🌿 RelaxedWeekend · from Jackson, WY
Star Valley — Palisades Reservoir, the Salt River & the Alpine Junction Lakes
Just south of Jackson the highway follows the Snake down to the Alpine junction, where three rivers meet and the broad green trough of Star Valley opens beneath the Salt River Range. This gentle two-day trip trades the crowds for a valley of hayfields, spring creeks, and a big blue reservoir. Day one drifts along the shore of Palisades Reservoir and onto the meandering Salt River — one of the West's classic, unhurried fly-fishing streams — where the pace is set by rising trout and the current. Day two samples Star Valley's famous cheese, born of the valley's rich dairy pastures, and loops back to the lakes and lagoons around Alpine before the short, scenic drive home. It is a soft, water-and-pasture weekend, all cottonwoods, cheese curds, and slow-moving river under the Salt River peaks.
Day 1 — Palisades Reservoir shore & Salt River fly fishingDay 2 — Star Valley cheese & the Alpine junction lakes
Day 1 — Alpine & the Salt River, WY
Day 1 — Alpine & the Salt River, WY
🚗 1 hr 15 min driving📍 4 stops
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Morning
🚗
Drive
Jackson, WY → Alpine, WY & Palisades Reservoir
1 hr 15 min8:00 AM → 9:15 AM
Palisades Reservoir Shore
★ 4.7Straddling the Wyoming–Idaho line just below the Alpine junction, Palisades Reservoir is a long, deep, mountain-ringed lake where the Snake River backs up behind Palisades Dam. Its shore is lined with quiet gravel beaches, coves, and cottonwood-shaded picnic spots, and the water is a brilliant blue against the forested slopes of the Snake River and Salt River ranges. This is an easy morning of shoreline strolling, skipping stones, and settling in with a view — boaters and paddlers put in at the several campground ramps, and the calm inlets near Alpine are perfect for a lazy float. In early summer the reservoir runs full and glassy; by late season the receding water exposes broad sandy flats ideal for a barefoot wander.
9:15 AM📍 See location
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Lunch
🍽️ Lunch10:15 AM
Brenthoven's / Alpine Junction Dining
The little crossroads community of Alpine, where the Snake, Greys, and Salt rivers meet, has a handful of easygoing places to eat within sight of the water. A relaxed sit-down lunch here — burgers, trout, and hearty valley fare — is the natural midday stop between the reservoir and the river. Grab a riverside table if you can; the confluence country is green and cottonwood-shaded, and the pace is pure small-town Wyoming. It is a good place to gather picnic supplies too, if you'd rather eat streamside on the Salt River in the afternoon.
2 options · tap to switch
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Afternoon
Salt River Fly Fishing
★ 4.5The Salt River winds north through Star Valley in a maze of slow, clear bends and undercut banks, and it is one of the most beloved and unpretentious trout streams in the region — full of cutthroat, brown, and rainbow trout, and famous for its Snake River fine-spotted cutthroat. Its gentle, meandering character makes it ideal for a relaxed afternoon of wading and casting, or simply walking the grassy banks watching trout rise in the riffles. Public access points dot the valley near Alpine and Etna, and valley outfitters run mellow half-day float trips if you'd rather someone else row. Even non-anglers will enjoy the cottonwood-lined water and the big peaks of the Salt River Range rising behind the hayfields.
12:00 PM📍 See location
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Evening
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Alpine / Star Valley Lodging
The Alpine junction has a cluster of comfortable lodges and inns set among the cottonwoods where the rivers meet, many with easy views of the water and quick access to the reservoir. For a night deeper in the valley, the town of Afton — with its landmark elkhorn arch over Main Street — has motels and a more settled small-town feel about thirty minutes south. Either way this is relaxed valley lodging under big mountains, and it fills up with anglers and boaters in summer, so reserve ahead and plan on a quiet evening of river sounds rather than nightlife.
Day 2 — Star Valley & the Alpine Lakes, WY
Day 2 — Star Valley & the Alpine Lakes, WY
🚗 1 hr 35 min driving📍 3 stops
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Morning
🚗
Drive
Alpine, WY → Star Valley Cheese, Thayne, WY
20 min8:00 AM → 8:20 AM
Star Valley Cheese, Thayne
★ 4.4Star Valley's lush dairy pastures made it Wyoming's cheese country, and the creamery in Thayne carries on a tradition that dates to the valley's early Mormon settlers and once shipped Swiss-style cheese across the West. The shop is a beloved stop for squeaky-fresh cheese curds, blocks of Swiss and cheddar, and huckleberry-flavored specialties, and it makes a cheerful, easygoing morning errand. Sample your way along the counter, watch the operation, and stock up on curds and huckleberry treats for the road home. It is a small, wholesome slice of valley life and a nice counterpoint to the river and reservoir.
8:20 AM📍 See location
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Lunch
🍽️ Lunch9:20 AM
Star Valley Cafe, Thayne
A friendly valley diner in Thayne or Afton is the natural place for a midday meal after the creamery — hearty American plates, homemade pie, and, fittingly, plenty of local cheese finding its way onto the menu. This is dairy-and-hay country, so the food is generous and the atmosphere unhurried. It is an easy, low-key stop before looping back toward the Alpine lakes and the drive home.
2 options · tap to switch
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Afternoon
Alpine Junction Lakes & Lagoons
Back at the Alpine junction, a series of quiet ponds, sloughs, and river lagoons spreads across the bottomlands where the Greys and Snake rivers braid into the head of Palisades Reservoir. These calm, cottonwood-fringed waters are a peaceful spot for a final afternoon — easy walking paths, birdlife on the still lagoons, and gentle put-ins for a paddle or a float on flat water. Moose and waterfowl are common in the willows, and the mirror-still ponds reflect the surrounding ranges beautifully in the late light. It is a soft, restful close to the trip before the short, scenic drive back up the Snake River canyon to Jackson.
12:00 PM📍 See location
🌙
Evening
🚗
Drive
Alpine, WY → Jackson, WY
1 hr 15 min5:00 PM → 6:15 PM
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