Jackson Hole: Eight Great Winter Activities With No Lift Lines

The area known as Jackson Hole includes the towns of Jackson, Wilson and Teton Village, the Snake River and several of its tributaries, plus lots of elk, moose (meese? meeesen?) and bears. All of this is surrounded by a national forest on three sides and a national park on the fourth, with another quaint park named Yellowstone just a short drive beyond, making it one of the most topographically-gaudy spots in the western United States.

Jackson Hole is also synonymous with skiing, boasting three resorts: the small yet steep and serviceable Snow King in downtown Jackson; the eponymous Mountain Resort (which locals call “The Village”) at Teton Village; and Grand Targhee less than an hour away near Driggs, Idaho. And yet winter in Jackson Hole can mean much more than world-class slopes, so if you’re wanting to skip cramped ski queues but hoping to do more than idle in a “moose jam” (caused by local quadrupeds foraging for wintry niblets in a roadside sage meadow), here are some activities to consider.

1. Studded fat-tire snow biking. If you can find the right trail, it’s the perfect combination of exercise, fun and snowy serenity. For me, that “right trail” is Cache Creek Canyon, accessed from the southeast corner of town. But other options abound, from Gros Ventre to the north, to Game Creek Canyon to the south. I found Teton Mountain Bike Tours (which also offers guided tours) to have the best inventory and pricing, and five-star service.
2. Cross-country skiing. Rent your gear from the experts at Skinny Skis and try the Snake River dike near Wilson and Teton Village, or the Teton Park road, both of which are groomed regularly.
3. Mineral hot springs. Reserve in advance to try Astoria’s five soaking pools filled with natural thermal waters, right on the banks of the Snake River.
4. Downtown Jackson. Peruse the shops, enjoy the dining, do a few laps on the seasonal ice rink covering half of Town Square, and then warm up with a cup of hot chocolate at CocoLove. (Don’t be disturbed – as I was initially, “Hypocritical liberal barbarians!” – by the Square’s iconic elk-antler arches. These are not hunters’ spoils but were instead collected by local scout troops over the course of several seasons of the animals’ natural shedding.)
5. Dog sledding. Whether you do a full day out-and-back to Granite Hot Springs or something less ambitious, you’ll never forget this one. The two primary outfitters are Continental Divide and Iditarod.
6. Mountain coaster and tubing. Kids from one to ninety-two love will love these. Just bundle up and Snow King takes care of the rest.
7. Snowshoeing. A four-mile drive in almost any direction from downtown Jackson will land you on supreme snowshoeing terrain. The trail to Taggart Lake is perfect for an afternoon, but also fairly popular and so it gets packed-in pretty quickly after a storm. Following Trail Creek as it weaves among the pines toward the valley will give you an immediate sense of secluded wilderness, even if you’re just a few dozen yards downhill from popular Old Pass Road. If you want to guarantee yourself fresh tracks, explore the foothills along Wilson’s South Fall Creek Road, which runs parallel to Fish Creek and the Snake River. Bring bear spray. Which reminds me of the joke about the tourists who asked the ranger how to know what kinds of bears were around. “Check the scat. A black bear’s will have twigs and fish bones. A grizzly’s will have Gore-Tex and bear spray cans.”
8. See elks from a horse-drawn sleigh. A pair of mighty Belgian draft horses will pull your sleigh among herds of inhabitants of the National Elk Refuge. Rides depart about every half hour, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily, all winter long, from the visitor center on the north end of Jackson.

Whichever of these you choose, don’t think that not skiing avant means that you can’t enjoy a little après. The Mangy Moose, right at the base of the JHMR hill, is probably the only concert venue in the world to have an actual former moose suspended from the rafters. Enjoy a show from the stage whose 50-plus years have hosted artists from Kris Kristofferson and Blues Traveler, to Fishbone and Coolio. For a more reverent experience, contemplate what might be the world’s most awe-inspiring natural altarpiece from a pew in the diminutive Chapel of the Transfiguration in the hamlet of Moose.

QUESTIONS FOR READERS

• Do you prefer Jackson Hole in winter or summer, and why?
• What else would you recommend for a visitor to this area?
• How does Jackson compare to your other favorite American ski towns?