TRAIL TOWNS By Audra Labert (she/her) CDTC Communications Manager
The town of Jackson sits nestled in the Big Hole Valley of Montana. Jackson is located close to the Continental Divide Trail and embraces a variety of tourism throughout the year while providing unique services to CDT thru-hikers and section hikers. Rick Harwood, local hotelier, town spokesperson, and occasional thru-hiker first responder offered insights on the town, the Bunkhouse Hotel, and the oddities of neighboring the CDT.
THE BUNKHOUSE HOTEL A LOCAL DESTINATION AND CDT HIKER OASIS. The Bunkhouse Hotel, owned and operated by Rick Harwood, was built in 1910 and is one of Jackson’s anchor businesses. In addition to offering services to tourists and hikers, from overnight accommodations and hot showers to laundry, the Hotel also serves as the local post office.
Jackson, Montana Big Hole Valley, Beaverhead County, about 10 miles to the Minor Lake interchange on the Continental Divide Trail along the IdahoMontana border.
Ancestral lands of the Cayuse, Umatilla, Walla Walla, Kootenai, Shoshone-Bannock, and Salish. In the Big Hole Valley where The Battle of the Big Hole was fought in the Montana Territory, August 9–10, 1877, between the United States Army and the Nez Perce tribe of Native Americans (Nimipuu) during the Nez Perce War. Population: 36 year-round residents Economy: Ranching, tourism
“The Hotel does serve as a focal point, and because we’re so small, we are one of the few post offices that will accept general deliveries for CDT hikers, which has been a huge thing,” Harwood said. “Not a lot of folks will allow a package addressed to ‘Iron Skillet’ or ‘Rainbow’ or ‘Brook Trout’ to be delivered,” he adds with a laugh. Although newly renovated on the inside, from the outside, the Bunkhouse Hotel brought back visions of the old West, with its tall front facade and open, welcoming front porch. The quaint and historic aesthetic even drew TV crews to the small community of Jackson during the summer of 2022 to shoot the hit show Yellowstone. Jackson was once one of the many mining towns that dotted the Rockies, but the community is now primarily a tourist destination and outpost for the local ranching community. Across the street from the Bunkhouse Hotel is Jackson Hot Springs, whose claim to fame–in addition to offering relaxing soaks–is that the Lewis & Clark Expedition cooked a rabbit in the bubbling hot water during their expedition.
CDTC Survey Focuses on Trail Town Economics Evaluating the impacts of seasonal influxes into communities adjacent to the CDT has been part of the focus of CDTC during the past year. A small business survey was conducted in the five states that encompass the CDT: Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, Colorado, and New Mexico. The report surveyed business owners (hospitality, recreation, retail, services) to determine the values, priorities, and economics of communities adjacent to the CDT. Established as a National Scenic Trail in 1968, the Continental Divide Trail is a U.S. Forest Service-administered trail that protects the natural, cultural, and historic resources along its length, while providing increased access to the Divide landscape, including the 20 National Forests, 25 Wilderness areas, 3 National Parks, 1 National Monument, and 13 BLM resource areas the trail connects. The CDT offers a variety of hiking, equestrian, fishing, birdwatching, skiing, and other recreational opportunities along its 3,100 miles. As it runs from the border with Mexico to the border with Canada along the Continental Divide, the CDT traverses through and near mountain communities whose economies are increasingly bolstered by visitors and recreationists accessing nearby public lands. Outdoor recreation is an economic powerhouse along the CDT.
PAGE 27