Grand Targhee Trip Report: Experiencing One Of America's Powder Meccas

Wydaho- When people name the powder meccas of the United States, a few places come up often: Alta, Jackson Hole, Mammoth, Mt. Baker, and Snowbird. Grand Targhee Resort isn’t named quite as often, partially because its kinda close neighbor, Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, gets most of the press due to its Teton Flow.

However, the word is starting to get out about this place. The Colter expansion was picked by PeakRankings as the best improvement at a North American ski resort during the 2022-23 season. Targhee has become known amongst ski bums for its deep powder, fast lifts, and playful terrain.

On Saturday, February 3rd, I made the trip to Grand Targhee. Before I got there, the Ghee was going through a bit of a dry spout. However, they received four inches of snow overnight, leading to a powder day where it continued to snow nonstop.

When you arrive, Targhee has a rustic base area setup that gives homage to the Wild West. There are multiple dining and après options spread out across multiple lodges, along with shops, rentals, an activity center, and more. There’s also lodging on-site for those who want to stay for more than one day, with amenities like a pool, a hot tub, and a laundry room for overnight guests.

The Trap Bar & Grill is full of relics from Grand Targhee’s past.

The main chairlift out of the base area is Dreamcatcher. Even on a Saturday with the parking lots full, this chairlift kept lift lines to under five minutes. The only place that fog was a factor on my visit was up at the summit of Dreamcatcher, so I made only a few laps up there.

If you skate a little bit out of the base area, you can access the Mill Creek Traverse trail, which gets you over to the Sacajawea chairlift. This area is home to intermediate and advanced terrain, along with a solid portion of Targhee’s glades. A highlight of my visit was checking out Screaming Cheetah, which is a narrow gully that feels like a bobsled ride.

To the far left of the ski resort is the Blackfoot chairlift. This fixed-grip quad chairlift is only a seven-minute ride, so it’s a nice place to rest for a bit. Most of the runs, which are of intermediate and advanced difficulty, are wide open, with a band of trees in some areas.

Then there’s the Colter chairlift. Opened during the 2022-23 season, this terrain pod features mostly intermediate and advanced terrain with a generally steep pitch. It’s serviced by a sleek Dopplemayr high-speed six-pack chairlift.

Then there are the double black diamonds. Steep routes like Bobcat, Otter Dog, and Toilet Bowl are accessible from the Rendevous trail off Colter.

The beginner area is serviced by a fixed-grip quad chairlift and a magic carpet. While Snoshine is an area mostly tailored towards beginners, there are a few terrain parks and glades for people to enjoy. It’s also the easiest way to access the Blackfoot terrain pod.

The one thing that I wish I had seen on my trip to the Ghee was its scenic backdrop. Since I visited on a powder day, there weren’t many scenic views. On a clearer day, you get unreal views of Grand Teton National Park, making Grand Targhee have some of the best views out of any North American ski resort.

Image Credit: Sam Negen, Grand Targhee Resort

Since I left, the snow has kept coming through consistently at the Ghee. They’ve received 19″ in the past 48 hours, and a foot in the past 24 hours. As of February 15th, their season snowfall total is 279 inches. More snow is on the horizon, with OpenSnow projecting 30″ in the next five days.