Flying into Jackson Gap, the view will make your jaw drop. The Grand Tetons rise sharply, these pyramid-shaped mountains chopping via the sky and creating the visible drama you’d hope for from this wild western locale. All of the dreamy oohing and ahhing you’ve seemingly heard to translate its magic will not be, it seems, superlatives. Precise phrases don’t do it justice. That imposing, staggering panorama is felt with awe, adrenaline, and paradoxical calmness.
This isn’t a foul psychological state to be in when arriving at The Rusty Parrot Lodge & Spa, simply on the sting of city. The pleasant, subtle, family-owned boutique lodge is precisely the nice and cozy refuge you need as an antidote to that untamed atmosphere.
The very first thing I discover upon coming into the foyer is an elaborate chandelier composed of a tangle of antlers. Welcome to the west! Adorning the partitions is a considerate gallery of collected wildlife artwork from native artists; it’s balanced with unfussy furnishings in earthy hues and comfortable textures. This all feels authentically Wyoming—the vibe is there, nevertheless it’s not making an attempt too laborious. The Rusty Parrot itself hangs close to the doorway as an immediate dialog starter, although if you’d like the origin story, custom says you’ll must get it from Brandon Harrison, the final supervisor.
The rooms (there are 40) are chicly designed for max consolation and delicate pampering. Mine, a King Hearth Balcony Room, had every part I didn’t know I wanted, like a gasoline fire reverse a chaise that I lounged on with my morning espresso beneath a brilliant gentle throw. That’s, once I wasn’t on the deck watching the dawn over the mountains. The toilet has a deep soaking tub and high-end Amouage tub merchandise. Little particulars, like complimentary eye masks from the spa and slippers make it additional homey. As does the library on the second ground that invitations you to seize a guide, together with a freshly-baked cookie (they put them out day by day, and consider me once I say they’re irresistible).
One of many highlights of staying right here is the meals. The Wild Sage Restaurant & Bar, with its small, 48-seat setup, looks like eating in a trendy mountain dwelling. Breakfast is hearty, correctly for a day of snowboarding, or exploring the vary. Dinner is elegant however informal, so it feels tremendous particular with out the stress. After a superbly cooked steak or home made pasta, you’ll wish to transfer into the bar, sink right into a chair by the hearth, and wind down with a nightcap.
The out of doors areas deserve a point out, too. The Perch, an open-air deck on the third ground, gives a mixture of seating round a hearth. There’s additionally a smaller Wildlife Viewing Deck the place you would possibly spot elk in opposition to the East Gros Ventre Butte.
However as tempting as hanging out by the firepit and out of doors scorching tub (there’s that too) is perhaps, Jackson gap is all concerning the topography. Meaning snowboarding, snow shoeing, mountaineering, biking, whitewater rafting, monitoring down buffalo…The lodge runs shuttles to Jackson Gap Mountain Resort for snowboarding, they usually’ll prepare excursions with Jackson Gap Wildlife Safaris in Grand Teton Nationwide Park. On my out of doors enterprise, which embarked early, simply as the sunshine was coming over the peaks, we noticed meandering moose, a gang of elk, a herd of grazing bison, one regal bald eagle, and, after an exhilarating chase based mostly on shared data from a community of eye-witnesses, an awesome grizzly that got here virtually shut sufficient to pet, which we didn’t do.
To return down after such an adventurous day, there’s nothing higher than The Physique Sage Spa, a relaxed, intimate house with an indoor and out of doors lounging space the place you may sip quite a lot of teas earlier than your therapy. I obtained the Sage Inside Therapeutic massage tailor-made to handle all my traveler’s aches and pains that rendered me “limp noodle,” in the easiest way. They provide a spread of physique work choices and facials, utilizing pure substances in high-end clear manufacturers together with Esse and Voya. “We’re additionally lucky to have unbelievable botanical merchandise which are sourced and made regionally,” Spa Director, Kimberly Acker, tells me. These embody Alpyn Magnificence made right here in Jackson Gap, and Phia, from close by Colorado, each derived from crops chosen for his or her highly-potent energetic substances. “We now have such vitality and richness on this a part of the nation,” says Acker, “we’re fortunate to reap the advantages.” That vitality comes via not simply on the therapy desk, however in each nook of the lodge, and out to the spectacular peaks of the mountainous panorama.