From Jackson we'll travel up to the top of the towering Teton Pass, before dropping down the other side into Idaho. We'll wind our way through really scenic Idaho farm country and tiny towns, before arriving in Ashton, the seed potato capital of the world.
There we'll pick up the Mesa Falls Scenic Byway, which travels along Henry's Fork of the Snake River. You can stand nearby and enjoy the cool mist rising from Upper Mesa Falls, the last undisturbed waterfall in the Columbia River System and perhaps one of the last in the USA.
Much of the byway lies within the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. As you approach the northern end of the byway, you'll enter Osborne Meadows, a haven for moose, deer and elk. This large meadow attracts the kinds of animals that make Yellowstone famous without pulling in the same kinds of crowds.
From Mesa Falls it is a scenic drive back to West Yellowstone, through Island Park, which calls itself the longest Main Street in America. Please be aware that there are occasions when we return to West Yellowstone through Grand Teton and Yellowstone instead.