Yellowstone + Grand Teton Family Vacation Itinerary

Our family loves to travel and I enjoy putting together our itinerary to share for others (and it’s also a great reminder for me). To see our previous trips here is Nantucket and here is Utah. For France, Italy, Iceland, England, Wales, Yosemite, St John, Maui, Kauai, California coast, Lake Tahoe, Zion + Bryce Canyon and Colorado mountain towns click here.

Below is our 8 day itinerary for Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Park. Our girls are 18 and 20 and both have said this is one of their favorite trips! My younger daughter is really into photography so to see more of her photos from the trip, click here.

August 19

We flew to Bozeman Montana bright an early landing around 11am and quickly picked up our rental car to head to Yellowstone. I booked a night at Yellowstone Riverside Cottages in Gardiner which I highly recommend. The town sits right outside the entrance to the park and it has a bunch of food options (both grocery store and restaurants). We were able to have a nice lunch here, drop our bags at the hotel and then go into the park. We went to Mammoth Hot Springs  and Norris Geyser Basin before heading back for the night.

August 20

This was a highlight day! We did the Upper Loop (Tower Roosevelt and then down to Canyon) and spent a good portion of the day exploring Grand Canyon of Yellowstone which was incredible. We did a couple of hikes (loved the Lower Brink) and then we cut across and went down to Grand Prismatic and Old Faithful. We used the Guide Along App which was SO helpful (best $25 ever spent on a trip). It told us when to stop, what things to go past and provided interesting commentary along the way.

We wish we had another night in Yellowstone but after Old Faithful we drove to Grant Teton as the sun was setting and checked into Signal Mountain Lodge (LOVED this place and stayed here for 4 nights)

August 21

This was our Jenny Lake day and it was incredible! We took the boat across the lake and hiked to Hidden Falls and Inspiration Point and then continued into Cascade Canyon. We went about 3 miles each way so we were very tired but it was so worth it to go beyond Inspiration Point. We had dinner at Leeks and then watched the sunset at Jackson Lake Lodge.

August 22

We went horseback riding with Swift Creek Outfitters (about 40 minutes from our hotel) and had beautiful views. We drove to String Lake and lucked out with parking getting a spot right by the beach. It was gorgeous!! There were lots of people swimming and we walked for awhile until we got near Leigh Lake and then headed back. We got dinner at Blue Heron at Jackson Lake Lodge for another sunset.

August 23

We woke up really early to catch the sunrise at Oxbow Bend (worth it!!!) We wanted to spend the day at String Lake but this time were not so lucky with parking so we ended up parking by a lookout point at Jenny Lake. We noticed a trail below where we parked and followed that all the way to String Lake and it was absolutely stunning and we had the trail all to ourselves. After an afternoon of swimming we hiked back to our car and we went to Signal Mountain Summit for sunset. It was so beautiful and then we drove back down to Signal Mountain Lodge to catch the last few minutes of sunset on the water.

August 24

We checked out of Signal Mountain in the morning and made our way out of the park but first did the Moose Ponds hike (no moose sightings but a beautiful hike) and stopped at Chapel of the Transfiguration before having lunch in Dornans. We checked into our hotel in Jackson (Rustic Inn Creekside Resort) and explored the town before ending the night with dinner at Merry Piglet

August 25

After breakfast we scoped out Mormon Row since we knew we were going to go there tomorrow at sunrise and wanted to be prepared with where the best spot to set up the tripod. Next we went to Schwabacher Landing and walked around the trail there which was beautiful. We all needed a bit of a relaxing afternoon so we enjoyed the hotel pool and then got ready for our family photo session. We met our photographer (Bret Barton who is incredible!) at Jenny Lake for some lakeside pictures and then headed over to Cascade Canyon Turnout. It was gorgeous!!!

August 26

We woke up early for sunrise at Mormon Row (Amazing!!!) After breakfast we did the Aerial Tram and enjoyed yummy waffles at the summit. We spent the afternoon souvenir shopping in Jackson and enjoyed more pool time at the hotel. We attended the Jackson Rodeo on our last evening which was a lot of fun!

Living Room Bar Transformation - Bergen County interior designer

I’m so excited to share photos from a recently completed living room transformation. We updated the existing bar to create a more modern look and now it’s a stylish and functional feature of the room. I can’t decide if my favorite part is the rich green color or the marble backsplash (I’ll have to call it a tie)! As always, I love mixing metals so we added brass in the sconces and stools and kept the existing faucet.

Here is what the bar looked like before. Removing the existing wall sconce and replacing it with the two new ones made such a big difference.

Here is a look at the other side of the living room. I love this end table that we added to the space (along with the drapes, pillows and art).

Next, let’s focus on the bar details. We kept some of the original wood but painted the majority of it this gorgeous green. The marble is gorgeous so the styling decor is kept minimal.

We also added the marble to the fireplace surround which features the same wood as the bar.

The marble shelf is shallow but allows for some pretty decor to be displayed.

Christie Adams Design is a Bergen County NJ interior designer based in Wyckoff. Available for design consultations (in person and virtually for clients outside of New Jersey), room transformations, renovations, kitchens and bathrooms. For in-person projects, Christie works all over Northern NJ including Ridgewood, Glen Rock, Franklin Lakes, Allendale, Ho-Ho-Kus, Wyckoff, Oradell, River Edge, Hillsdale, North Haledon and Saddle River just to name a few.

Dining Room / Living Room Updates in Glen Rock Home - NJ interior designer

My clients purchased this beautiful and charming nearly 100 year old home last year and we got to work before they even moved in. First we had all of the hardwood floors stained (Weathered Oak) and everything painted to give us a real blank slate for the furnishings. Installing this gorgeous chandelier made such a huge difference and stays true to the era of this historic home.

I took this photo the day that I met my clients last year

I love how this dining room is so sophisticated and timeless. The rich wood tones are classic and the upholstery is all performance fabric. We also hung airy and traditional ivory drapes with brass rods.

Here is the concept board that I created for my client:

The formal living room and dining room are open to each other with this beautiful arch between them. This living space also feels brand new!

Here is where we started with the living room:

We carried the warm wood from the dining room into this space with these nesting end tables. And the rug and pillows add some lovely color and pattern.

I loved decorating the shelves and kept everything very simple and classic. We incorporated brass in both spaces between the decor, curtain rods and the dining room chandelier.

Christie Adams Design is Bergen County NJ interior designer specializing in consultations, room transformations and renovations (kitchen/bathroom/additions/basement). Virtual consultations are available for clients all across the country and in-person projects are available for clients all over Northern NJ (Wyckoff, Ridgewood, Glen Rock, Allendale, Woodcliff Lake, Franklin Lakes. Ho-Ho-Kus, Oradell, Westwood, just to name a few).

Bergen County Basement Transformation - NJ interior designer

I recently photographed this basement transformation and even though the basement was already a finished space, it feels brand new! My clients have teenage daughters and they wanted to be able to have a fun entertaining space that would grow with them for years to come. We created this space on one end to store snacks and drinks and display some pretty entertaining decor. I love the acrylic stools which let the indigo color of the cabinets be visible from all angles.

Here is where we started with this part of the basement:

The opposite side of the room is perfect for games and watching movies.

We kept the flooring but everything else is brand new:

There is a lot of space for hosting and we incorporated artwork done by my clients’ daughters to hang on the wall.

Here are some details of the shelf and countertop decor.

I work with a great cabinet vendor and this is the initial rendering that created to finalize the layout for the space since it can be hard to visualize something out of nothing.

Christie Adams Design is a Bergen County interior designer based in Wyckoff NJ. Christie is available for design consultations (in person or virtually via FaceTime), room renovations and renovations (kitchen, bathroom, basement). In person projects are done in towns such as Wyckoff, Ridgewood, Glen Rock, Franklin Lakes, Allendale, Ho-Ho-Kus, River Vale, Hillsdale, North Haledon, Saddle River and Oradell just to name a few.