but leisurely, and started our way. The expanses before us were changing so much. Wyoming has such a spectacular feel in Jackson Hole that quickly changed as we drove further out. We saw two bald eagles soaring the sky, wild and free.
For about 15 minutes we were in Idaho (although not counting that has actually having visited the state). It was wide and open yet poor and remote. It was rugged yet smoothed over by the stunning landscape surrounding it. It felt so far away it was isolating. Everywhere we travel we try to imagine a life there but here, we couldn’t. It was so different from our lives.
Eventually, we were very hungry and ended up in Cokesville, WY. A quick TripAdvisor search with a rare and limited cell signal moment showed us that Golden Buckle Grill was #1 of 2 places to eat in town and the reviews were great. So with limited options, we stopped.
We always prefer to pick a local spot over a chain. So this suited. We loved the down-to-earth real-people feel of this spot. Chain Reaction on the GSN played on a TV in the corner; our waitress was so kind and she could barely understand us with our “accents”; a gentleman sitting with a friend, who had a handlebar mustache and well-worn cowboy hat, approached my kids, chatting with them, and gave them each $1. It was a good stop – especially for the kids who came out “rich.”
After Golden Buckle, we decided to take a detour. Months ago, after receiving his national parks passport book, our 8-year-old had pointed out Fossil Butte National Monument. (He wants to be a paleontologist.) Fossil Butte was only about 30 minutes out of the way and with an unplanned day it sounded great.
They seemed so pleased to have us (it doesn’t seem like many people make it out that way) and the National Monument was well done. An extreme amount of exquisitely preserved fossils hung throughout modern, well-curated exhibits around the building. The staff was so friendly and they told us honestly what to expect. After time at the Visitors Center (and another passport cancellation), we were ready to stretch our legs and opted for the 1.5 mile Scenic Trail/Nature Loop.
We reminded the kids about the points they could earn – bumping the ante up to 2 points each even though it was only 1.5 miles – and off we went. Our 5-year-old was the winner of the hike, moving quickly and with much enthusiasm. Our eight-year-old was eager for his points (as always, our rewards-driven kid! ) and was nothing but positivity. The hike was harder than we thought, with more climbing. We scared up some pronghorned antelope – which meant mom ended up talking loudly throughout the rest of the hike again, this to ward off potential lurking mountain lions who thought my children looked like tasty morsels. The grasshoppers were enormous and kept leaping with their bizarre buzzing towards our bright jackets. The sagebrush tundra was new and fascinating, yet also surprisingly uninspiring. But we all loved the hike.
We were then ready to drive another two hours to Park City. That drive was tiresome – long stretches of scrub broken only by an ugly, star-smuggering coal burning power plant and ranch upon ranch ringed with barbed wire and electric fences.
Yet we made it to our rental unit and, after drama trying to get in touch with someone who could check us in, took all of our bags from the minivan, got our new grocery load up, made tacos while we watched baseball, and settled in for a long winter’s nap. The day was entirely unexpected yet so rewarding.
For more on Fossil Butte National Monument, visit https://www.nps.gov/fobu.