Inspirato member Kim Lee has enjoyed a special annual tradition since first joining the club seven years ago: a trip with her closest girlfriends to a new destination every year.
So far, they’ve been to Kiawah, San Diego, Aspen, Palm Springs, Rosemary Beach, Cabo, and this year, Jackson Hole.
“We usually have between 10 and 12 girls, so we have to look for a property that’s big enough for us, and one that’s easy to get to,” Kim said. “We had done Cabo the year before, and we kind of wanted to mix it up—beach and mountain.”
So, the women opted for Bison Ridge, which had plenty of room for the 11-person group in its five bedrooms.
“The master bedroom where I stayed had a balcony outside, and you’re just overlooking the mountains. … Waking up to that every day, I was like, ‘I could get used to this,’” Kim said.
The ladies wanted to stay active on their four-night getaway to such a scenic spot, and their Destination Concierge, Devin, helped them book a guided hike. They also explored Grand Teton National Park on their own one day, traversing the trails around Jenny Lake, one of the most popular areas in the park.
“We learned about bear spray, we learned how to sing songs to avoid the bears—we were a lot of Chicago girls learning a lot about Jackson Hole and the wildlife,” she said with a laugh.
Kim said that they actually did end up seeing a bear, too—but after the hike was over and they were safely in the cars. They also saw a huge herd of elk on their way to the airport.
Though it was technically the off-season, the women also explored Teton Village.
“We spent a lot of time outside, and we walked into the Teton Village because it was super close to our house, and everyone was so friendly,” Kim said. “And going into Jackson itself was really fun—the shopping, the restaurants, the bars.”
Lee said that they were also incredibly thankful they rented cars—recommended by both their Destination Concierge and planner, Taylor.
“We typically don’t like to rent cars, but both Devin and Taylor said it would be hard to get an Uber or taxi there. So we did, and thank goodness we did. I was very thankful for their honesty, and it was well worth it.”
And Kim and her friends have already booked their trip for next year: They’re going to Lake Tahoe.
“Absolutely never did we think that first year that we went to Kiawah would it turn into an annual thing,” she said. “Every girl on the trip pretty much goes every year. … And then we love talking about if for the whole year leading up to it. So we’ll be talking about Lake Tahoe probably a thousand times before it actually gets here.”
