Our customers love to travel! The Trouts Fly Fishing staff is no different and with thousands of fishing opportunities within a 8-12 hour drive, we thought we’d share a few of our favorites. We’ll make it a goal to feature at least one destination within an 8-12 hour drive of Denver once a month moving forward.
Without further explanation, let me tell you about a little piece of heaven outside Jackson, Wyoming.
A few months back, my wife and I decided to visit Wyoming for the first time. We had heard about the majestic atmosphere from friends and family for years but we wanted to explore for ourselves. After researching the Grand Teton National Park online, I stumbled across Turpin Meadow Ranch just a few miles East of Moran, WY.
Fast forward a couple of weeks, Kaily and I both worked on a Wednesday and jumped into the car after work and headed North on I-25. We decided to stick to the highways and connected with I-80 in Cheyenne. We pushed until the wee hours of the morning and set up our tent on a little piece of grass at a local campground on the side of I-80 in Rawlings. Little did we both know that the train tracks were not very far and the horn would sound every hour or so through the night.
The next morning we drove North on US-191 to Jackson and stopped in Pinedale, WY and had brunch at Obo's Market. After an amazing smorgasbord of tasty delights, we pushed onward into Hoback Canyon.
I wasn’t able to fish along the Hoback River but there were plenty of pull offs and campgrounds to check out. When we go back, we’ll be stopping at one of the campgrounds in the canyon to fish and spend a night, it was gorgeous and looked fishy!
Immediately after the canyon, we merged onto US-26 and stopped in Jackson briefly. After picking up a few touristy items, we pulled out of Jackson and saw the Tetons for the first time. US-26 is currently under construction just NE of Jackson.
We drove East past Moran Junction and turned onto Buffalo Valley Rd to the Turpin Meadows Ranch. We decided to take the longer route following the Buffalo River which was extremely scenic and something I highly recommend.
As we pulled up, we realized that there was a clear view of the Tetons straight up the valley from the ranch. Below is a view from the dining room.
After checking in we quickly put our bags in the cabin and decided to sit on the front porch which looks out onto the Buffalo River. A few minutes before Dinner I scoped out the water for the following day and saw a small PMD hatch rise with a ton of fish activity. My fly rod was ready to go and I watched a couple of Cutthroat Trout strike my Purple Chubby as the sun set off in the distance. Our cabin had horse shoe curtain brackets that were perfect to hang your fly rod on, perfect storage for the evening.
Kaily and I visited the Grand Teton National Park on Friday and decided to do a combined horse back riding and fishing trip first thing Saturday morning. If you’ve never seen the Grand Tetons in person, plan a trip and go!
On Saturday morning we met Ron, our guide, at the barn around 9:00 am. After a brief orientation, we headed straight up the mountainside on what seemed to be an unmarked single track trail.
We weaved in and out of different high country meadows to an amazing view of the Tetons before descending back towards the ranch to a secret fishing hole accessible only by foot or horseback.
As I strung up my Sage One 905-4 with the InTouch Rio Gold fly line, I looked out over the water and watched as fish rose every so often in what appeared to be a deep long run.
In a little under an hour, I was able to pull multiple fish out of the hole with a little help from our Turpin Meadow Ranch guide.
In addition to the native cutthroat in the area, the whitefish were huge and hungry as well.
Most of the fish caught were on a double nymph rig, Copper Johns, Hares Ears and Prince Nymphs. Turpin Meadow Ranch offers a number of fly fishing options, whether your looking for a float or an overnight fly fishing trip on horseback they can set you up to catch fish. The ranch borders the Bridger-Teton National Forest, 3.4 million acres of untouched wilderness and there is plenty of water explore.
The staff was exceptional from check in to check out, everyone we spoke with was genuine and knowledgeable about the surrounding area. Turpin Meadow Ranch opened just a couple of months ago and everything appears brand new! Nothing over the top, but everything was perfectly designed for someone who wants the cabin environment with the conveniences of a luxury property.
Check out the Turpin Meadow Ranch next time you plan a trip North to Wyoming.
The Trouts Fly Fishing staff is ready to help you plan your next destination travel adventure, stop in and let us know where you are thinking about going.
