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Jackson Hole SUMMER 2025

GRIZZLY In life, she was a symbol of her species’ recovery under the Endangered Species Act. In death, what will her legacy mean to grizzlies’ continued federal protection?

399

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HUCKLEBERRIES 6 WAYS

WALK TO WATER

WIND/RAIN SHELLS

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FEATURES JACKSON HOLE SUMMER 2025

ON THE COVER: Photographer Syler Peralta-Ramos, who was born two years after 399 and grew up in Jackson, remembers the famous grizzly's life “very much happening” during his childhood. Of capturing this photo of 399 and her quads in 2020, he says, “The magic of the experience had me shaking with excitement and joy.” Follow him at @pangea.expeditions

108

REVIVED & REVERED Thanks to efforts of Indigenous wildlife managers, the Wind River Reservation is again an ecologically vibrant and crucial piece of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. // BY MIKE KOSHMRL

116

FINDING THE RIGHT BAL ANCE What’s more difficult than managing a national forest the size of Connecticut? Guiding and planning its future. // BY MOLLY ABSOLON

124

PAWPRINTS AND POLICY In life, Grizzly 399 was a symbol of the species’ recovery under the Endangered Species Act. In death, can her legacy protect grizzlies as their time under federal protections seems to be coming to an end? And if it could, should it? // BY BILLY ARNOLD

136

M O L LY A B S O L O N

THE BIRTH OF BIKEPACKING

14 SUMMER 2025 | JACKSON HOLE

Conceived of almost 30 years ago, the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route is as much of an adventure as ever, and it passes through Jackson Hole. // MOLLY ABSOLON

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CONTENTS JACKSON HOLE SUMMER 2025

ENJOY

COURTESY PHOTO

Scott Steen

BY SAMANTHA SIMMA

BOOKS

Good Reads

BY JIM MAHAFFIE

ANATOMY OF

The Snake River

BY SAMANTHA SIMMA

MY JACKSON HOLE LIFE

Sam Singer

BY BEVIN WALLACE

ALL YOU NEED

Gear for Scenic Chairlifts BY DINA MISHEV

GO DEEP

Wind Jackets

BY DINA MISHEV

JACKSON HOLE ICON

Cruising in Style on Jenny Lake BY JIM MAHAFFIE

44 56

LOCAL KNOWLEDGE

BLAST FROM THE PAST

Holy Centenary

BY SOFIA MCGULICK

16 SUMMER 2025 | JACKSON HOLE

Hooray for Huckleberries BY SAMANTHA SIMMA

JH PANTRY

Tram Jam

BY HELEN OLSSON

TASTE OF JACKSON HOLE

A Different IPA

BY SAMANTHA SIMMA

ART

Approachable Art BY JIM MAHAFFIE

86 90

Wyoming on the Page

146

How Locals Live

For the Birds

BY JIM MAHAFFIE

150 GTNP’s Historic Ranches BY HELEN OLSSON

156 Walk to Water BY DINA MISHEV

DESIGN

BY MAGGIE THEODORA

156

CULTURE

BY JIM MAHAFFIE

162 Dinner and a (Star) Show BY LILA EDYTHE

HEALTH

5 Ways Jackson Hole Might Hurt You

168

JACKSON HOLE MAP

CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE

170

CALENDAR

BY WHITNEY ROYSTER

172

PARTING SHOT

HELLO

Meet Leslie Steen, Glenn Owings, and Madison Webb Stanko

FOOD

BY BEVIN WALLACE

100

How Can I Get a Place in JH?

DINA MISHEV

EXPLORE

LINDLEY RUST

LOCAL LIFE

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HOWDY

DEREK STAL

EDITOR'S LETTER

was fortunate " Ienough to have

enjoyed hours of watching 399 and her cubs."

18 SUMMER 2025 | JACKSON HOLE

ast October, I was among the many people around the world who shed tears over the death of Grizzly 399, the “Queen of the Tetons.” Since the bruin, who became an ambassador for her species and famous around the world by raising 18 cubs close to the roadsides of northern Grand Teton National Park, first caught the attention of GTNP biologists in 2004, I was fortunate enough to have enjoyed hours of watching her and her cubs. Sometimes, I’d drive up to Jackson Lake expressly hoping to see 399. Other times, I’d catch a glimpse while on my way to Yellowstone or to a dinner reservation at The Mural Room in Jackson Lake Lodge. Once, I missed going out on a friend’s motorboat because 399 and her litter of quadruplets were out. Motor boating on Jackson Lake— speeding around beneath the snaggly east face of Mt. Moran—is spectacular, but it’s not seeing a grizzly family in the wild. Not even if there’s waterskiing and a picnic on Elk Island involved. Journalist Billy Arnold, the former environmental reporter and current managing editor at the Jackson Hole News&Guide, wrote about 399 and her legacy for this issue (“Paw Prints and Policy,” p. 124). His story looks at how 399 affected the public perception of grizzly bears and the conservation of the species—her legacy on a macro scale. While editing his story, I started thinking about 399’s legacy on a micro

scale. And by “micro,” I mean how she affected me: 399 taught me the joy of watching any and all wildlife, which inspired this issue’s story by Jim Mahaffie about some of the valley’s best birdwatching spots, “For the Birds,” p. 146. Jackson Lake’s pelicans and the mergansers and cormorants below Jackson Lake Dam first came onto my radar when I went looking for 399 and didn’t find her. There were still so many other species to see if I just cared to look for them! Wildlife watching is only one of many adventures to be had in and around Jackson Hole. When you’re ready to do something else, this issue has articles about hikes that go to and/or near water, “Walk to Water,” p. 156; the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route, “The Birth of Bikepacking,” p. 136; and how to eat huckleberries six different ways, “Hooray for Huckleberries,” p. 68. And then, as usual, we check in with interesting locals doing interesting things in our three “Hello” profiles (starting on page 44) and share some of our favorite gear (pages 36 and 38). As always, I hope you enjoy reading this issue of Jackson Hole magazine as much as I and the rest of the team have enjoyed putting it together. Thanks for reading, — DINA MISHEV @JACKSONHOLEMAG

ELISE STERCK

ROA S TE RY & COFFE E SHOP INSPIRED BY JACKSON HOLE; FUELING LIFE’ S ADVENTURES

O R D E R O N L I N E : S N A K E R I V E R R O A S T I N G C O . C O M | V I S I T: 5 0 W B R O A D W AY | F O L L O W U S : @ S N A K E R I V E R R O A S T I N G C O

Jackson Hole S U M M E R 2025 // J A C K S O N H O L E M A G A Z I N E.C O M

What’s your favorite smaller species of wildlife to see and why? PUBLISHER Adam Meyer

TRUST THE SHOP THAT’S BEEN

SKIING & BIKING SINCE 1976

Experience the breathtaking glory of the Tetons like never before, whether you’re riding the bike paths on a road bike or exploring buffed out single tracks on a mountain bike. Hoback Sports, Jackson Hole’s premier bike shop, provides the finest selection of rental bikes ready to help you embrace adventure in this stunning valley.

Pikas are tiny, but make big shrieks when they sense danger, like a hiker coming through their talus field. They’re especially cute when they’ve got a mouth full of wildflowers and forbes, which they gather all summer to get them through winter. Pelicans! I’m always surprised they’re here. Gives me a beach vibe.

When I’m attempting to hike a new peak and doubting myself toward the end, I enjoy seeing a stout marmot. It makes me think, “if they can waddle up here, surely I can too.”

EDITOR Dina Mishev ART DIRECTOR Elise Mahaffie PHOTO EDITOR Bradly J. Boner COPY EDITOR Bevin Wallace CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Molly Absolon Billy Arnold Lila Edythe Jasmine Hall Mike Koshmrl Jim Mahaffie Sofia McGulick Helen Olsson Whitney Royster Maggie Theodora Samantha Simma Bevin Wallace CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Molly Absolon Erin Burk Mike Caravoc Sue Cedarholm Ryan Dorgan Sofia Jaramillo Cal McKitrick Lindley Rust Thomas Stanton Theodore Sardena Kathryn Ziesig ADVERTISING SALES Alyson Klaczkiewicz DIGITAL CAMPAIGN MANAGER Tatum Mentzer AD DESIGN & PRODUCTION Sarah Wilson Luis F. Ortiz Heather Haseltine Lydia Redzich Chelsea Robinson

ELECTRIC, PATHWAY, MOUNTAIN & ROAD BIKE RENTALS

Catching otters in fresh water is a magical experience. I love watching them play and dance in the river or creek, just the same as I do. No creature gives better side-eye than a yellowbellied marmot. Settlers called them “whistle pigs” because of the sounds they make when alarmed. They sprawl on golf fairways and trailside boulders and wag their tails, too. River otters because, well, have you ever seen a river otter? They are so cute and playful; seeing one in the wild would pretty much make my month. Ermine are so cute! Last summer I watched a group of them plunge into Fish Creek one-by-one, float 10 feet, scramble out, and run back to the start. They did this for at least an hour; they were having a blast!

DISTRIBUTION Jayann Carlisle Oscar Garcia Perez

Kevin B. Olson, CEO P.O. Box 7445, Jackson, WY 83002 | 307/732-5900

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20 SUMMER 2025 | JACKSON HOLE

©2025 Jackson Hole magazine. All rights reserved. No part of this production may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher. No responsibility will be assumed for unsolicited editorial contributions. Manuscripts or other material to be returned must be accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope adequate to return the material. Jackson Hole magazine is published semiannually. Send subscription requests to: Jackson Hole magazine, P.O. Box 7445, Jackson, Wyoming 83002. 307/732-5900. Email: dina@jhmagazine.com. Visit jacksonholemagazine.com.

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CONTRIBUTORS

22 SUMMER 2025 | JACKSON HOLE

JASMINE HALL (“Hello: Leslie Steen,” p. 44) is an award-winning state government and education reporter at the Jackson Hole News&Guide. She moved to Wyoming four years ago after graduating from Michigan State University and taking her first job at the Wyoming Tribune Eagle. Although she considers herself a Wyomingite now, her roots extend to Appalachia and the Blue Ridge Mountains. She loves to jump in rivers, read poetry books, and enjoy trails in the Tetons when she’s not at her desk sifting through policy.

MIKE KOSHMRL (“Revived and Revered,” p. 108) first came to Wyoming in 2012, drawn by the environmental reporter gig at the Jackson Hole News&Guide. He’s now on staff writing for WyoFile. As a freelancer, Koshmrl has written about urban wolves in his homeland of Minnesota, and he’s trekked into the Thorofare to fish for and cover resurgent migratory cutthroat trout. He spends as much time as possible exploring the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem’s wild places.

CONTRIBUTORS MOLLY ABSOLON (“Finding the Right Balance,” pg. 116 and “The Birth of Bikepacking,” p. 136) earned a master’s degree in journalism in California and then came back to Wyoming to be close to the mountains. She was a course leader for NOLS and, for the last 30 years, has been a freelance writer, penning articles and books about people, places, and mountain life and activities. Her 2018 book, The Ultimate Guide to Whitewater Rafting and River Camping, won the 2018 National Outdoor Book Award for best instructional book.

Photographer TOM STANTON (“For the Birds,” pg. 146) spends most of his free time hiking and birding. Two years ago, he discovered and documented Wyoming’s first breeding pair of barred owls, spending hundreds of hours watching the pair and its three (then two, after one was taken by a predator) chicks and taking thousands of photographs. While it’s uncertain what the arrival of barred owls means for Jackson Hole’s native owl species, Stanton, who now lives in Sheridan, Wyoming, says watching the birds was a remarkable wildlife experience.

JACKSON HOLE | SUMMER 2025

LOCAL LIFE PEOPLE AND PL ACES THAT ARE JACKSON HOLE

COMET TSUCHINSHAN-ATLAS

sets over the Teton Range last fall in Grand Teton National Park. The comet—which had a tail about 18 million miles long, or 72 times the distance between Earth and the moon—was visible in the western sky just after sunset for several days before hurtling back into the cosmos, not to be seen again by Earthlings for 6,500 years.

24 SUMMER 2025 | JACKSON HOLE

B R A D LY J . B O N E R

JACKSON HOLE | SUMMER 2025

LOCAL LIFE LOCAL KNOWLEDGE

Community Eats // BY SAMANTHA SIMMA

RUGILE KALADYTE

t’s a Wednesday afternoon in Jackson Hole, and the Center for the Arts lawn is bustling with marketgoers. At the Slow Food in the Tetons’ weekly People’s Market, you’re likely to spot Scott Steen, executive director of the local chapter of Slow Food USA, in one of two places. “I love visiting with the farmers. Sometimes they’re too busy to have a long conversation,” he says. “But checking in and having a conversation—that’s one of my favorite parts.” Another favorite part? “Find[ing] a quiet place on the outskirts of the market and watching it fill up with people,” Steen says. “There are markets in the height of summer where there are hundreds of people sitting on the ground with the bag or basket of

Scott Steen, executive director of Slow Food in the Tetons, wants everyone to have access to healthy food.

26 SUMMER 2025 | JACKSON HOLE

At Slow Food in the Tetons, Scott Steen aims to bring Jackson Hole together over fresh and fair food.

food they’ve purchased. People have ridden their bikes to the market, and they’re listening to music, enjoying a beautiful summer day with their community, and investing in their local food system.” With a background in environmental education, Steen was a Slow Food in the Tetons board member for several years before stepping into the executive director role six years ago. “I was in the sustainability field, working in waste, energy, and food, and had this realization that out of all the different areas I was working in, food was a through line,” he says. “It’s not controversial to say everyone deserves healthy food.” Slow Food in the Tetons’ approach to growing a sustainable community food system in Jackson Hole includes three programmatic pillars: local and regional food commerce; education; and access to good, clean, and fair food. In terms of expanding food education, Slow Food in the Tetons hosts cooking classes for kids and adults as well as the Farm to Fork Festival—a three-day event held each fall that includes panel discussions, community classes, and presentations from leaders in the field from

LOCAL LIFE BOOKS

around the world. Meanwhile, the nonprofit has expanded food access via its management of local community gardens and a need-based discount program at its summer Farm Stand. The Farm Stand, People’s Market, and Online Marketplace together expand avenues through which local and regional producers may participate in food commerce. “I tell our staff that the most critical part of our work is maintaining relationships with local farmers,” Steen says. “Having personal relationships with those farmers is critical to everything we do. Without that, this all goes away.” Slow Food in the Tetons supports local farmers most directly through the Teton Farm Fund. “This year, we ended up giving out $50,000 in grants to nine local and regional farms. [These funds] can be used for anything from an improvement to someone’s chicken house to purchasing a refrigerated truck to a new greenhouse.” The People’s Market, meanwhile, serves as an avenue for farmers to build relationships with consumers. “A big part of building a community food system is creating relationships between the farmers and the customers,” Steen says. “For farmers, it’s really helpful for them to be able to explain their growing practices, their operations, and what they’re all about. It builds community by creating relationships.” Since Steen has been involved with Slow Food in the Tetons, he’s seen the People’s Market grow to its current size—where 50 to 60 vendors gather on The Center’s lawn every Wednesday throughout the summer season. “It’s a gathering place to celebrate our food system and to be together as a community,” he says. “[Food from local farms], you can taste the difference. By giving everyone that choice, it has an effect of uniting our community.” JH

Good Reads

// BY JIM MAHAFFIE

MOUNTAINEERING A Climber’s Guide to the Teton Range, 4th Edition By Reynold Jackson and Leigh Ortenburger, Greg Winston (photographer) Covering 932 routes on more than 235 peaks and canyon walls in the Tetons, the newest version of this essential guide features fresh aerial photography and route overlays, plus a detailed section on the history of climbing in the Tetons. Renowned retired GTNP climbing ranger Renny Jackson has added new traverses, route links and access, difficulty classification, first ascent info, routes of descents, and estimated times needed. WYOMING COWBOYS The Virginian By Owen Wister First published in 1902, this classic American western novel delivers a strong, silent cowboy hero, plucky spinster schoolmarm, evil rustlers, a terrible villain, and the first known shootout scene in American literature. Law and order had not come yet to Medicine Bow, Wyoming, and the offended hero is torn between his sense of frontier justice and the love of a good woman. SERIES SPOTLIGHT Out of Range (A Joe Pickett Novel) By C. J. Box Wyoming game warden Joe Pickett is the hero of this series of 24 mysteries. In the fifth book of the series, he is sent to Jackson to manage the district of a fellow warden who seemingly killed himself. Joe is soon way over his head battling politicians, environmental extremists, and the rich and powerful of Jackson Hole.

Slow Food in the Tetons' People's Market is Wednesdays during the summer.

KATHRYN ZIESIG

GRIZZLIES! Track of the Grizzly By Frank C. Craighead Jr. Starting in 1959, the author and his twin brother, John, lived in the Yellowstone backcountry for 13 years, tracking hundreds of bears. The book is a detailed portrait of the carnivores and a look at the lives of pioneering wildlife biologists at work. Craighead was a leading authority on the grizzly who worked with the National Geographic Society, U.S. Forest Service, and the U.S. Department of the Interior while living with his family in Moose. JH

JACKSON HOLE | SUMMER 2025

LOCAL LIFE ANATOMY OF

The Snake River This river has multiple personalities as it winds through Jackson Hole. // BY SAMANTHA SIMMA // PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRADLY J. BONER

he source of the Snake River is in the wildlands of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem—at about 8,200 feet on Two Ocean Plateau in the Teton Wilderness of the Bridger-Teton National Forest. From this remote area, the mighty river—the largest tributary of the Columbia River—flows into Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks, the John D. Rockefeller Memorial Parkway, and then back into the BTNF before leaving Jackson Hole at the town of Alpine, Wyoming. It enters the valley at Jackson Lake, where it is briefly impounded by Jackson Lake Dam. From the dam, it winds its way through Jackson Hole for about 80 miles, until it hits Palisade Reservoir at Alpine. After another brief stop here, it continues its journey to Washington State, where it joins the Columbia River. In 2009, 390 miles of the Snake and its tributary creeks in and around Jackson Hole were designated as Wild and Scenic. Different sections received this designation for different reasons, including free-flowing condition; high water quality; exceptional scenery or fishery; or remarkable wildlife, recreational, geological, and cultural resources. It is partly because of these different attributes that the Snake River through Jackson Hole has many different personalities. There are flatwater and Class III whitewater rapids. The river winds beneath mountains and also through riparian areas and pastoral ranchlands. Sometimes it’s corralled in a steep canyon; other times its banks are gentle. One thing that is always along it here, though, is wildlife—elk, mule deer, and bison frequent its banks, and bald eagles soar overhead, scanning the waters for their next meal.

28 SUMMER 2025 | JACKSON HOLE

MEET THE DIFFERENT SECTIONS OF THE SNAKE RIVER IN JACKSON HOLE.

Jackson Lake Dam to Pacific Creek is a five-mile float located entirely in Grand Teton National Park and one of the Wild and Scenic sections of the river. It offers calm waters, Teton views, and minimal obstructions, making it ideal for a relaxing river outing. National Park regulations include securing a nonmotorized boat permit, inspecting for aquatic invasive species (AIS), and ensuring inflatable boats (including SUPs) have three separate air chambers. Boaters should be mindful at Pacific Creek, where swift currents require careful scouting before takeout. While recreating on waters in GTNP, all vessels must carry a personal flotation device (PFD) of the appropriate size for each person on board. Adult PFDs must be accessible and in good working condition; passengers under 13 years old must always wear a PFD.

JACKSON HOLE | SUMMER 2025

LOCAL LIFE ANATOMY OF

2 The 10-mile stretch of the Snake from Deadmans Bar to Moose Landing is another Wild and Scenic section and offers staggering Teton views. Although it is flatwater, it is the most challenging part of the Snake in GTNP, and we recommend you go on a guided float unless you’re a skilled river traveler. (If you book a Snake River float in GTNP; this is the stretch that all commercial operators do.) Marked by steep drops, an accelerated current, complex braiding, and constantly shifting logjams, this segment demands heightened awareness and skill. River conditions fluctuate dramatically, but the technical challenges of this particular stretch make them more dynamic to changes in flow rates, which can be found posted regularly at river landings and permit offices. In spring and early summer, the river is cold, fast, and muddy, intensifying the difficulty. Later in the season, as snowmelt subsides, the water clears, and flow diminishes, yet the powerful current persists. Afternoon headwinds can further complicate navigation.

30 SUMMER 2025 | JACKSON HOLE

3 The 13-mile section of the Snake from Wilson Bridge to South Park is wholly outside of GTNP and winds its way largely through private property and segments of Bureau of Land Management land. A mellow, scenic float, it is the stretch of the Snake on which local tour operators do their scenic float trips. The Tetons aren’t as in-your-face on this float as on the Deadmans to Moose stretch, but wildlife enthusiasts will find much to admire—ospreys, perched on pines or circling above, are a common sight, while watchful observers may spot beavers tending to their dens near the water’s edge. Bald eagles frequently nest in the towering cottonwoods along the riverbank. The latter portion of this stretch passes the South Park wildlife management area, where deer, elk, and moose can often be seen grazing or seeking a drink from the river.

In the Wild and Scenic Snake River Canyon, the river cuts through steep, rugged terrain, which transforms it into exciting whitewater on which many outfitters do guided trips. Beginning at the West Table boat launch, this exhilarating eight-mile stretch is marked by iconic rapids like Double Draw, a Class III thrill, and Lunch Counter, which intensifies to Class III+ at higher flows. Big Kahuna, most fun when the river is at a mid-to-low flow, provides a dynamic challenge for seasoned paddlers. Given the powerful currents and consistently cold temperatures, the Snake River Canyon demands respect and preparation. Novice boaters are advised to enlist the expertise of local guide services, while experienced kayakers can consult outfitters like Rendezvous River Sports for flow reports and rental equipment.

4 3

BTNF FEES This year, the Bridger-Teton National Forest enacted new fees for recreating on a 23.1-mile section of the Snake (between Hoback and Alpine Junctions) that passes through it. As use of these sections has grown (to more than 200,000 users annually), the fees aim to support maintenance and improvements—including better boat ramps, upgraded bathrooms, and expanded parking areas—to ensure the river remains a safe and enjoyable destination.

4 The South Park Landing to Pritchard stretch offers an accessible yet engaging 8.5-mile float, suitable for novice to intermediate boaters to do on their own. This section features a largely unobstructed channel and dynamic eddies, with King’s Wave providing a notable Class II whitewater feature about a mile downstream of the Hoback River confluence. Below this confluence, the river is again designated as Wild and Scenic. During the height of summer, South Park Landing is one of the river’s most active boat ramps, requiring patience and courtesy among river users. To minimize disruptions, boaters are encouraged to prepare their crafts away from the ramp, stagger launches, and avoid playing loud music that could disturb both wildlife and fellow visitors.

In this section, it is $5 per day to park a vehicle and $3 per person for outfitters and noncommercial groups over 15 people. Frequent floaters can purchase an annual pass for $40, with discounts for additional passes. These funds, collected under the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act, will largely be reinvested into the river’s infrastructure and visitor services. JH

JACKSON HOLE | SUMMER 2025

LOCAL LIFE MY JACKSON HOLE LIFE

Sam Singer // BY BEVIN WALLACE

Meet the founder and executive director of Wyoming Stargazing.

KATHRYN ZIESIG

32 SUMMER 2025 | JACKSON HOLE

am Singer, a driving force behind the new Snow King Observatory & Planetarium (see page 162) and the town of Jackson’s bid for dark sky certification, ascribes his interest in astronomy to “twists of fate.” First, when he was 10 years old, his family moved from California to a tiny town in Nevada. “For the first time in my life, I had this amazing night sky above my head,” he says. “It was just desert for 30 miles out our front door, and my dad would take me out to watch meteor showers and lunar eclipses. I remember seeing the Hale-Bopp comet. Sometimes, we just sat outside on summer nights and enjoyed the night sky.” Then, in high school, a teacher noticed his interest in astronomy and enlisted Singer to help build a telescope. Singer took that seven-foot-tall telescope with a 14-5-inch mirror to college, where a professor heard about it and asked Singer to bring it for the class to use because the college didn’t have a telescope. He complied, and to this day, considers that professor as well as his high school teacher (and his father) his mentors in astronomy. After getting his degree in physics and astronomy, Singer realized he was more interested in education than in being an actual astronomer (i.e., doing astronomical research). “I love being outside with telescopes and teaching people about the night sky. I’m a born educator,” he says. His decision to pursue a master’s degree in outdoor education is what brought him to Jackson Hole. “I did a Google search on outdoor environmental education master’s programs, and the top of the list was the Teton Science School’s graduate program. “I saw a picture of the Tetons in the background of the cabins of the Kelly campus, and wow, that was it.” After finishing his master’s and then a PhD in education at the University of Wyoming, Singer moved back to Jackson with the goal of starting an astronomy nonprofit. Wyoming Stargazing began as a monthly free stargazing program in 2013, and it still offers free stargazing (Thursday nights at Rendezvous Park, Spanish-language stargazing tours, and grant-funded programs

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in public schools) in addition to its private stargazing tours and new wildlife safaris. Singer has also been instrumental in the Town of Jackson’s application for dark sky certification, which has been ongoing for 10 years but should be completed in 2025. “And that’s when the work begins; that’s not an endpoint,” he says. “Like, great, we’ve got a certification—that’s

just a tool to help people understand how important doing the work on the ground is to preserve our night skies.” Singer’s involvement in the Snow King Observatory began with his idea that Jackson needed an observatory back in 2005. Many years later, Max Chapman, Snow King’s owner, approached him about helping design and build

public support for the project. “So that’s what Wyoming Stargazing did over the past seven or eight years,” he says. “It just opened last summer, and there’s nothing like it in North America. It’s got the second-largest telescope in the state. There’s a professional-grade planetarium space theater and beautiful exhibits, plus you get to ride the gondola up there.”

love being outside with telescopes and teaching people " Iabout the night sky. I’m a born educator.”

HERE SAM SHARES SOME HIGHLIGHTS OF HIS JACKSON HOLE LIFE RUNNING/HIKING TRAIL: Josie’s Ridge is basically right across the street

STARGAZING: Beyond having a career doing something I love, I get to live right out in the middle of it. I live in a yurt in the Kelly Yurt Park, and all I have to do is step out my front door, and the night sky is just exquisite. This is where we take our guests—out to Antelope Flats on Mormon Row, and it’s the best place to stargaze in the whole valley as far as I’m concerned.

B R A D LY J . B O N E R

from my office. I love going up Josie’s and doing the Ridge Line trail over across Snow King and then down through Cache Creek. I’ve done a lot of trail marathons, and that’s one of my favorite training runs. CAFÉ: My office is on Maple Way right

POWER BREAKFAST: I’m not the only person who’s ever said this, but the Down On Glen breakfast burrito is kind of like crack, and man, if I could afford a $12 burrito more often, I’d probably eat them a lot more. They’re steep, but so good. It’s a solid meal, too—they don’t give you a skimpy little burrito. I discovered them when I was a grad student out here in 2005, and I’ve been a patron of theirs for 20 years now.

PRESCHOOL: Our daughter goes to preschool at the Teton Science School,

across the street from Picnic. And Picnic makes my favorite drink, which I probably procure from them too often: a Dirty Chai.

and she absolutely adores it there. Some of her teachers are folks I’ve known for 20 years, and I can’t imagine a more nurturing, wholesome environment for her to be growing up in. I love the organization and think they’ve got a winning educational model, and there isn’t anybody I would trust more with my daughter’s education than them. JH

JACKSON HOLE | SUMMER 2025

LOCAL LIFE ALL YOU NEED

Get High // BY DINA MISHEV

In winter, the Backcountry Highliner PrimaLoft Air-Perm Fleece Hoodie is a mid-layer. In summer, it’s the perfect thing to slip on over a t-shirt when the temperature quickly drops from 75 to 55. $99, available at backcountry.com If there’s real rain in the forecast and you can’t reschedule, pack Norrøna’s Senja Gore-Tex jacket, the Norwegian family-owned brand’s most breathable and packable fully waterproof shell. (It’s so breathable, it’s loved even by trail runners!) Two oversized hand pockets can fit your action cam and waterproof housing, and, if it doesn’t rain, the jacket can be compressed into a back pocket and worn around your waist. $549, available at Teton Village Sports, 3282 Village Dr., Teton Village Capture the excitement of the lift ride with the Akaso Brave 4 Pro action camera, which performs well above what you’d expect for its price tag (colors are vibrant, details are crisp, and the electronic image stabilization actually works). The audio quality isn’t amazing, but the voice control is, and it shoots 4K video at 30p and Full HD at up to 120p, and has an extra LCD screen on its front, allowing you to easily frame shots of yourself. $110, available at shopakaso.com Stio’s Eddy Coast Shirt is a new, lighter-weight version of its much-loved Eddy shirt. Made from a technical seersucker fabric (that doesn’t get quite as hot as the O.G. Eddy), the Coast offers mild weather protection, is super quick drying, and has some stretch. And it looks great. $129, available at Stio, 10 E. Broadway Ave., Jackson and at stio.com La Sportiva’s Prodigios are popular trail running shoes, and they’re also great for just walking around on rocky and uneven mountains. Nitrogen-infused foam bottoms and full-length nylon mesh inserts provide solid cushioning, protect your midsoles, and ensure your feet won’t be bruised by rocks. $155, available at Teton Mountaineering, 170 N. Cache St., Jackson

36 SUMMER 2025 | JACKSON HOLE

Planning a scenic chair ride? Here’s what to wear and pack for a ride that can drop you off into very different weather than what you had when you started at the bottom.

Because the intensity of the sun, well, intensifies, as you go up in elevation, protect yourself with the UPF50+ Turtle Fur Offgrid 5 Panel Hat. Made from recycled fabric, it has a comfortable moisturewicking sweatband. A floatable brim makes this hat as perfect for a paddle on the Snake as it is for a scenic chair ride. $40, available at Skinny Skis, 65 W. Deloney Ave., Jackson PAKA’s the Hoodie is made from an innovative cashmere-soft alpaca fabric perfect for a quick change in elevation because of its thermoregulating properties. The fabric is as comfortable at the base as it is on the summit. It being odor-resistant and, at a mere 10 ounces, lightweight, are bonuses. $139, available at pakaapparel.com Bring serious style to eye protection with Vallon’s Howlin sunglasses. Crafted from durable-butlight acetate, the frames are a rounded aviator design and come with an optional head strap, so you don’t need to worry about them falling off. Available with standard and polarized (and even prescription!) lenses. $129, available at vallon.com If you’ve looked at the webcam and know it’s freezing (maybe even literally) at the top, throw Mammut's Aenergy IN Hooded jacket into your pack. A minimalist master of lightweight insulation, the jacket is windproof and filled with hydrophobic down, but with synthetic insulated panels in high-moisture areas. $379, available at Teton Mountaineering, 170 N. Cache St., Jackson

Lightweight and breathy at the bottom, but just substantial enough to keep you warm at the top, Mammut’s Runbold IV pants (available for men and women) look as good as they perform. The easily adjustable waistband ensures a perfect fit while the durable four-way stretch fabric withstands the rigors of and is comfortable for any activity. $119, available at Teton Mountaineering, 170 N. Cache St., Jackson JH

JACKSON HOLE | SUMMER 2025

B R A D LY J . B O N E R

Mystery Ranch’s In and Out 25, can hold all of your summit supplies, and it compresses to the size of a small water bottle and stuffs into its own front pocket. A roll-top opening offers weather protection without adding weight, and a sternum strap means a snug fit even when you’re moving around. $99, available at REI, 974 W. Broadway Ave., Jackson

LOCAL LIFE GO DEEP

Wind

// BY DINA MISHEV

WE TESTED THESE SO YOU DON’T HAVE TO.

Its merino-nylon fabric is backed by a DWR coating, making it a solid lightweight (about 4 ounces) alternative to a rain jacket.

Full-on rain protection in a tiny package that doesn’t skimp on details; it has water-repellent zippers, reflective detailing, and an adjustable hood with a protective visor.

WEAKNESSES

It’s short in the torso, and the oversized chest pocket is amazing … until you unzip it, and your phone, gloves, and snacks fall out.

The added water protection makes it less breathable.

BEST FOR

Cyclists—road, gravel, or mountain—and short-waisted hikers and runners who want the latest material technology.

When space is minimal and rain is as much a concern as wind.

DETAILS

WHAT IS IT

One of the lightest and most packable hooded wind jackets available, it is made from a see-through single-layer nylon material and weighs as much as (about 4 ounces) and compresses to about the size of a deck of cards.

A slim-fitting rainproof shell for running and hiking that is one of the lightest (5 ounces) and most packable three-layer jackets available.

$185; available at Wilson Backcountry $269; available at Teton Mountaineering, 170 N. Cache St., Jackson Sports, 1230 Ida Dr., Wilson

STRENGTHS

BLACK DIAMOND DISTANCE WIND SHELL

LA SPORTIVA ETHERAL PRO

A hooded jacket made from a revolutionary weave that blends Tasmanian merino wool and nylon in a single moisture-wicking layer that has exceptional wind-stopping power and breathability.

WHAT IT IS

ORTOVOX MERINO WINDBREAKER

STRENGTHS

Small details that make a big difference: a draft-flap behind the front zipper; an elastic hem on the hood lets you pull the hood on and off without unzipping. WEAKNESSES

We didn’t find that it was as wildly hydrophobic as was professed, but, points for its DWR process being PFC-free and not requiring any water, which is way more eco-friendly than traditional DWR techniques. BEST FOR

Eco-friendly mountain minimalists. DETAILS

$149; available at Black Diamond Equipment, 160 W. Pearl Ave., Jackson

38 SUMMER 2025 | JACKSON HOLE

ICEBREAKER SHELL+ COTTON WINDBREAKER

GOREWEAR CONCURVE WINDBREAKER

MONTANE FEATHERLIGHT HOODED WINDPROOF JACKET

A light-but-not-superlight (8 ounces) technical windbreaker made from 100 percent organically grown cotton and coated with a water-repellent finish.

A hoodless jacket with full wind protection and moderate waterproof protection designed specifically for runners (but works for hikers, too).

Similar to the Black Diamond and Ortovox jackets—lightweight (about 4 ounces) and with a DWR coating—but with stretch and a more flattering fit.

Mesh underarm gussets and a center back panel make it the most breathable jacket tested.

Significantly more water protection (and at a lower price point) than other jackets that weigh about as much as an adult hamster (less than 4 ounces) and stuff down to the size of a softball.

The material is quiet, even if you’re running hard and pumping your arms.

The price.

When the wind is cold, we want a hood.

It started smelling sooner than other jackets (but the water-protection treatment held up through washing machine cycles).

Anyone who wants to protect against wind using a natural fabric.

Throwing into your pack on warmish days where the chance of light rain is between 30 and 50 percent.

When you want to hear the wind, and not your wind jacket, rustling.

$285; available at Skinny Skis, 65 W. Deloney St., Jackson

$100; available at gorewear.com

$145; available at Teton Mountaineering, 170. N. Cache St., Jackson JH

JACKSON HOLE | SUMMER 2025

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LOCAL LIFE JACKSON HOLE ICON

IT’S A LITTLE BEFORE 7 a.m. on a crystal-clear summer morning in Grand Teton National Park. A few dozen hikers and some tourists are already gathered on a wooden boat dock on the eastern shore of Jenny Lake, the second largest and most well-known of the six glacial lakes at the eastern base of the Tetons. The small crowd is there to be ferried two miles across the lake in a motorboat, from its developed eastern shore to its wilder western shore. They’re here so early to beat the crowds that cause a line to form by late morning most summer days. National Park rules forbid private craft with engines greater than 10 horsepower on Jenny Lake, but concessionaire Jenny Lake Boating is allowed to run 34-passenger boats. Between May 15 and the end of September, about 160,000 people enjoy the views and hiking opportunities these boats provide. Jenny Lake is startlingly pretty, framing the Cathedral Group. Even before GTNP was established in 1929, entrepreneurs began shuttling visitors across the lake. The first to do this was Charles Wort (who later built the Wort Hotel in Jackson). Three generations of the McCain family held the concession for 50 years, until 1998, when Solitude Float Trips, run by Doug Colonel, took over. In 2008, Colonel sold the business to four longtime employees, and they still run it today. It is not only a scenic excursion that offers the possibility to see wildlife like moose, bears, otters, and eagles, but it also eliminates two miles of hiking around the lake to get to popular sites on the western shore. A short distance from the boat dock is Hidden Falls, a 100-foot waterfall. Farther up the trail is Inspiration Point with views over Jenny Lake and out to the Gros Ventre and Absaroka mountains. Without the boat shuttle, Hidden Falls is twoand-a-half miles and Inspiration Point is a three-mile hike from the eastern shore. With a boat ride, it’s only a half mile to Hidden Falls and a mile to Inspiration Point. “There is little bang for the buck for undertaking the exhausting walk halfway around Jenny Lake,” says local Cliff Sobin. “Whereas the boat ride, which deposits you, rested and eager for more, at the Inspiration Point boat dock, provides a compelling bang for only a few bucks.” JH

Locals and visitors alike love the shuttles and scenic cruises on this lake in GTNP. // BY JIM MAHAFFIE

42 SUMMER 2025 | JACKSON HOLE

B R A D LY J . B O N E R

Cruising in Style on Jenny Lake

JACKSONHOLE.COM

TETON VILLAGE

MOUNTAIN DINING FOR ALL TYPES OF ADVENTURURES

Eat, drink and relax with incredible views at 9,095’.*

The best view in Jackson Hole is found at The Deck. After a short gondola ride, you’re greeted by breathtaking vistas. Be sure to try the summer menu from Off-Piste, which features grab-and-go options like pizza, fresh pastries, ice cream, cold beverages and beer. There’s no better way to end a day of exploring the beautiful Jackson Hole outdoors than enjoying drinks and appetizers on The Deck. *Evening gondola access is included with your full-day sightseeing ticket, Summer Sightseeing Pass, 2025-26 Winter full-season pass or a Piste Mountain Bistro reservation. A separate evening-only (after 5 p.m.) gondola ticket can be purchased for $15. For More details, scan code.

SCAN CODE TO VIEW MENU AND HOURS

HELLO

LOCAL LIFE HELLO LESLIE STEEN

Leslie Steen AS TOLD BY

B R A D LY J . B O N E R

// BY JASMINE HALL

ike many who are swept off their feet by Jackson Hole, Leslie Steen moved to the Tetons in 2007 thinking she would take a year off after graduate school to ski for the winter. She’s still here nearly 18 years later, protecting the wild rivers and streams of northwest Wyoming. “I was trying to decide if I was going to move to Jackson or Missoula. I came out over spring break, and the Alpinist Film Festival was happening at the time,” she says. “That was so fun. I met some of my friends that are still my friends today, who were my first roommates in Jackson. I met the guy who is now my husband.” Steen grew up in the decidedly urban environment of Manhattan’s Lower East Side and went to college in the city’s Morningside Heights neighborhood, but she discovered environmental science her freshman year at Columbia. Before classes even started, she did a prefreshman orientation backpacking trip. “That got me interested in the outdoors,” she says. Then, she enrolled in what was billed as a science class for non-science majors that focused on environmental science. Steen found the class so interesting she switched majors from Danthat Adams of Next Level Clinics literature to environmental science.

44 SUMMER 2025 | JACKSON HOLE

After graduating from Columbia, Steen focused on fisheries. “I was working for Outward Bound and got funds from them to go on a sea kayaking trip in Alaska,” she says. On that trip, she met women who worked for Alaska Fish & Game, and a salmon jumped over her kayak while she was paddling. “I was always fascinated by salmon— they live in fresh water and the ocean and are able to find their way home,” she says. “I thought that if I worked with fish, I’d always get to spend time on the water, which I had always loved.” After doing thesis work on the Bitterroot River studying why streams were dewatered and fish were being stranded and how to rejuvenate them (thesis title: “An Assessment of Losses of Native Fish to Irrigation Diversions on Selected Tributaries of the Bitterroot River, Montana”), Steen graduated with a Master of Science degree in fish and wildlife management from Montana State University in 2007. Her thesis fieldwork was interesting not only because she did all her research through snorkeling, but also because she learned the importance of relationship building. “I had to get permission from all the different water users,” she says.

This is a skill she saw being utilized by the organization she has since dedicated a large part of her life to: Trout Unlimited. In the Blackfoot River Watershed, Trout Unlimited, anglers, and ranchers worked together to find a way to solve the impacts of irrigation ditches. The nonprofit’s mission is “to bring together diverse interests to care for and recover rivers and streams so our children can experience the joy of wild and native trout and salmon.” It wasn’t until nearly a decade later that an opportunity at Trout Unlimited presented itself to Steen, though. She had spent the ensuing years building connections in the Jackson Hole community; she worked at Calico, the Alpinist Film Festival, and Jackson Hole Land Trust. “It was always my dream to work for Trout Unlimited in Jackson, and I’ve been able to do that since 2016,” she says. Steen started as a project manager and, over time, her role at the organization has grown and shifted, as has her personal life. She got married in 2011— read about her husband, Scott, executive director of Slow Food in the Tetons, on page 26—had a son, Oliver, in 2020, and, since 2023, she’s been the state director of Trout Unlimited in Wyoming.

SOFIA JARAMILLO

“I hope in the future, my kid, hopefully grandkids, will be able to still fish for cutthroat trout and have clean, cold water in this area.”

JACKSON HOLE | SUMMER 2025

LOCAL LIFE HELLO LESLIE STEEN

KID-FRIENDLY WATER ADVENTURES The Steen family loves having adventures on the water. Here are some of Leslie’s favorites:

1. In the summertime, after preschool and work during the week, we head up to String Lake to paddle-

board and eat a picnic dinner. We sometimes call ahead and pick up a pizza from Hand Fire in downtown Jackson.

2. Paddleboarding at R Park in Wilson is great because it’s a small body of water. There are places to wander along the margins without the worries of deep, fast-moving rivers.

R YA N D O R G A N

3. Camping along the Buffalo Fork River is great because it’s close to Jackson, and it’s another place

where the water’s edge doesn’t run so fast for little ones. It’s particularly special because we baptized our son in the river.

GET INVOLVED Jackson Hole and Wyoming Trout Unlimited offer many ways to give back to area rivers and streams. “Nearly every project Trout Unlimited takes on has a volunteer component,” says Steen. Go to tu.org/snakeheadwaters to find current volunteer needs. Usually the nonprofit uses volunteers to:

FISH RESPONSIBLY M ost of the fishing in Jackson Hole is catch-and-release. It’s understandable to think that releasing a fish after you’ve hooked it means you’ve helped the fish—after all, you’re freeing it back into the river instead of onto a dinner plate. But you can, and should, do more to help ensure the valley’s fishing remains the amazing resource it is today. Steen defines responsible fishing as “making sure that something you do for enjoyment, recreational fishing, does not negatively impact the fish and ecosystem that make this activity possible.” Here are some guidelines:

z cut and plant willows to revive the vegetation on the banks; z build riparian vegetation to help protect the willows and cottonwoods; z rescue fish stranded in irrigation ditches near Teton Village (this usually happens toward the end of the season).

1. Don’t fight a fish on the line for long periods of time. Bring the catch in relatively quickly and use a net—they make it easier to manage the fish and give it a better chance of living after release.

2. Use barbless hooks; these will pop out of the fish’s mouth on their own. This

decreases the chance of wrestling with the fish outside of the water or harming it.

3. Protect the mucous membrane around the fish by getting your hands wet before you handle it. If you want to take a photo, instead of holding the fish out of the water, keep it in or just above the water. degrees Fahrenheit, and stop fishing when they reach 68 degrees. There’s an optimal temperature range for cutthroat trout and trout in general, and at the upper end, fishing can be lethal for them. There’s also less oxygen in the water when it’s warmer, meaning the fish are already stressed by just existing.

5. Dry, clear, and drain your gear after each fishing excursion to limit the possibility of introducing aquatic invasive species.

46 SUMMER 2025 | JACKSON HOLE

B R A D LY J . B O N E R

4. Start to modify your fishing plans when water temperatures rise above 65

There are many other ways Steen has left her mark on Jackson in the past two decades. She was a cofounder of the Mountains of Color Film Festival because, she says, “it was a unique opportunity to create something special that hadn’t been done before—a film festival highlighting people of color’s stories in the outdoors and conservation.” Last year, she was one of six locals featured in Visit Jackson Hole’s first “Mountain of Youth” campaign, which shows that the secret to youth doesn’t come from a serum or a jar, but in staying wild. “I was so surprised to be picked!” Steen says. We’re not. When not working on behalf of healthy fisheries, Steen can be found swimming in alpine lakes, hitting the slopes, and exploring with her family.

JOIN US IN MAKING STREAMS HEALTHIER, WATER CLEANER, AND FISHING BETTER IN THE UPPER SNAKE AND SALT RIVER WATERSHEDS, NOW AND FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS, IN ONE OF THE

THE LAST, BEST PLACES FOR CUTTHROAT TROUT

n the work that we do, relationship building is everything. I’ve thought about it a lot because, for example, I’ve been through hiring staff. And when you think about the personality type and the qualifications you need for someone to hire, there’s the list of things that are nice to have, right? Someone who has a fisheries background, someone who has previous nonprofit experience or grant writing experience, or working-atan-agency experience. But none of that matters if you don’t have the relationship-building skills and you’re not willing to put in the time because for a lot of these projects—it’s the long game. Most Trout Unlimited projects in the state take a minimum of three years, sometimes five years, sometimes 10 years. Some folks work for Trout Unlimited that worked on getting the Klamath River dams out this year. They have been working on it for over 25 years. So, you really have to be willing to invest that kind of time and put in the roots in the community. Luckily, we have a wonderful community. For me coming into the job, I was able to really hit the ground running because I had worked for the Jackson Hole Land Trust for four years, and you get to know a lot of the private landowners in the community. A lot of them have conservation easements, and that’s really telling, too, because that already says that a lot of private landowners in this community are conservation-minded. There’s this huge history of conservation in the valley, whether it’s the wildlife conservation piece or this land conservation piece. There’s that ethic, and I think that’s what makes this place special. You can find common ground with anyone, I would hope, but it makes it easier to find common ground when people are ready and are willing to think about the stewardship of the water and the fish on their properties. JH

Photo: Eric Seymour

HERE, LESLIE SHARES MORE OF HER OWN STORY.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: LESLIE.STEEN@TU.ORG | 307-699-1022 WWW.TU.ORG/SNAKEHEADWATERS

Home of the Famous Gormer Overnight Camp on the South Fork of the Snake

Specialty Retail Shop & Outfitter 3670 N. Moose–Wilson Road • (307) 733-6483

JACKSON HOLE | SUMMER 2025

LOCAL LIFE HELLO GLENN OWINGS

Glenn Owings PROFILE

COURTESY PHOTO

// BY SAMANTHA SIMMA

48 SUMMER 2025 | JACKSON HOLE

The Teton County Fair (July 19–27 this year) is a great opportunity to observe what local 4-H participants have worked on throughout the year, including the livestock showmanship competitions.

“P

eople always value connection, and that authentic connection is the hallmark [of 4-H],” says Glenn Owings, who was the Teton County 4-H/Youth Development Extension educator for five years. Owings says he loved being involved in Teton County 4-H because he got to observe 4-H participants develop into young adults that are articulate and confident, among other life skills. (This past November, Owings took a position elsewhere in the University of Wyoming Extension, which administers the state’s 4-H clubs.) “They know who they are, they feel confident being able to express themselves, and it’s facilitated by the 4-H program and its great volun-

B R A D LY J . B O N E R

Offering kids dozens of opportunities through Teton County 4-H.

teers,” he says. “There are so many unselfish volunteers that share their time and really high-quality people that care about each other and want each other to be successful.” After graduating from Montana State University with a master’s degree in rangeland ecology, Owings moved to Wyoming with his wife and kids to work for the Sublette County Conservation District. His interest in rangeland ecology stemmed from a family background in forestry, which helped shape his view of land use and natural resource management. “Managing [natural resources] wisely, and scientifically, is important to maintain the way of life we appreciate,” he says. JACKSON HOLE | SUMMER 2025

LOCAL LIFE

R YA N D O R G A N

HELLO GLENN OWINGS

Teton County's 4-H program, which has more than 200 members, includes programs in archery, sporting clays, sewing, cooking, and quilting, and a dog club.

A few years into his position with the Sublette County Conservation District, Owings began working with the University of Wyoming Extension on a variety of habitat projects, doing range work with private landowners and federal land agencies. Although not directly involved with 4-H at this time, Owings got to know it because, although a national organization, in Wyoming it is a University of Wyoming Extension program.

Extension educator in March 2019. His own kids—ages 8, 9, 14, and 16—have been involved in a variety of Teton County’s 4-H programs, including shotgun club, sewing, photography, and the small animal club. Growing up in Missoula, Montana, Owings did not participate in 4-H himself and believes that this allowed him to approach it with a newcomer’s perspective. “I think that has helped me reach

how much of an impact [4-H] " I realized had on kids’ lives and the positive life skills it helped develop.”

“I realized how much of an impact [4-H] had on kids’ lives and the positive life skills it helped develop,” Owings says. “From there, I became more interested in engaging with 4-H as my primary profession.” He started as a Teton County 4-H/Youth Development

50 SUMMER 2025 | JACKSON HOLE

out and connect with folks who maybe haven’t grown up in it and would like to explore that opportunity,” he says. “And the veracity of the information that’s shared, it’s really a well-thought-out and well-structured program that I just wasn’t aware of as a kid.” Although 4-H

is no longer his career, Owings anticipates his family will remain involved in it: “I hope my kids are involved as long as they can be. I have seen how much it benefits them, the culture, and environment, and the difference it makes in their lives,” he says. In the Teton County 4-H program, Owings says you’ll find more traditional livestock programs alongside cooking, archery, sporting clays, sewing, quilting, and a dog club. “We offer a lot of different opportunities,” he says. “It’s not just big livestock like steers, sheep, and pigs; kids that might not have quite as much space at their house can have a rabbit, chickens, or something like that.” The diversity of the programming ensures that participants find a 4-H project they’re truly passionate about exploring. The Teton County Fair (July 19–27, 2025) is a central opportunity to observe what local 4-H participants have worked on throughout the year. While

the animals and livestock on display at the fair are most commonly associated with the 4-H program, Owings encourages people to stop by the exhibit hall. “All of our static exhibits will be there—whether it be quilting, sewing, or cooking,” he says. “Kids will sometimes do a poster talking about the community service they’ve been working on if they’re in our Civic Engagement Club. Things that people don’t necessarily know we do in 4-H.” Although he’s recently moved on professionally from Teton County 4-H, Owings says the memories will stay with him. “The opportunity to learn and be in a safe environment, and interact with adult leaders who oftentimes end up becoming mentors for these kids— that’s really special to see,” he says.

#1 (2021) and #2 (2022 & 2023) in individual residential sales in Wyoming as ranked by Real Trends

4-H AT A GLANCE 4-H was founded in 1902 in Clark County, Ohio. At the time it was called The Tomato Club or the Corn Growing Club. Later that same year, Douglas County, Minnesota, started local agricultural after-school clubs and fairs. These clubs sought to connect public school education to country life. The clover pin with an H on each leaf—standing for head, heart, hands, and health—was introduced in 1910, and by 1912, the clubs were known as 4-H. In 1914, 4-H was brought under the new Cooperative Extension System at the USDA and nationalized. While 4-H clubs initially focused on agriculture, today there are six million kids and teens between 8 and 18 years old in 4-H clubs across the country addressing issues from global food security to climate change, sustainable energy, childhood obesity, and food safety. 4-H out-of-school programming, in-school enrichment programs, clubs, and camps also offer a range of STEM opportunities, from agricultural and animal sciences to rocketry, robotics, environmental protection, and computer science. There are 4-H clubs in all 50 states—it’s the largest out-of-school youth organization in the country—and in Wyoming, every county and the Wind River Indian Reservation has a 4-H program. Teton County’s program has more than 200 members. JH JACKSON HOLE | SUMMER 2025

LOCAL LIFE

Q A

HELLO MADISON WEBB STANKO

MADISON WEBB STANKO

COURTESY PHOTO

B R A D LY J . B O N E R

// BY HELEN OLSSON

52 SUMMER 2025 | JACKSON HOLE

MADISON WEBB

Stanko worked at museums in Cody and Santa Fe, finally settling in Jackson in 2014, first working for the Jackson Hole Art Auction and today as chief marketing officer at the National Museum of Wildlife Art.

"The Power of Perspective," which Stanko captured last fall and shows the reflection of the Grand Teton in a puddle, is one of her favorite shots.

adison Webb Stanko spent her childhood summers living in a fire tower in Idaho’s Payette National Forest. (Her mom worked for the forest service.) “The tower had windows on all sides, and during storms we’d be sitting there surrounded by lightning. It was scary but incredible,” she says. “That experience fundamentally instilled in me a love of wild places, nature, and wildlife.” In high school, she took AP studio art, using photography as her medium. “The teacher didn’t know what to do with me; everyone else was doing painting or sculpture,” she says. Following her twin passions of art and nature, Stanko worked at museums in Cody and Santa Fe, finally settling in

Jackson in 2014, first working for the Jackson Hole Art Auction and today as chief marketing officer at the National Museum of Wildlife Art. Stanko skis and snowboards, but she’d rather explore Jackson’s wild places on snowshoes with her camera, looking for bighorn sheep and ermines. She shoots wildlife and landscapes but also portraits, mostly in Grand Teton National Park. One of her most memorable moments came when she was intent on shooting a winter sunrise at Schwabacher Landing, one of Jackson Hole’s most iconic viewpoints. It was midNovember, and she’d walked a mile through fresh snow. “There wasn’t

a human anywhere for miles,” she says. Around a bend, she suddenly encountered three grizzly bears just 20 feet away. It was Jackson’s beloved Grizzly 399 and her two sub-adult cubs. Stanko backed away slowly, bear spray in one hand, camera in the other. “There are millions of photographs of this bear, but no one else has that photo,” she says. “It was really special.” Stanko finds joy in finding new compositions in the Tetons. “It can sometimes feel like everything’s been done,” she says. “This fall, I found a pothole with a puddle that perfectly reflected the Grand Teton. I got down really low to capture it. It’s one of my favorite shots.” JACKSON HOLE | SUMMER 2025

LOCAL LIFE

HELLO MADISON WEBB STANKO

WE GOT STANKO TO SIT DOWN FOR A Q&A WITH US.

MWS: I’m a big reader. For me, this quote from Cheryl Strayed’s book Wild was a life-changing moment: “There’s always a sunrise and always a sunset, and it’s up to you to choose to be there for it. Put yourself in the way of beauty.” That’s the way I approach my photography. Nothing will happen if you don’t go out and see it. It may not be the beauty you were expecting, but you’ll find beauty. How do you define success? MWS: It’s important to manage expectations. It’s easy to get caught up in wanting to capture a specific shot or animal. But nature moves on her own schedule. I set one simple goal for myself: get one shot that I couldn’t have captured in my living room. That’s how I define success. If I went out wanting to see a fox and didn’t, then have I failed? But maybe I got an incredible sunrise. It’s about reframing what success looks like.

B R A D LY J . B O N E R

Where do you find inspiration?

One of Stanko's favorite summer art events is the National Museum of Wildlife Art's annual Plein Air Fest, which is held on the museum's Sculpture Trail.

TWO FAVORITE ART EVENTS PLEIN AIR FEST, JUNE 14, 2025 Every June since 2011, some 50 regional artists set up their canvases along the National Museum of Wildlife Art’s three-quarter-mile outdoor Sculpture Trail. The talent is a mix of emerging and established artists like Katherine Turner and Amy Ringholz. “It’s an incredible way for the community to interact with the artists and see their work come to life in a short time span,” Stanko says. WESTERN VISIONS ART SHOW + SALE, SEPT 6–28, 2025 This summer marks the 38th installment of the museum’s Western Visions Art Show + Sale, which brings in works created specifically for the show by an international mix of 175 contemporary wildlife artists. It’s the largest and longest-running fundraiser for the museum and a signature event of the Jackson Hole Fall Arts Festival.

MWS: When you’re in wild spaces, it’s essential to be alert. You can get fixated on the bull moose in front of you—and miss the one lying down. Always scan the landscape, even behind you. To stay flexible, I don’t shoot with a tripod (unless I need it for long exposures). I like the mobility of the handheld approach. Things change fast, and I want to be able to duck, pivot, or run. I also try to be forward-thinking—to predict, based on an animal’s behavior, what might happen in five minutes and precompose a scene.

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COURTESY OF NMWA

How do you describe your approach behind the lens?

THREE FAVORITE ARTISTS IN MADISON’S WORDS 1 William Herbert Dunton was the founding member of the Taos Society of Artists. Of his 12 works in our collection, my favorite is Tapestry of Autumn (1927). He was one of the first artists to approach the subject of wildlife in an abstract, post-impressionistic style. He’s less concerned about the anatomical rendering of the animals than with color, light, and pattern—and how it all fits together. 2 Georgia O’Keeffe is a foundational, fundamental American artist. I’ve always been drawn to her work. I lived in New Mexico and visited Ghost Ranch [a landscape that inspired the artist], so I couldn’t not pick O’Keeffe as a favorite. There’s something incredibly special about her work. We’re lucky enough to have an O’Keeffe in the museum’s collection. Called Antelope (1954), it’s a pronghorn skull that feels like it’s melting into the earth. 3 In 2000, Lanford Monroe died of a heart attack at 50 at the height of her career. Her works are these beautiful atmospheric landscapes that feel intimate, beautifully integrating animal and landscape. As a wildlife photographer, I’m drawn to her work because it’s like real life: sometimes you’re standing in front of a scene, and you don’t see the animals right away. Cold Trail (1999), which features a wolf and a stream, is one of my favorites.

LOCAL LIFE BLAST FROM THE PAST

// BY DINA MISHEV

A gathering at the Chapel of the Transfiguration in Grand Teton National Park, circa 1950s.

56 SUMMER 2025 | JACKSON HOLE

HolyCentenary This summer marks the 100th year that the Chapel of the Transfiguration holds Episcopalian services in the shadow of the Tetons. // BY SOFIA MCGULICK

COURTESY PHOTO

t’s a safe bet that most plans hatched during the cold and wet days of a Wyoming spring are not spiritual in bent. But the April 1925 gathering of Mr. and Mrs. C.B. Voorhis, the Reverend Dr. Royal Balcom, Bishop Thomas, and others at the Voorhis’s cabin was to plan the building of an Episcopal chapel at Menor’s Ferry, a crossing of the Snake River that’s about equidistant from the towns of Jackson and Kelly. The new chapel would save the wealthy families that summered in that area (which is today in Grand Teton National Park) the 50-mile roundtrip to and from the nearest church, St. John’s Episcopal Church, in downtown Jackson, with which Rev. Dr. Balcom and Bishop Thomas were affiliated. And maybe it could also minister to the growing number of dudes at the many guest ranches around Menor’s Ferry. Financed by the Voorhises and on one acre of land donated by Maud Nobel, the Chapel of the Transfiguration’s construction began as soon as enough snow melted that year. Rev. Dr. Balcom designed the chapel, basing its design on the then-existing floor plan of St. John’s Church— with which the chapel would be affiliated once completed—and adding a giant plate-glass window behind the altar to frame the tallest and most dramatic peaks of the Teton Range. Timber for the chapel was harvested from nearby Timbered Island. Charles Fox, the primary contractor, had help from George Lamb (read JACKSON HOLE | SUMMER 2025

LOCAL LIFE

B R A D LY J . B O N E R

BLAST FROM THE PAST

The Chapel of the Transfiguration has been the site of thousands of marriages, and also of baptisms and memorials.

While the Chapel of the Transfiguration is Episcopal, you don’t have to be Episcopalian to come to a service, we welcome anybody.” —HALEY ROSS, COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER FOR THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH OF JACKSON HOLE

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The large picture window in the Chapel of the Transfiguration frames the Tetons.

about a barn Lamb built in town on page 90) and a number of other locals. The Chapel, with seating for 65 people, held its first service on July 26, 1925. It has been lost to history whether it was Rev. Dr. Balcom or Reverend Perry Herbert Smith—who served as a fighter pilot during World War I (and was one of the few who survived a dog fight with Baron von Richthofen, aka the Red Baron) and had only recently arrived in Jackson Hole—that led the first service. The chapel was Rev. Dr. Balcom’s vision, but Rev. Smith led many of the chapel’s services that summer and also the next. In the 100 years since, the Chapel of the Transfiguration has seen the formation of Grand Teton National Park around it (it is not part of the park, but an inholding owned by the Episcopal Church of Jackson Hole); has been the

site of thousands of marriages, baptisms, and memorials; was featured in the Henry Fonda/Maureen O’Hara movie Spencer’s Mountain, which was filmed in Jackson Hole in 1963; and, between Memorial Day and the last weekend of September, has held two services, at 8 a.m. and 10 a.m., every Sunday. In 1995 and 1996, the Clinton family attended services here while on vacation in Jackson Hole. The first year the First Family worshipped at the chapel, then-Reverend Franklin Johnson included “Amazing Grace” in the service because he knew it was a favorite song of the president. At the end of that service, the entire chapel sang “Happy Birthday,” in celebration of the president’s 50th birthday. While the Chapel of the Transfiguration is Episcopal, “you don’t have to

BE PART OF THE BIRTHDAY PARTY The Episcopal Church of Jackson Hole is planning an entire weekend of celebratory events—July 24 through 27—around the Chapel of the Transfiguration’s 100th anniversary. “The Chapel is such an important part of the community and has such a reach across the globe, we wanted multiple events that offer folks a chance to celebrate the chapel and get some of the nostalgia that you do when you’re there,” Ross says. Events are for both the public and parishioners and are at the St. John’s Campus in downtown Jackson and on-site at the Chapel. History buffs should try to make it to the July 24 panel discussion about the chapel’s history. At the Jackson Hole History Museum, which is two blocks east of the Town Square, this is part of History Jackson Hole’s always-interesting Beers & Banter series. One panel member will share some of her childhood memories from being at the Chapel more than 50 years ago. Because July 26 falls on a Saturday this summer—a day on which there are no services—the actual gathering of the public to celebrate the Chapel’s 100th birthday will be 11a.m.–1p.m. following its regular Sunday services on July 27. be Episcopalian to come to a service,” says Haley Ross, communications manager for the Episcopal Church of Jackson Hole. “We welcome anybody. The Chapel is such a beautiful space, we encourage everyone to come in.” Although if you come to a service during peak season—mid-July into August— you might find yourself sitting outside because services might have up to 150 worshippers. The chapel can seat only 65 inside in its pews, but with the addition of patio seating on the south side, it can accommodate more visitors. To visit the Chapel of the Transfiguration, enter Grand Teton National Park (fee required) at its Moose Entrance and then drive the Teton Park Road for about one-quarter of a mile before turning right (follow signs for the chapel and Menor’s Ferry). JH

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PEAK A D V E R T I S I N G

F E AT U R E

PROPERTIES

he factor that makes the Jackson Hole real estate market so unusual is the relative scarcity of private land. Ninety-seven percent of Teton County, Wyoming, is publicly owned—either national park, national forest, or wildlife refuge. This computes to just 75,000 privately held acres in a county spanning 2.5 million acres. The guaranteed open spaces and unobstructed views these surrounding public lands afford make the remaining private land a real treasure. Add the abundance of recreational opportunities found in and around the valley, and the quality of life one can enjoy in Jackson Hole is simply unbeatable. Moreover, many of the properties featured here are secluded, scenic retreats located in the midst of prime wildlife habitat. Most existing and prospective property owners in Jackson Hole cherish this notion, and serve—or will serve—as stewards of nature. One cannot put a dollar value on waking to the Teton skyline, skiing home for lunch, or listening to a trout stream gurgling through the backyard. In Jackson Hole, “living with nature” is not a fleeting, vicarious experience a person has while watching TV. Here it’s a fact of life, and we wouldn’t have it any other way.

LUXURY TOWNHOMES IN HEART OF TOWN

MILLER PARK LOFT CONDO

AT A GLANCE

3,120

SQUARE FEET

BEDROOMS

A stone’s throw from the Town Square, the Glenwood offers a mountain town retreat close to both cultural and outdoor activities. Three-bedroom luxury units with rooftop decks and the finest amenities. Please reach out for information about the second phase.

— —

MLS#

SQUARE FEET

BEDROOMS

3.5

BATHS

DOLLARS

507

JACKSON HOLE SOTHEBY’S INTERNATIONAL REALTY Bill Van Gelder, Associate Broker 307/201-8045 ext. 8045 allenvangelder@JHSIR.com jacksonholerealestateinfo.com

62 SUMMER 2025 | JACKSON HOLE

775,000 DOLLARS

25-247 MLS #

Miller Park Loft vacation rental condo in downtown Jackson, steps from the best restaurants, shops, and nightlife. The cozy floor plan appeals to vacationing families, couples, and those enjoying longer stays. For owners, this condo offers a completely hands-off income-producing investment. Neighboring White Buffalo Club offers full-service property management, rental management, and guest services. Owners and guests have access to the White Buffalo Club’s amenities including shuttle service. Offered turnkey. BUDGE KELLEY REALTY GROUP KELLER WILLIAMS JACKSON HOLE Chad Budge • 307/413-1364 team@budgekelley.com budgekelley.com

MOOSEHEAD CABIN AT GRANITE RIDGE

CREEKSIDE CONDO IN DOWNTOWN JACKSON

AT A GLANCE

2,385

SQUARE FEET

BEDROOMS

BATHS

6,600,000 DOLLARS

24-2547 MLS#

Nestled just 650 feet from Granite Ridge tow and allows multi-generational groups to gather and connect in a thoughtfully designed fusion of space and location. Open-concept great room features vaulted ceilings, stone fireplace, generous kitchen with bar for casual dining. From a spacious deck, watch skiers glide down the slopes as you relax in the spa or fire up the grill. Cozy upper-level sleeping loft offers peaceful nights, while private bedroom level includes primary suite, second bed and bath. Turnkey second home or investment just minutes from world-class skiing, iconic Grand Teton National Park. LIVE WATER PROPERTIES JACKSON HOLE Latham Jenkins • 307/690-1642 latham@livewaterproperties.com livewaterjacksonhole.com

410

SQUARE FEET

BEDROOMS

Desirable upper level end unit with beautiful views of Flat Creek and great natural light. Well-maintained unit with open living area and southern exposure. Enjoy the convenient proximity to the many amenities of downtown Jackson in a private location on the water.

BATHS

690,000 DOLLARS

24-2694 MLS #

SPACKMANS & ASSOCIATES 307/739-8156 spackmans@jhsir.com

GRANDEUR & GLORY ATOP SPRING CREEK RANCH

ONE&ONLY MOONLIGHT BASIN

AT A GLANCE

1,192

SQUARE FEET

BEDROOMS

BATHS

1,995,000 DOLLARS

25-379 MLS #

A sanctuary with breathtaking views, this remastered residence offers modern architecture fused with uninterrupted Grand Teton views. This single-level end unit features vaulted ceilings, two bedrooms, two baths, an additional two-bedroom loft, and a large storage/owner’s closet. The 2020 complete interior remodel features new windows and sliding glass doors. All new lighting, flooring, cabinetry, counters, and high-end appliances. Spring Creek luxury amenities: pool, spa, tennis, dining, and shuttle service. Short-term rentals are allowed with lock-off options. JACKSON HOLE SOTHEBY’S INTERNATIONAL REALTY Erich Wilbrecht • 307/690-2468 Chris Wilbrecht • 307/413-3947 jhsir.com

3,670+

SQUARE FEET

BEDROOMS

BATHS

9,100,000+ DOLLARS

376288 376288 MLS #

Situated in the pristine wilderness of Big Sky, Montana, One&Only Moonlight Basin is the first of this luxury brand’s resorts in the United States. Opening this November, it will have six restaurants and bars, a spa, outdoor pools and hot tubs, a gondola, and more. This private One&Only home offers beautifully designed spaces, which blend seamlessly with the surrounding landscape of forests and peaks. Its five bedrooms are arranged over two floors, and ample public spaces invite connection. One&Only Moonlight Basin delivers world-class service, curated experiences, and limitless adventure. THE BIG SKY REAL ESTATE COMPANY 406/995-6333 info@bigsky.com bigskyrealestate.com

JACKSON HOLE | SUMMER 2025

ELEVATED SANCTUARY/HIDDEN HILLS RANCHES

SKI-IN SKI-OUT AT THE TOP OF GRANITE RIDGE

AT A GLANCE

2,700

SQUARE FEET

BEDROOMS

2.5

BATHS

—

DOLLARS

24-2406 MLS #

Located in lovely Hidden Hills, 15 minutes from the town of Wilson, this wonderful and private retreat offers a true feeling of sanctuary. Enjoy views of the valley from Munger Mountain to the Snake River, from this gracious 7.24 acre lot. This property is a 5 minute drive to Snake River access and Teton views for great fishing and swimming. The large lot allows for expansion and further development of the already charming main house. There are two bedrooms, a bunk room, and two-and-a-half baths in this lovely log home featuring tongue and groove vaulted ceilings, granite counter tops, Wolf appliances, and custom kitchen cabinets. HUFF VAUGHN SASSI 307/203-3000 huffvaughnsassi@jhsir.com mercedeshuff.com

7,302

SQUARE FEET

BEDROOMS

BATHS

Located at the top of the coveted Granite Ridge subdivision, this custom estate home embodies the ski culture of Jackson Hole. Featuring the easiest ski-in/ ski-out available at JHMR. A groomed ski run goes directly past your private ski and gear room. Warm gathering places invite you to enjoy morning coffee, a quick warmup, or apres ski festivities.A remodeled chef’s kitchen includes a pantry, granite counter tops, Wolf appliances, and custom kitchen cabinets and opens to the dining and living areas. An expansive primary suite has a private office and terrace.

26,750,000 DOLLARS

24-2892 24-2892 MLS #

JACKSON HOLE SOTHEBY’S INT’L REALTY Rob DesLauriers • 307/413-3955 rob.deslauriers@jhsir.com robdeslauriers.com

GROS VENTRE NORTH - 2680 TRADER ROAD

TETON VILLAGE - 7750 N. LOWER GRANITE RIDGE

AT A GLANCE

7,234

SQUARE FEET

BEDROOMS

BATHS

23,000,000 DOLLARS

24-2041 MLS#

For discerning buyers who value end-of-the-road privacy, refined finishes, significant architecture, and soaring views of the Tetons, 2680 Trader Road is your place to call home. Located in the gated Gros Ventre North subdivision, this architectural masterpiece offers life elevated in the Tetons. The main level showcases an expansive great room with vaulted ceilings, exposed steel beams and a grand stone fireplace. The chef’s kitchen features top-of-the-line appliances and a butler’s pantry. Floor-to-ceiling windows and telescoping doors provide access to expansive decks with a covered dining and grilling area, and outdoor fireplace. Architecture by Farmer Payne Architects. JACKSON HOLE SOTHEBY’S INT’L REALTY Jake Kilgrow, Associate Broker | 307/413-2822 jake.kilgrow@jhsir.com

64 SUMMER 2025 | JACKSON HOLE

6,414

SQUARE FEET

BEDROOMS

BATHS

This custom mountain retreat located at 7750 N. Lower Granite Ridge offers convenient ski in/ski out access to the legendary Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. The 6,414-square-foot home includes six bedrooms, eight bathrooms, and a heated three-car garage. The great room has vaulted ceilings, a custom Fitzhugh Karol mantel, and a wood-burning fireplace. Upper-level suites complement a lower level with a media room, sauna, gym, and wine room. Outside, enjoy a hot tub, gas firepit, and grill. Architecture by Ward Blake.

24,500,000 DOLLARS

24-2042 MLS#

JACKSON HOLE SOTHEBY’S INT’L REALTY Jake Kilgrow, Associate Broker | 307/413-2822 jake.kilgrow@jhsir.com

JACKSON HOLE | SUMMER 2025

BEER Tastes r e t t e B u o Y n he

t I n Ear Snake River Brewing Co. 265 S. Millward St. Open 7 days/week, 11am–10pm

ENJOY

KATHRYN ZIESIG

ARTS, CULTURE, FOOD, AND DESIGN

JACKSON HOLE | SUMMER 2025

ENJOY FOOD

Hooray Hoor ayfor

Huckleberries Huckle berries Native to the northern Rockies, these berries make almost any dish better. Taste for yourself. // BY SAMANTHA SIMMA

lthough Jackson Hole is better suited to supporting the growth of wildflowers and sagebrush than produce, huckleberries burst from dense bushes throughout the region in late summer. These small, tangy berries, which have resisted all efforts at cultivation, make an appearance in a variety of dishes and drinks around the valley. Their versatility lies in their ability to complement rich, bold flavors and also add a touch of tart sweetness. With their deep blue—practically purple—hue, huckleberries are an iconic, wild taste of the Rocky Mountains. Here are some local presentations, both savory and sweet.

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J AY N E L-M C I N T O S H

At Hatch Taqueria & Tequilas, the gluten-free blue corn banana pancakes offer an earthiness that’s countered by a bright burst of flavor from a huckleberry compote topping. The house-made blue corn batter—which incorporates cornmeal stone-ground from premium organic blue corn— is a nod to heritage grains and Mexican cuisine. The result is a pancake with a subtly nutty depth and texture that is both tender (in the middle) and slightly crisp (at the edges). On top, fresh bananas lend a mellow sweetness that acts as a counterpoint to a huckleberry compote of slowly simmered Montana and Idaho huckleberries and agave; a drizzle of maple syrup ties the dish together. Open daily 8 a.m.–9 p.m.; 120 W. Broadway Ave.; 307/203-2780, hatchjh.com

JACKSON HOLE | SUMMER 2025

ENJOY FOOD

KATHRYN ZIESIG

About Local Restaurant & Bar’s Huckleberry Old Fashioned, bar manager Matt Howard says, “The huckleberries give the drink a sort of mountain berry sweetness, complementing the classic old fashioned flavors of caramel and vanilla, and give the drink just a little less bite than the classic version.” The focal point of the cocktail is Wyoming Whiskey small batch bourbon, which has been carefully infused with huckleberries so that the bourbon absorbs their natural sweetness. The addition of maple syrup and a splash of orange enhances the huckleberries’ bright, tart undertones, while Angostura bitters provide the drink’s familiar depth and complexity. Open Monday–Saturday 11:30 a.m.–2:30 p.m. and 3–9 p.m.; 55 N. Cache; 307/201-1717, localjh.com

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COURTESY PHOTO

KATHRYN ZIESIG

“If Jackson Hole was an ice cream, [huckleberry] would be it,” proposes Kendra Alessandro, vice president of marketing and communications at Fine Dining Restaurant Group, the parent of artisan ice cream brand Cream + Sugar. Among the company’s six varieties of miniature ice cream sandwiches, the huckleberry version is an ode to regional flavors. Huckleberries and wild blueberries are blended into sweet cream ice cream, which is then hand-scooped and pressed between two miniature chocolate chip cookies. The result is a texturally pleasant sweet treat, where creamy ice cream complements the chewy cookies. The salty, sweet, and slightly tangy marriage of flavors leaves you wanting more of what many consider the perfect bite. Open daily Monday–Saturday 4–9 p.m. and Sunday 12–9 p.m.; 20 E. Broadway Ave.; 307/739-1058, creamandsugaricecream.com

Jason Azarpour, food and beverage director at The Whistling Grizzly, considers huckleberry gastrique to be the perfect contrast to a seared Rocky Mountain elk tenderloin. The cut of meat is lean yet rich with flavor, and “the sweet, sour, and tartness of the huckleberries brings balance” to the dish, he says. The gastrique is otherwise prepared traditionally—from a reduction of sugar, juice, and vinegar that is then infused with select secret spices. Azarpour says huckleberries were chosen, instead of other berries, not only for their prevalence in the region, but also for “the great contrast in flavor they offer when reduced as a gastrique.” Open daily 7–10 a.m. and 5–9 p.m.; 930 W. Broadway Ave.; 307/699-7227, wyominginn.com JACKSON HOLE | SUMMER 2025

ENJOY FOOD

KATHRYN ZIESIG

Southern tradition melds with mountain flair in the Mangy Moose’s baby back pork ribs with huckleberry BBQ glaze. Slow-cooked to achieve optimum tenderness, the smoky char of the ribs is complemented by a house-made huckleberry BBQ sauce. “The prevalence of the huckleberry in Jackson Hole combined with the allure of the ingredient to visitors made it an obvious selling point for us,” says marketing coordinator Natalie Johnson. “What better way to add sweetness and complexity to a rich meat such as pork? Adding huckleberries to our sweet southern-style BBQ sauce perfectly complements the notes of vinegar and smoke, as well as the tender meat.” The sauce strikes a harmonious balance between sweet, tangy, and smoky—demonstrating the versatility of huckleberries when added to an otherwise savory dish. Open daily 7 a.m.–9:30 p.m.; 3295 Village Dr., Teton Village; 307/733-4913, mangymoose.com

72 SUMMER 2025 | JACKSON HOLE

KATHRYN ZIESIG

Encased in golden, flaky puff pastry, the baked brie at Dornan’s Pizza & Pasta Co. is elevated comfort food. And it’s much loved. “The baked brie has been a popular, long-running appetizer on our menu,” says Katherine Zemp, a member of Dornan’s management team. “I think the only thing that has been on the menu longer is the Moose Bread.” The richness of the brie is balanced by a tangy huckleberry jalapeño compote made with Dornan’s own huckleberry jam (which you can buy in the on-site market). Served warm with peppered crackers, the dish is a satisfying interplay of salty and sweet. Open daily 11:30 a.m.–7 p.m.; 12170 Dornans Rd., Moose; 307/733-2415, dornans.com JH

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TramJAM Lisa Felton’s small-batch jams, hand-crafted in her // PHOTOGRAPHY BY LINDLEY RUST // BY HELEN OLSSON home kitchen, have become a Jackson fan favorite.

uring the pandemic, while others were baking cakes uring therefinishing pandemic,antiques, while othloads pivoted up on cranberries at the grocery and Lisa Felton to jam. ers were baking cakes and restore around Thanksgiving. She grew up making jam with her mother and grandmothfinishing antiques, LisaatFelton pivotedand she Felton hasthe always er in New England the holidays, still has tra- donated a portion to jam. She grew up making jam with of Tram Jam proceeds to nonprofits, ditional family recipe memorialized on a battered index her card mother and grandmother in New starting with Coombs Outdoors, which in her grandmother’s “crazy, terrible handwriting.” EnglandFelton at themoved holidays, and she still works to reduce barriers to outdoor to Wyoming from New England in 2011. has “I the traditional family recipeback me-Eastrecreation through was teaching kindergarten and bartending andprograms, mentormorialized on a battered index card in ship, and community feeling like I needed a change,” she says. She packed her ski building. “It was her grandmother’s “crazy, terrible handsomething I really felt aligned with,” bag and booked a one-way ticket to Jackson. As a manager writing.” she says. She chooses different organiat Made and Mountain Dandy, she gained retail experience Felton moved to Wyoming from zations each year, most recently supthat she eventually applied to selling jam. New England in 2011. “I was teaching porting Native Wilderness. In December 2020, Felton whipped up a batch ofWomen’s jam. kindergarten back East and bartendTram Jam comes in seven flavors “We were all housebound, and I was feeling nostalgic.” On ing and feeling like I needed a change,” that rotate in and out of the lineup dea whim, she posted a photo of the jam jars on her Instashe gram says. She packed her ski bag and pending on the season and is available asking if anyone would want to buy them as Christbooked a one-way ticket to Jackson. As at Made in Jackson, the Jackson Hole mas gifts. By morning, her phone blew up with messages. a manager at Made and Mountain DanFarmers Market in summer, and onPeople wanted jars by the dozens. “I thought, okay, this jam dy, she gained retail experience that she line. Tramjamjh.com, 307/200-9092; $18 is having a moment.” eventually applied to selling jam. for large (8 oz.); $10 for mini (4 oz.) Before long, Felton’s jams were at Amangani, Teton In December 2020,the Felton whipped Mountain Lodge, farmers market, and in gift baskets at up aweddings batch of jam. “We were all houseand baby showers. She’s pared down her distribound, andsome I was but feeling On5,000 jars a year. bution still nostalgic.” makes about a whim,Thanks she posted a photo of the jam to the Wyoming Food Freedom Act, Felton jars on her to Instagram if an anyone is able cook herasking jams in old lobster pot in her home would want to buy them as Christmas kitchen. She forages locally for berries and loads up on gifts.cranberries By morning, hergrocery phone store blewaround up at the Thanksgiving. with messages. People wanted jars Felton has always donated a by portion of Tram Jam prothe dozens. “I thought, okay, this jam is ceeds to nonprofits, starting with Coombs Outdoors, which having a moment.” works to reduce barriers to outdoor recreation through Before long,mentorship, Felton’s jams at programs, andwere community building. “It was Amangani, Teton Mountain Lodge, something I really felt aligned with,” she says. She chooses the farmers and in gift baskets differentmarket, organizations each year, most recently supportat weddings and baby showers. She’s ing Native Women’s Wilderness. pared down someflavors but that rotate in and out Tramher Jamdistribution comes in seven still makes about 5,000 jars a year. of the lineup depending on the season and is available at Thanks to the Wyoming Food FreeMade in Jackson, the Jackson Hole Farmers Market in sumdommer, Act,and Felton is able to cook her jams online. Tramjamjh.com, 307/200-9092; $18 for large in an(8old lobster pot in oz.); $10 for mini (4her oz.)home kitchen. She forages locally for berries and

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Grand Jam is made with raspberries, cardamom, and freshly grated ginger. In season, Felton picks raspberries, and what she doesn’t use right away, she washes and freezes to make the jam out of season. “We have massive raspberry bushes on our property,” she says. “It doesn’t get more local than picking berries in your own backyard.” Felton recommends a slather of Grand Jam on a grilled cheese with arugula and a balsamic glaze.

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Crafted with strawberries, oranges, orange zest, jalapeño, and triple sec, Apres is My Jam draws inspiration from Jackson’s go-to après-ski cocktail, the spicy margarita. “It has a bit of sweet and a little kick from the jalapeño,” Felton says. “The color is really pretty too—it’s kind of a punchy, orangey red.” Pairing well with cheese, it’s the perfect addition to any charcuterie board. And its sweet and savory taste profile means it can pull double duty in marinades and salad dressings. The OG is the jam that started it all—the one from her great-grandmother’s recipe. It features strawberries, cranberries, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. “It tastes like Christmastime,” Felton says. “I thought of adding orange, but it’s the family recipe; I just can’t change it.” The OG is a jam that’ll work in a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, but you can also spread it on waffles and pancakes or spoon it over ice cream.

A sauce rather than a jam, Felton’s Cowboy Caramel features Mexican vanilla, Saigon cinnamon, and sea salt. “It’s popular in the fall when it gets chilly and people have pumpkin spice brain,” Felton says. Cowboy Caramel is perfect drizzled over ice cream or dolloped into coffee or a mocha latte. Warmed up in the microwave, the sauce pairs well as a dip for apples. “It’s so good you could literally eat it out of the jar with a spoon,” she says.

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Summer favorite Huck-It Berry is a simple recipe with huckleberries, organic blueberries, freshly squeezed lemon juice, and lemon zest. Felton forages huckleberries in the woods (but won’t reveal her secret spots). “When they’re in season, I’ll try to pick as many as I can and freeze them.” Felton is not a fan of huckleberries herself, but after so many requests at the farmers market, she relented. “Give the people what they want,” she says. JH

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A Different IPA

B R A D LY J . B O N E R

TASTE OF JACKSON HOLE

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First brewed in 2009, Snake River Brewing’s Pako’s IPA is now a classic. // BY SAMANTHA SIMMA

nake River Brewing, Wyoming’s oldest craft brewery, brews an average of 223,200 gallons of beer each year, and, since 2010, 40 percent of that production has been dedicated to Pako’s IPA. At first sip, imbibers get a burst of citrus and pine, balanced by a subtle malt backbone. “We wanted something that was hoppy, aromatic, drinkable, and not huge on bitterness,” says head brewer Rudy Borrego, thinking back to the first batch of the beer made in 2009. “The original IPAs were big piney, hoppy, bitter beers. Ours is more toned down than that.” Previous head brewer Cory Buenning created Pako’s at the request of brewpub regular Chad Taylor. “Chad really wanted us to make an IPA,” Borrego says. Since Taylor lived across the street and was one of the members of the brewpub’s Mug Club, which grants members exclusive discounts on beer, he had plenty of opportunities to press the idea. “On a whim, Cory came up with this recipe just to appease Chad,” Borrego says. “It was just a one-off joke because none of us were really into drinking IPAs at the time.” What the brewers didn’t anticipate was what a hit the beer would be—the limited-batch brew quickly turned into a flagship beer. “We all really enjoy it,” Taylor says, speaking on behalf of the brew pub’s regulars. “It seemed a lot stronger the first time they made it, but it was just a real hoppy, strong American IPA.” A pungent blend of Simcoe and Mosaic hops gives the golden-hued ale an explosive hop aroma, while its ABV of 6.8 percent makes it ideal for those who crave a flavorful, robust beer without overwhelming bitterness. According to the style guidelines outlined by the Brewer’s Association, an IPA can be anywhere from 6.5 to 8.5 percent alcohol. Pako’s is purposefully on the lower side. “While everyone else was throwing as many hops and alcohol into their beers as they could, we kept ours very tame and under control,” Borrego says. Taylor’s persistence inspired the beer, and it’s named after his dog. Pako was a border collie-husky mix that was at the brewpub at least as often as Taylor was; he lived 13 of his nearly 16 years of life across the street from it. “Pako would come over to the pub all the time with Chad and lay by the front door or in the loading dock,” Borrego says. “We fished him out of the dumpster a couple times after he jumped off the loading dock into it.” Taylor adds, “[Pako] was super friendly and very personable with everybody. As he got older, he would meander over there looking for me sometimes and end up hanging out inside the bar.” His likeness lives on, adorning the labels on cans of Pako’s. JH

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2023 study by SMU DataArts measured the most arts-vibrant communities across the United States. It was a data-driven measurement of communities of all sizes, looking at public support and engagement, local arts organizations, visitor bureaus, and other ways of promoting cultural enrichment and fostering creative expression, ensuring that the arts remain an integral part of communities. Jackson Hole came in #1 for small cities.

Approachable Art // BY JIM MAHAFFIE

Enjoy the work of local artists in unexpected places.

We ranked highly in numbers of artists, arts and culture employees, and nonprofits, arts dollars spent, and public support, too. That’s remarkable for a small mountain town, but Jackson Hole is a top art market, with hundreds of working artists, a longtime culture of creativity, and some 35 galleries selling huge canvases and sculpture—with accompanying high prices—located on and around the Town Square. Most of these artists will tell you they started displaying and selling out of their own homes, valley cafes and restaurants, and on websites, Instagram, and Facebook. They worked their way into galleries and higher prices over time. If you want to discover a Jackson-based artist before they get big or see art in a setting that isn’t a traditional gallery, here are some places to check out.

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JACKSON HOLE | SUMMER 2025

ERIN BURK

Over at Cowboy Coffee, just off the Town Square, “we sell quite a bit of art off our walls, and most artists do very well, selling more than half the work they hang,” says co-owner Pete MacIlwaine. “We have watched several folks hang in our shop for their first ever art show and then go on to be featured in galleries and have very successful art careers.” The business has hung artwork—mostly by valley artists, but with a few from nearby cities like Lander, Bozeman, and Idaho Falls—on its walls since it opened in 2012. MacIlwaine says pieces range from $100 to a few thousand dollars and the waitlist of artists is usually close to two years out. “We rotate work every two months,” he says. “We love the energy the artwork brings to our space, and especially the local vibe it helps put off.”

ENJOY ART

Laurie Thal’s delicate glasswork has been juried into the prestigious Smithsonian Craft Show and gifted by the U.S. government to foreign dignitaries, but isn’t available in any local galleries; she sells it exclusively at her studio on the Village Road in Wilson (and you can sometimes find her at the Art Association’s Summer Art Fair). But it’s best to go to her studio, where you might also get to watch her at work or enjoy a tour. “My studio has a showroom gallery that always has work displayed with quite a bit of art for sale,” Thal says. “It’s not displayed in town because galleries have a competition clause. They don’t want me to sell from my studio as well as their gallery. I find that people love coming to the studio to meet the artist and see where the work is created.”

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ERIN BURK

Carrie Wild is a local painter and represents several artists in her Town Square Gallery Wild studio. She also supplies The Kitchen and Gather, both downtown restaurants, and the Four Seasons hotel with works to hang on their walls by artists she represents. “It’s fun to share art and give people access to it in different places,” she says. “And I think partnerships like this are important and inspiring. Food and art together make everything better. It’s a feast for the taste buds in every way.”

B R A D LY J . B O N E R

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Alex Pope opened ArtShop at Dornans at the Moose entrance to Grand Teton National Park in May 2022. The shop offers prints, photos, ceramic art, sculpture, textiles, cards, and more from over 50 local creatives. One of Pope’s primary goals was to offer more approachable local art for the tourist crowds streaming in and out of the park. Her experience working in downtown galleries revealed to her that many valley visitors seek out local art and out-of-the-way places to find it. “There’s a big reason why we called it a ‘shop’ and not a ‘gallery,’” she says. “We want to be as inviting as possible for people on trips and headed to and from the parks and airport.”

JACKSON HOLE | SUMMER 2025

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ERIN BURK

Pearl Street Bagels in Jackson rotates art from local creatives on its walls. “I can’t speak to what motivated [the original founders] to set it up that way, but I am happy to tell you why we have continued the practice,” says current owner Heather Gould. “It keeps décor fresh and interesting and gives regular customers something new to look at. It adds to the community feel and helps give local artists a spot to be seen and, because we don’t take commissions, they can deal with buyers directly and potentially generate income without a big investment on their end.” Pearl Street Bagels used to do monthly shows, but Gould says that became untenable. “Our artist waitlist was often two years out. Now, we have six shows a year, and I keep the waitlist much shorter. That has seemed to work out well.”

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“We have lots of art on the walls around our cafes,” says Ali Cohane, who, with her husband Kevin Cohane, owns Persephone Bakery Café, which has locations in downtown Jackson and on the Westbank, in the Aspens. Artwork is not for sale—just for display. “I love the history of cafes as places where artists sat, met, and conversed. Art and cafes have always been intimately connected, and I wanted my places to reflect this. I believe it’s as important as the croissants we bake and the coffee we make.” “My cafes are aesthetically driven because I believe beauty brings inspiration to people’s days. I studied art and design myself in school and I wanted aesthetics to be a large part of what we built.”

ERIN BURK

ith the attraction and mystique of our mountain town, there’s plenty of Jackson Hole artwork available online, too. Etsy is the global marketplace for unique and creative goods. It’s home to a universe of special and extraordinary items, with handcrafted work in many mediums. Search “Jackson Hole” and you’ll find hundreds of prints, posters, vintage maps, clothing, photos, stickers, and more. Jackson Hole-based artists on the website include GrandTetonDesign (photos), TetonStudio (charcoal and pencil works), KrisBatchelderART (handcut paper collage), and PalindromeStudioShop (Wyoming-themed illustrations). Not made by a local maker, but something we still love is a scented candle called “Smells Like a Jackson Hole Ski Trip.” Artists appreciate every opportunity. “I’m attracted to space and serenity and quite crowd averse,” says Kris Batchelder, a paper collage artist whose works can be seen at ArtShop and other nontraditional places around Jackson and found on Etsy. “I find it refreshing to be apart from the chaos of Town Square. Moose (where ArtShop is located) is such a fun location too, and a great excuse to make an experience of shopping rather than fight the crazy crowds of downtown.” JH

JACKSON HOLE | SUMMER 2025

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Wyoming on the Page CULTURE

Despite its small population, Wyoming has a large literary legacy.

// BY JIM MAHAFFIE

or a state with so few people and so much open landscape, Wyoming is rich in writers and literature. Over the past century, both Wyoming and Jackson Hole have bred and attracted distinguished writers of fiction, nonfiction, journalism, magazines, mysteries, and children’s literature. Attracted by the lifestyle and natural beauty, many writers have relocated here, like Ted Kerasote and Struthers Burt. Wyoming is the setting for popular mystery series by Craig Johnson and C.J. Box. Renowned authors like Alexandra Fuller and Annie Proulx have lived here and written bestsellers. Still others have documented their lives in Jackson, like Olaus Murie and Donald Hough. Popular histories include works by writers such as Kristiana Gregory and David Gonzales. Ours is a truly inspiring landscape with a long legacy of colorful characters and interesting history. We are readers, too, with a population of curious and well-educated people consuming every genre of literature in local bookstores and a busy public library just off Broadway (U.S. Hwy. 26/89/191) in Jackson. “Our area has so many people that come from other places and travel widely. Their professions, pastimes, and hobbies are inspiring and give them great experiences to write about,” says Lizzie Sartoris, manager of Wilson Book Gallery. The following is a too-brief look at Wyoming’s literary legacy.

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he Diary of a Dude Wrangler was first published in 1924, after Struthers Burt headed west from a Princeton education to become a rancher and founded the Bar BC Ranch on the Snake River in what is now Grand Teton National Park. Find out what it was like to build, live on, and visit one of the most famous dude ranches back in the Roaring Twenties. Other Burt works include Powder River: Let ‘er Buck (Rivers of America) and his introduction to Owen Wister’s classic Western novel The Virginian. Other notable authors and works: Jenny of the Tetons by Kristiana Gregory; And That’s the Way It Was in Jackson’s Hole by Jack Huyler; Cocktail Hour in Jackson Hole by Donald Hough; The Early Days in Jackson Hole by Virginia Huidekoper; and Legacy of the Tetons: Homesteading in Jackson Hole by Candy Vyvey Moulton.

THE NATURAL WORLD

ublished in 2024, Kevin Grange’s Grizzly Confidential: An Astounding Journey into the Secret Life of North America’s Most Fearsome Predator isn’t a story just about bears, but also about the people who study and look after them. A local writer, firefighter, Park Service paramedic, and outdoorsman, Grange also wrote Beneath Blossom Rain, about his 24-day trek through the Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan, as well as Wild Rescues: A Paramedic’s Extreme Adventures in Yosemite, Yellowstone, and Grand Teton and Lights and Sirens: The Education of a Paramedic. Other notable authors and works: The Elk of North America by Olaus Murie; Track of the Grizzly by Frank Craighead; Clark the Mountain Beaver and His Big Adventure! by Karen B. Shea and Kelly Halpin; A Hunger for High Country: One Woman’s Journey to the Wild in Yellowstone Country by Susan Marsh; and Grizzly 399: The World’s Most Famous Mother Bear by Thomas D. Mangelsen.

Wyoming's is truly an inspiring landscape with a long legacy of colorful charcters and interesting history.

JACKSON HOLE | SUMMER 2025

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OLD JACKSON

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NOVELS

SERIES

COMMENTARY

utdoorsman and expedition kayaker Peter Heller writes adventure novels, and his recent book The Last Ranger features a range war and an enforcement ranger in Yellowstone National Park who likes wolves better than people. The book is filled with colorful residents of Cooke City, Montana, just outside Yellowstone, and wildlife guides, clueless tourists, hunters, poachers, and wealthy vacationers. Besides his eight novels, Heller has authored four books of nonfiction, about challenging river expeditions, surfing, and saving whales. Other notable authors and works: Heart of the Mountain Man by William W. Johnstone.

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alt Longmire is the fictional sheriff of fictional Absaroka County, Wyoming. Together with a memorable cast of characters, including his best friend Henry Standing Bear, he solves crimes and mysteries around his county and state. There are 24 books in the Longmire series by Craig Johnson, beginning with The Cold Dish in 2004. Somebody is obviously seeking revenge when a man is found dead near the Northern Cheyenne Reservation. He’s one of four former high school boys given suspended sentences two years before for raping a local Cheyenne girl. It’s an ideal start to the terrific Longmire mystery series. Other notable authors and works: The Joe Pickett mysteries by C.J. Box.

n Powder Days: Ski Bums, Ski Towns, and the Future of Chasing Snow, you can take a closer look at skiing, from the original mom-and-pop hills in New England to the mega resorts of today. Ski journalist Heather Hansman lived, worked, and skied in Jackson Hole, and skiing here has a starring role in this collection of short essays about skiing counterculture, ski bum life, ski town economics, and climate change. “It’s about the fantasy of living the ski bum dream, and why it’s not always as dreamy as it seems,” she says of her book. Her first book was Downriver: Into the Future of Water in the West, about her trip down the Green River and water challenges in the West. Other notable authors and works: Billionaire Wilderness: The Ultra-Wealthy and the Remaking of the American West by Justin Farrell; Angle of Repose by Greg Von Doersten; Cattle Kingdom: The Hidden History of the Cowboy West by Christopher Knowlton; The Grand Teton Reader by Robert W. Righter; and The Solace of Open Spaces by Gretel Ehrlich.

CLASSICS

REGIONAL HISTORY

ONLY IN JACKSON HOLE

Other notable authors and works: The Virginian by Owen Wister; Merle’s Door: Lessons from a Freethinking Dog by Ted Kerasote; The Big Sky by A.B. Guthrie Jr.; My Friend Flicka by Mary O'Hara Alsop; Rising from the Plains by John McFee; and many of the Western novels of Louis L’Amour.

Other notable authors and works: Jackson Hole: On a Grand Scale by David Gonzales; Empire of Shadows: The Epic Story of Yellowstone by George Black; and Mountain Man: John Colter, the Lewis & Clark Expedition and the Call of the American West by David Weston Marshall.

n Along the Ramparts of the Tetons: The Saga of Jackson Hole, author Robert B. Betts tells the full story of the Teton Range and Jackson Hole from the creation of the mountains all the way up to the present day. Betts lived in the valley and developed a deep attachment to early hunters, native history, mountain men, outlaws, ranchers, tourists, and more. He chronicles the struggles to create Grand Teton National Park, the creation of the National Elk Refuge, and Chester Arthur’s infamous horsepacking trip through the area before he became the 21st president of the United States.

ogether with his wife, Jane, Grant Golliher has spent his life with horses. The third-generation ranchers own Diamond Cross Ranch in Jackson Hole, where Grant has trained thousands of horses, many of them traumatized or abused. In Think Like a Horse, Grant relates his Horse Whispering Method of training to lessons anyone can use to live a fuller and more successful life. Grant travels the country talking to people about his work, and celebrities, executives, and families come to the ranch from around the globe to learn from him. Other notable authors and works: Its Head Came Off by Accident: A Memoir by Muffy Mead-Ferro and Death in Yellowstone: Accidents and Foolhardiness in the First National Park by Lee H. Whittlesey. JH

JACKSON HOLE | SUMMER 2025

B R A D LY J . B O N E R

lose Range: Wyoming Stories by Annie Proulx includes the iconic Brokeback Mountain, as well as other tales of loneliness, violence, and bad love, all set in tough ranching and rural landscapes. Her other collections include Fine Just the Way It Is and Bad Dirt. Each story reflects her time living in Saratoga and Centennial, Wyoming, and her uncanny ear for the struggles and speech patterns of Western characters. The Pulitzer Prize-winning author also wrote The Shipping News, Barkskins, That Old Ace in the Hole, and Postcards, among other bestselling books.

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How Locals Live A // BY MAGGIE THEODORA

We love looking at fancy homes, but you don’t need a multi-million-dollar home to live well in Jackson Hole.

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ccording to the U.S. Census Bureau, as of 2023—the most recent year for which statistics are available— there were 13,906 housing units in Teton County. Residents of four especially unique examples of these opened their doors to us, sharing not only their spaces, but why they love them.

The Lamb Barn, built in 1924 by Tracy Lamb's grandfather George Lamb is nestled in an allyway in East Jackson.

B R A D LY J . B O N E R

“I love it here, and I feel very lucky to live here,” says Tracy Lamb about the dairy barn her grandfather George Lamb built in the 1920s and she has lived in since 1998. “I wake up to hand-hewn, handscraped logs in my bedroom, and I’m just like, ‘thanks grandpa.’” It was a working barn for the first several decades of its life, but when it belonged to Lamb’s parents, they used it as a storage space. Just as Lamb was moving to Seattle to begin her adult life (“I felt like I had to get out of Jackson; the best thing a girl raised in a small town can do is try a city,” she says), her dad, who was on the Jackson Town Council and also the Teton County Historic Preservation Board, began converting the barn into a space habitable for humans. Insulation and walls were added, the dirt floor was replaced, and the building was put on a foundation. On the alley between Pearl Avenue and Simpson Street—what Lamb says is a “quiet, often overlooked neighborhood,” despite it being only several blocks from the Town Square—the former barn was continuously inhabited by renters until several months after Lamb moved back to Jackson in 1998. “I couldn’t find a place to live because I had a cat,” she says. “But then, surprisingly, the couple living here at the time wanted to move. I asked my parents if I could rent it from them at the market rate. I didn’t want any favors. So that’s how I got in here. It was such a mess, but I was so lucky.”

B R A D LY J . B O N E R

The former barn was continuously inhabited by renters until several months after Lamb moved back to Jackson in 1998.

Lamb wasn’t around to help her dad when he remodeled the barn in the late 1970s, but she tackled its late 1990s remodel with gusto. “The screens were busted, there were lots of holes in the walls, it was dark—it had all of the stuff that my dad had put in 20 years before,” she says. Lamb painted everything and replaced the windows and floor but kept the avocado green kitchen counters. Having now been in the barn for more than 25 years, Lamb says, “it’s just got so much character.” The first floor has a “teeny, tiny” guest room, the primary bedroom, Lamb’s studio—she is an artist and retired from a career as a graphic designer several years ago—and a washer and dryer. Upstairs the kitchen opens to the living room; a loft overlooks this space. Everywhere are mementoes and a lot of what Lamb calls “eye candy,” because “I can get pretty bored visually sometimes,” she says. This isn’t the only log building Lamb’s grandfather built. He was one of the craftsmen who built the Chapel of the Transfiguration in Grand Teton National Park (read more about this chapel, which celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2025, on page 56). He also built the barn, in which horses are still kept, in what is today May Park, off Rancher Street in East Jackson. “When my grandparents owned it, it was Palomino Acres. They raised horses there and eventually sold it to the May family,” she says. The hardware store/lumberyard her grandfather, and then father, owned and ran for decades is long gone but was on the block where Annie’s Thai Kitchen and the office of Dr. Bruce Hayse is now.

Tracy Lamb's home was a working barn before her father made it a livable home in the 1970s. Today, the structure is recognized by the Teton County Historic Preservation Board. JACKSON HOLE | SUMMER 2025

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And then, of course, is the fact that one of the best ski resorts in the country, which also happens to be where their offices are and where the girls are in daycare, is a five-minute walk away. “Our commute being so nice and easy is a big benefit,” Courtney says. “And, although it’s a small window, our guest room looks out at the resort.” Courtney and Chad Jakubowski and their two daughters love owning and living in one of a handful of Teton Habitat homes in Teton Village.

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B R A D LY J . B O N E R TETON HABITAT

While it was the fenced yard—for their dogs—that Courtney was initially most excited about, they’ve come to love most everything about the house. “The four years before we got this place, we rented a small log cabin that was one big room with a loft, so this place having rooms and doors and lots of natural light feels incredible,” Courtney says. “I really love the light in the downstairs and how the kitchen is open to where the girls play.”

TETON HABITAT

More than a decade later, the couple is still in the valley and still working for JHMR, but they’ve had some big changes: they are now parents to Zadie, 4, and Zoe, 2, and, in 2022, the family moved into a three-bedroom, 1,259-squarefoot Habitat for Humanity Home in Teton Village. Chad says, “I feel like we hit the lottery many times over with the way our house came together.” Courtney adds, “It’s really nice to have something that is ours and to be able to put a nail in the wall and not feel like we’re going to need to cover it up before we move out.”

KATHRYN ZIESIG

Courtney and Chad Jakubowski decided to move to Jackson Hole from Seattle while on a 2013 camping trip in Yellowstone. “We got back to Seattle, put in our two weeks’ notice, sold most of our stuff, and packed the rest into a little sedan with our dog and were in Jackson for [Jackson Hole Mountain Resort’s annual autumn] job fair,” Courtney says. They rented a room by the month at a hotel in downtown Jackson. “We were just going to be here for a winter, so the hotel was great—it had furniture and they cleaned it once a week,” Courtney says.

Roommates Kevin Dehm and Cameron Walters, Walters’ dog, Scarlett, and one other roommate share a rental apartment in East Jackson.

“Snowboarding and friends,” 32-year-old roommates Kevin Dehm and Cameron Walters answer simultaneously when asked about how they met. “Kevin and one of my good friends were living in a sketchy house on Simpson. I’d go over there and hang out, and Kevin was there,” says Walters, who was born and raised in East Jackson (in the East Ridge subdivision, close to the many trailheads of Cache Creek). The two live with a third roommate and Walters’s dog, Scarlett, in a two-story 2,760-squarefoot rental house built in 2018 in East Jackson. Walters, who bounced between Salt Lake City and Jackson for several years after college (depending on jobs and housing), has been in this rental for the longest of the group (about five years). “I had been in a janky place for a while—it was like $600 a month for a room—and had friends that were in this place, which I just thought was so nice. When one of them moved out, I kind of just begged, ‘please help me get out of the janky place.’ And they let me,” he says. One reason this place is so nice? Scarlett is allowed. “The only thing was that she had to meet [the landlord’s] dogs, and they got along fine,” says Walters, who works in maintenance at the Jackson Hole Airport. Another reason? Each of the three bedrooms has its own bathroom. “That just makes a huge, huge deal,” Walters says. There’s also a creek through the backyard in the summer that the men can hear running if they leave their windows open. Dehm, who lived in the sketchy Simpson house—“It had been a ski bum house for a long, long time, and it just hasn’t seen any help in, like, 30 years,” he says— for five years, sublet one of the three bedrooms in Walters’s place a couple of summers ago when its usual tenant was down in Colombia. “I loved living here,” he says. “It was an opportunity to be in a much better place.” Dehm, who had seasonal jobs for years and now works for a custom cabinetry company, moved out when his sublease was up but let it be known that he’d love to be on the lease if the opportunity ever came up. That happened last summer. “I feel very lucky to have come upon this house,” he says. “We have space to all hang out, and it’s big enough to host dinners. We love to cook and have people over all the time.”

2023, 2024 & 2025

BEST OF JACKSON HOLE:

BEST MECHANIC SHOP/GARAGE

JACKSON’S TRUSTED ONE-STOP SHOP

2025

Since 1969, Shervin’s Tire & Auto Care has been locally owned and operated, providing dependable service for all things auto care, tires, and fuel services. Whether you need new tires, expert auto repair, or bulk fuel delivery, our team delivers reliable service you can count on. Voted Best of Jackson Hole in 2023, 2024 & 2025 for Best Mechanic Shop/Garage—our team is committed to keeping you safely on the road and your operations fueled.

400 US-89, JACKSON, WY 307.733.3793 • SHERVINSAUTOCARE.COM JACKSON HOLE | SUMMER 2025

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B R A D LY J . B O N E R

DESIGN

Steph Fellows and Dustin Wise moved into their three-bedroom house in Cottonwood about three years ago, and soon after had their son, Cooper. “We’re not only here for ourselves any more, but also for Cooper," Wise says. "It is our dream to have him grow up in Jackson.”

Steph (Fellows) Wise, who lived in the valley from 2009–2013, got the job that allowed her to move to back to Jackson— with her husband, Dustin Wise—in 2021 through a friend of a friend. “One of my friends from when I had lived in Jackson ran into [a principal of GYDE Architects] in the Whole Foods parking lot and told him about me,” says Fellows, who, at that time, was the overworked operations director at an architecture firm in San Luis Obispo, California, overseeing 40 employees and three offices remotely during the pandemic. Fellows has now been operations director at GYDE Architects since June, 2021. The couple found their first rental apartment in Jackson through another friend of a friend. Their current home, a 1,400-ishsquare-foot, three-bedroom house in Cottonwood that was built in 1988 and fully remodeled right before they moved in? Yup, they also found that through a friend of a friend. “If you know somebody, it is ten times easier to find a place,” Fellows says. Knowing people in the community didn’t help the couple when they tried to buy a house, though. “During our first four months living here, we put six offers in,” Fellows says. “It was that crazy, crazy time when everything was so inflated and people

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were putting in offers sight unseen. It was insane, but it was what was happening. We were discouraged. If we hadn’t found the place we’re in now and a reasonable landlord, I don’t think our lives would be the same. Ultimately, how awesome would it be to own a place here? Becoming house poor and having to change our lifestyle entirely for a three-bedroom house that’s $1.6 million isn’t something we want or can do.” The couple, who had their first baby, Cooper, in November 2023, still owns their home in San Luis Obispo. “We rent it out to doctors and nurses exclusively,” Fellows says. “If we’re not there, then we want to make sure that someone who is giving back to the community is in it.” In Jackson, they make sure to be involved with and give back to our community. They were certified as foster parents in early 2023. Wise, who runs a video production company and was a Division I swimmer, has coached the Jackson Hole Stingrays club swim team. Fellows

teaches yoga at Inversion and is a volunteer on the Town of Jackson’s Planning Commission and Board of Adjustments. While Cooper wasn’t born until after they had been in Jackson for a couple of years, the anticipation of kids was a reason they moved to the valley. “The pandemic happened, and we had the time to think about our future in a way we hadn’t before, and we decided that California wasn’t the place we wanted to raise a family,” Fellows says. An unexpected benefit of Fellows volunteering on a town board is that Cooper can be in the town’s daycare. “Town is really trying to make it more long-term feasible for its employees to stay here,” Fellows says. “I have not found another community that matches what you give to it more than Jackson does.” Wise says, “We’re not only here for ourselves any more, but also for Cooper. It is our dream to have him grow up in Jackson.” JH

you know somebody, it is 10 times " Ifeasier to find a place." —STEPH FELLOWS

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5 ENJOY HEALTH

W AYS Jackson Hole

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How to prevent, and recover from, some of the most common things that might sidetrack your Jackson Hole adventure. // BY BEVIN WALLACE

Might HurtYou

hether you’re here for a weeklong vacation or a lifetime, spending time in Jackson Hole is glorious. The scenery, the fresh mountain air, the wildlife, and the endless options for outdoor adventure make this one of the most desirable places to visit or live on earth. Most people want to make the most of their time here and, therefore, try to avoid the potential hazards of mountain living and recreating. So, it’s useful to know the risks and how to prevent and/ or recover from them. Here’s a rundown of some (but not all) of the things that might go wrong on a hike, mountain bike ride, backpacking trip, or fly-fishing excursion around Jackson, and some tips for avoiding having them ruin your next mountain outing.

ALTITUDE SICKNESS The town of Jackson sits 6,237 feet above sea level, which, for a mountain town, is not that high. However, if you’re coming from sea level, that’s a big jump and may cause altitude sickness; if you’re heading up higher into the Tetons or Gros Ventres, the problem can be more severe, especially if you will be sleeping at higher elevations. The symptoms of acute mountain sickness include headaches, tiredness, and nausea/vomiting. The more severe forms of altitude sickness, high altitude cerebral edema and high altitude pulmonary edema, are rare but can be fatal; their symptoms include extreme fatigue, confusion, and shortness of breath. The best way to prevent altitude sickness is to increase your elevation gradually, especially when traveling or sleeping above 9,000 feet; stay well-hydrated; and refrain from drinking alcohol or doing too much heavy exercise for the first day or two at high altitudes. If your symptoms don’t improve within a couple of days (or if you have any symptoms of HACE or HAPE), you need to descend to a lower elevation. If you have an itinerary that won’t allow you to spend at least one night acclimatizing at each progressively higher elevation, consider bringing Diamox (acetazolamide), a prescription-only diuretic that can help treat AMS. SORE MUSCLES

DEREK STAL

The key to preventing serious post-hike or -ride pain is preparation, so make sure to get in some training hikes or rides. If you’re still aching after a longer and harder-than-expected outing, there are several things you can do to ease the recovery so you can get back out there the next day. First, your body loses a lot of water exercising in the mountains, so it’s very important to rehydrate—with water, not beer. This will help flush toxins from your body and reduce muscle soreness. You should also eat properly during and after exercise, which includes healthy fats and carbohydrates to refill your energy stores. Stretching is also crucial to preventing inflammation and relieving pain. If none of this works and you’re in serious pain, consider treating yourself to a massage, either from a professional or a friend, which can help with circulation and can relax and relieve muscles. And don’t forget the ibuprofen.

JACKSON HOLE | SUMMER 2025

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HEALTH

BEAR ATTACK! We’re kind of including this one to be funny, but not 100 percent. Bear attacks are rare, but they can happen. If you’re going to be out on the trails, you need to know what to do both to prevent one as well as how to handle the situation if it does happen. The National Park Service says following proper wildlife-viewing etiquette is the first step in avoiding an encounter with a bear that could lead to an attack. Recommendations vary, but in general, keep your distance (at least 100 yards), be especially cautious if you see a female with cubs, and avoid surprising bears by being aware of your surroundings and making noise (preferably talking, so they know you’re human and not prey; singing is also good). It’s safer to hike in groups than solo—you’ll be louder and also smellier, so the bear will notice you from farther away, plus a group is more intimidating.

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If you do encounter a bear, stay calm and talk to it in low tones. Don’t scream or make any sudden movements. Do not run or climb a tree; bears are better than you at both of these things. Pick up small children (and hold onto pets) immediately. Try to make yourself appear larger by standing on high ground and putting your hands above your head. If a bear does charge, EPA-approved bear pepper spray can be an effective defense, but you must know how to use it properly. First and foremost, bear spray is not a repellent that you apply like bug spray. Bear spray works like mace against human attackers by temporarily debilitating the attacker. If a bear is coming toward you, hold the can out in front of you, remove the safety tab, and, when/if the bear gets with 20–30 feet of you, deploy the spray, aiming it at hip level or below. Keep spraying until the bear backs off.

If, despite these precautions, you do get attacked, what to do depends on the type of bear. How to tell whether it’s a grizzly or black bear? Black bears are rarely black and have rear ends that are higher than their shoulders and tall, pointy ears. Grizzly bears are generally larger than black bears—although any bear charging at you will look large—and have a pronounced hump on their shoulders, long front claws, and short, rounded ears. Black bears rarely attack, but if one does, try to escape to a vehicle or building if possible. If it’s a grizzly bear coming at you, leave your pack on and play dead by lying on your stomach with your hands behind your neck. In either case, if the attack doesn’t stop, fight back vigorously.

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BLISTERS Anyone who’s ever had a blister knows how inordinately debilitating these tiny wounds can be. The best way to prevent the singular misery of blisters is to avoid getting them in the first place. Take the time to break in your hiking boots (even if they’re not new and you just haven’t worn them in a while); you might feel silly walking around the park in your Danners, but you will be so glad you did on mile five of a hike. Also, make sure to bring a blister kit (actually, bring a real first aid kit on any hike, which should include moleskin and tape for preventing blisters), and if you feel any “hot spots” (an area that starts to hurt or feel hot), stop and apply moleskin immediately before it turns into a blister. If you do end up with a blister, treat it like any open wound by cleaning it well with warm soap and water and applying antibiotic ointment and a nonstick bandage or gauze pad. You may need to cut away the flap of dead skin with scissors after the blister starts to heal.

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Jackson’s elevation means you’re 6,000 feet closer to the sun than you are at sea level, with less atmosphere to filter out the sun’s rays. Intense rays can cause sunburn to happen more rapidly here than at lower elevations. In fact, for every thousand feet of elevation gain, the UV level increases by 6–10 percent. You know enough to wear sunscreen on any outdoor adventure, but in places like Jackson Hole, it’s even more crucial to liberally apply SPF 30 or higher (50 is better) before you head out, even if it’s cloudy. Make sure you use a broad-spectrum sunscreen and reapply often, especially if you get wet or sweaty. You should also wear sun-protective clothing if you’ll be out for longer than an hour. Most outdoor-apparel brands now make UPF 50-plus clothing and hats, so make sure you have long sleeves and a hat (and sunglasses of course) at the very least. JH

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JACKSON HOLE | SUMMER 2025

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CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE

// BY WHITNEY ROYSTER

How Can I Get a Place in JH? HA

! A H A H HAHA

IS YOUR LAST NAME WALTON, OR MUSK, OR GATES, OR WINFREY?

HAHAHAH

A H A!

OK, SORRY. LET'S BREAK IT DOWN. WHY DO YOU WANT TO LIVE HERE? I LOVE WINTER

I LOVE IT ALL

I LOVE SUMMER

We can work with this. Short-term rentals in Teton Village or the Aspens.

That's bad.

Tough one. Make a friend or acquaintance an offer they can't refuse.

START OVER HERE

Would you consider an hour's radius?

YES

OK then. You asked for it.

Alpine or Idaho

Find one of the valley's 500+ realtors. Have a budget of at least $1.5 million, plus more for toys and accessories. And that's entry level. For a place that you really like, have $3.5 million or a pre-qualification letter from a bank. Make sure to have extra capital for a plow guy and lawn guy because you don't want to waste your days doing yard work.

OMG. THAT'S TERRIBLE! WE KNOW! STICK WITH HOTELS OR

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Your Breast Cancer Care Specialist Advancing Breast Cancer Care at St. John's Health Have you met our full-time oncologist Melissa Cohen, MD? Dr. Cohen, our full-time medical oncologist, brings over 15 years of experience in breast cancer care, including work as an associate clinical professor and sub-investigator in clinical trials. At St. John's Health she focuses on delivering individualized care, tailoring her approach to ensure that each patient receives the support they need at every stage of their cancer journey. Outside of work, Dr. Cohen and her husband are passionate alpine enthusiasts, enjoying skiing and endurance sports while raising their two daughters in our vibrant mountain community.

To learn more about breast cancer care at St. John's Health, visit www.stjohns.health/breasthealth

GALLERIES Whether you’re passionate about plein-air, a serious collector of Western paintings by contemporary or deceased masters, or a casual art fan searching for a keepsake to remind you of your time spent here, in Jackson Hole you have the opportunity to enjoy art in a multitude of forms. Over the past two decades, Jackson Hole has grown to become one of the most heralded art centers of the West, popping off the tongues of aficionados alongside the likes of Santa Fe, Palo Alto, and Scottsdale. Begin by visiting some of the galleries highlighted here, which show the diversity of art available in the valley, from traditional wildlife and Western art to contemporary paintings and sculptures.

ALTAMIRA

Altamira Fine Art, located in downtown Jackson, is a leading fine art gallery representing works by top Contemporary Western artists. We offer an active exhibition schedule year-round with artist receptions held several times a month. Altamira’s diverse collection of fine art ranges from oil and acrylic painting to contemporary glass and bronze. Altamira is a great resource for design firms and corporate collections. Two locations: Jackson, Woming and Scottsdale, Arizona. 172 CENTER STREET 307/739-4700 ALTAMIRAART.COM

DOWNTOWN DRIGGS ASSOCIATION

GALLERY WILD

ANDY WHITE

COEUR D’ALENE ART AUCTION

Specializing in the finest classical Western and American art for the past 40 years, the Coeur d’Alene Art Auction realized over $24.6 million in 2024 auction sales with 95 percent of all lots sold. Recognized by the Wall Street Journal as “the nation’s biggest and most successful auction of Western art,” the Coeur d’Alene Art Auction looks forward to continued success at our 2025 Auction to be held July 26 in Reno, Nevada. View works featured in the 2025 Auction and purchase auction catalogs and event tickets on our website.

208/772-9009 WWW.CDAARTAUCTION.COM

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Downtown Driggs Association hosts the 14th Annual Driggs Plein Air Festival July 26 to August 2 featuring hundreds of plein air paintings of Teton Valley’s forests, mountains, waterways, and farms by 75 national artists. Opening celebration on July 27 at 6 p.m. with live music by Local Kin (indie folk) on Driggs Plaza. Competition judging and awards ceremony on August 1. Extended exhibition and sale through September 30 at Teton Geo Center.

60 S. MAIN STREET 216/235-7532 DOWNTOWNDRIGGS.ORG

Gallery Wild, located in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and Santa Fe, New Mexico, showcases contemporary fine art inspired by wildlife, open spaces, and conservation. Our collection features established and emerging artists who offer a variety of mediums including oil and acrylic paintings, bronze sculpture, mixed media, and photography. Gallery Wild’s mission is to inspire collectors and impassion others to help protect wildlife and wild places for future generations through the acquisition and enjoyment of fine art.

80 W. BROADWAY 307/203-2322 GALLERYWILD.COM

JC JEWELERS

Find your own piece of wearable art inspired by and created in our idyllic mountain town. Browse our stunning selection in our cozy historic cabin, or meet with our jewelers to create the handcrafted piece of your dreams.

132 N. CACHE STREET 307/733-5933 JCJEWELERS.COM

PEARLS BY SHARI

Specializing in Golden South Sea pearls and heirloom strands, Pearls by Shari brings the elegance of pearls to the heart of the Tetons. With over 20 years of pearlbuying experience, Shari Turpin brings unparalleled expertise to each design featured at 90 E. Broadway and Neiman Marcus locations nationwide. Whether you are memorializing your trip to Jackson or want to add a one-of-a-kind pearl design to your jewelry collection, Pearls by Shari features the widest selection of high-quality pearls in the United States. Make an appointment, or stop by our showroom located on the Town Square. 90 E. BROADWAY 307/734-0553 PEARLSBYSHARI.COM

NEW WEST KNIFEWORKS

NATIONAL MUSEUM OF WILDLIFE ART

From their workshop in the Tetons, New West KnifeWorks celebrates the art of knifemaking. Combining cutting-edge design with the highest performance, American-made particle metallurgy steel, each blade is made by individual makers who pour their expertise and passion into every detail. New West’s shop on Town Square resembles an art gallery with gorgeous, custom-forged knives framed on the wall and the maker’s signature stone knife blocks arrayed on pedestals like fine knife sculpture.

Founded in 1987, The National Museum of Wildlife Art is a world-class museum and nonprofit located in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. The Museum’s collection boasts more than 5,000 artworks representing wild animals from around the world. Featuring work by prominent artists such as N.C. Wyeth, Georgia O’Keeffe, Andy Warhol, Bob Kuhn, Albert Bierstadt, and Carl Rungius— the Museum’s unsurpassed permanent collection chronicles much of the history of wildlife in art, from 2500 B.C.E. to the present.

98 CENTER STREET 307/733-4193 NEWWESTKNIFEWORKS.COM

2820 RUNGIUS ROAD 307/733-5771 WILDLIFEART.ORG

SONIA TONKIN FINE JEWELRY

As an artist owned and operated gallery, Sonia Tonkin Fine Jewelry is known for its magnificent Sun collection and one-of-akind fine jewelry designs. The gallery complements Sonia’s beautiful designs with an array of well curated arts, minerals, crystals, and unique finds. Come on in! You will surely find “what tickles you heart.’’

36 E. BROADWAY 307/200-6757 SONIATONKIN.COM

WEST LIVES ON GALLERY

The West Lives On Gallery features fine art reflecting the rich heritage of the American West. Featuring Western, wildlife, and landscape art in our traditional and contemporary galleries. The West Lives On Gallery has represented over 100 national and regional artists since 1998. 55 & 75 N. GLENWOOD 307/734-2888 WESTLIVESON.COM

JACKSON HOLE | SUMMER 2025

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ESCAPE THE CROWDS. EMBRACE THE VIEWS.

Relax and enjoy fireside patio dining, unobstructed Teton views, and creative country club fare. SEASONAL DINING FOR LUNCH, DINNER & APRES GOLF

307-733-7788 • jhgtc.com 5000 Spring Gulch Road

Best of Class

Join us at the legendary Silver Dollar Bar & Grill, inside the Wort Hotel.

A casual western dining experience for the whole family.

Award-winning Wines

For Groups of 6 or more, Call for Reservations.

Town Square Tasting Room 98 Center Street (Accepting walk-ins)

Teton Village Tasting Room 3255 Village Drive (Inside Alpenhof Lodge)

Call 307.201.1057 or email us at info@jacksonholewinery.com

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WWW.TETONTHAIVILLAGE.COM

307 733 0022

WINNER

BEST THAI RESTAURANT

VOTED

BEST TAKE OUT FOOD IN JACKSON

- JH Weekly - JH Weekly

SKIER | DEVELOPER | BROKER SKIER | DEVELOPER | BROKER

ROB DESLAURIERS, BROKER ANNE JONES, LICENSED SALESPERSON ROB.DESLAURIERS@JHSIR.COM | 307.413.3955 ANNE.JONES@JHSIR.COM | 307.699.3004

JACKSON HOLE | SUMMER 2025

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DINING GUIDE

FIGS | 307/201-5350 | JACKSON

Mediterranean-inspired small plates/entrées. Vegetarian and vegan friendly. North Grille at Jackson Hole Golf & Tennis Club | 307/733-7788 | JACKSON Traditional country club fare with patio and indoor dining and featuring unmatched Teton views.

Silver Dollar Bar & Grill | 307/732-3939 | JACKSON

Open for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and happy hour daily. Live music four nights a week.

Snake River Brewing Co. | 307/739-2337 | JACKSON

Jackson Hole’s living room since 1994. Serving up 12 taps of award-winning beers and Alpineinspired dishes seven days a week, 11 a.m.–10 p.m. with brunch from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. Saturdays and Sundays.Wyoming’s oldest and America’s most award-winning small craft brewery. Snake River Roasting Co. | 307/312-2382 | JACKSON Serving specialty, locally roasted coffee alongside food provided by Provisions Dining Group.

Teton Thai | 307/733-0022 | TETON VILLAGE Dine in and take out in Teton Village; tetonthaivillage.com

Wild Sage | 307/733-2000 | JACKSON

Intimate dining with an innovative, seasonal menu, where French sensibility meets the mountain West. Serving breakfast and dinner.

Wind River Hotel & Casino | 307/856-3964 | RIVERTON Discover signature cut steaks and succulent seafood inside the Wind River Casino.

FOUR SEASONS

Ascent Lounge | 307/732-5613 | TETON VILLAGE

This popular slopeside bar features creative bartenders and pan-Asian inspired plates. Relax by the wood-burning fireplace or outside on the heated patio.

First Chair Grab & Go | 307/732-5620 | TETON VILLAGE Your perfect slopeside pit stop for mountain adventures.

The Handle Bar | 307/732-5156 | TETON VILLAGE

Grab a seat at our American pub and beer hall, featuring a wide selection of American and international beers, whiskeys, and provisions.

Steadfire Chophouse | 307/732-5620 | TETON VILLAGE

Enjoy panoramic views of Teton Village and Rendezvous Peak, a dynamic open kitchen, and a cozy setting at our inviting new chophouse that opens this summer.

GRAND TARGHEE

Powder Cache Bar & Grill | 307/353-2300 | GRAND TARGHEE RESORT Full bar with craft cocktails, wine list, and Rocky Mountain fare.

Snorkels Café | 307/353-2300 | GRAND TARGHEE RESORT

Grab-and-go café with homemade breakfast, lunch, pastries, and coffee bar.

Trap Bar & Grill | 307/353-2300 | GRAND TARGHEE RESORT A legendary Targhee bar with sports, live music, and our famous WYDAHO nachos.

JACKSON HOLE MOUNTAIN RESORT

Piste Mountain Bistro | 307/732-3177 | TOP OF BRIDGER GONDOLA

Enjoy Rocky Mountain cuisine at 9,095 feet. Book on Open Table. Sightseeing ticket, evening gondola ticket, or 2025–2026 season pass required.

Tram Dock Kitchen & Bar | 307/739-2738 | TETON VILLAGE

Tram Dock offers outdoor seating on a comfortable patio, a menu to satisfy every appetite, and music and drinks at a four-sided bar.

Tin Can Cantina | BASE OF THE BRIDGER GONDOLA Enjoy grab-and-go tacos and a margarita after spending your day riding the Bike Park or hiking.

SNOW KING MOUNTAIN

King's Grill | 307/201-KING | JACKSON

Classic American menu. Happy hour. Families welcome!

Snow King Café | 307/201-KING | JACKSON

Open for events only with sandwiches, burgers, beers, and kids meals.

Aurora Restaurant at Snow King Mountain Summit

TOP OF SNOW KING GONDOLA | JACKSON Take a scenic gondola ride to enjoy elevated regional cuisine at the summit of Snow King Mountain. For an unforgettable experience, combine dinner here with stargazing at the Snow King Observatory and Planetarium.

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$/$$

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$$$

$/$$$

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$$ 4 $$

$$ $$

$$/$$$

$$ 4

4 4

$$$

$ 4

$$$

$$ 4

TETON VILLAGE

MOUNTAIN DINING FOR ALL TYPES OF ADVENTURERS

Locally sourced food paired with stunning valley views. Piste Mountain Bistro delivers a lively dining experience at the top of the Bridger Gondola. Just beyond the friendly bar scene are floor-to ceiling windows that offer the best views of the mountain and valley. The outstanding locally sourced food and ambiance are further elevated by the excellent service. Be warned — you will want to return a this place time and time again. Reservations are recommended.

*Evening gondola access is included with your full-day sightseeing ticket, Summer Sightseeing Pass, 2025 Winter full-Season Pass or a Piste Mountain Bistro reservation. A separate eveningonly (after 5 p.m.) gondola ticket can be purchased for $15. For more details, scan code.

$$$ 4

JACKSONHOLE.COM

Average entree; $= under $15, $$= $16-20, $$$= $21+ JACKSON HOLE | SUMMER 2025

107

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108 SUMMER 2025 | JACKSON HOLE

Thanks to efforts of Indigenous wildlife managers, the Wind River Reservation is again an ecologically vibrant and crucial piece of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. // BY MIKE KOSHMRL

uring one of the most sordid, shameful incidents Richard Baldes remembers, a herd of the Wind River Indian Reservation’s scant pronghorn became pinned against the low-elevation highway by deep snow. They had nowhere to go. It was the winter of 1978–1979, one of the worst on record. These animals might have faced a long and slow death anyway. Mass starvation is often the outcome of severe Wyoming winters, and it’s driven the ebbs and flows of populations of species like pronghorn and mule deer for thousands of years. But these ungulates were dwelling on the reservation in the era before there was a Tribal game code, and they were relentlessly pursued—even in the depths of a terrible winter. “Antelope were balling up against fences along the highway,” recalls Baldes, an Eastern Shoshone member who was then working as a biologist for the U.S. Fish

& Wildlife Service. “People were killing them, right in front of everybody’s eyes. It was not a good thing. The animals didn’t have a chance; they were just trying to survive.” The incident was so ugly it attracted publicity in The New York Times. Down the highway in Lander, Tom Dougherty was directing the Wyoming Wildlife Federation at the time. He gave an interview to the Times about the ignoble slaughter that had attracted eyeballs around the country. “I told them the only regulatory feature on the Wind River Indian Reservation is the cost of gasoline and ammunition,” Doughtery says. “That was true then.” It was an era of lawlessness and emptiness on the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho’s reservation, a spectacular 2.2-million-acre expanse that unfurls off of the east slope of the Wind River Range, home to Wyoming’s highest peaks. Fortunately, that’s no longer the case—far from it. Today, the Wind River Reservation has a nearly full complement of native megafauna:

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R YA N D O R G A N R YA N D O R G A N

Biologist Richard Baldes, a member of the Eastern Shoshone Tribe, worked for decades to restore the population of wild game on the Wind River Reservation.

JENNIFER STRICKLAND

Jason Baldes, Richard's son, leads the Eastern Shoshone Tribe’s buffalo program.

there are healthy herds of pronghorn, elk, whitetail, and mule deer numbering in the thousands. (Only bison are still missing; see the sidebar on page 112.) After being wiped out entirely, large carnivores like wolves and grizzly bears have also staged a comeback and returned to their niche in the ecosystem. An ecological crisis caused by free-roaming horses breeding out of control and decimating the rangeland has also largely been solved by rounding up the thousands of nonnative equines. Taken altogether, the intact assemblage of wildlife thriving on a vast landscape is so rare and impressive that it’s drawn comparisons to a similar-sized northwest-Wyoming preserve. “There’s no question that the habitat [on the reservation] is equal to or better than Yellowstone,” Doughtery says. “If the Tribes and the custodians of wildlife are there, it will be the next Yellowstone National Park from a wildlife perspective.” The remarkable turnaround on the Wind River Reservation took decades. Baldes, now 83, was in the thick of it all. The University of Wyoming-trained biologist did stints with the Wyoming Game & Fish Department; the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks; and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

Pronghorn antelope charge across a sagebrush landscape in front of the Wind River Mountains.

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in Arizona. Staying on with the federal government at the Fish & Wildlife Service, he returned to the central Wyoming reservation where he was raised in 1972. There wasn’t much wildlife around to manage. Nowadays, a herd of about 50 pronghorn spend part of each summer on Baldes’s property to the west of Fort Washakie, one of a handful of small towns on the reservation. In his youth, there were zero. “As a matter of fact, when my dad used to go antelope hunting, we’d hunt south of Riverton because there weren’t any antelope here to hunt,” he says. Game populations just couldn’t withstand unregulated pressure from modern human hunters. “If you have to make your own arrows, make your own arrowheads, and hunt with a bow, then you can have unregulated hunting,” Baldes says. “But if you’re using vehicles, snowmachines, high-powered rifles, spotting scopes, all that gear, that can’t happen anymore.” Baldes got to work on developing a game code, though his planning and dealings were often unfolding in the background. To make it happen, he’d have to bring both the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho Tribes on board. Forced to share the reservation since 1878, the two Tribes didn’t always get

TODAY, A HERD OF ABOUT 50 PRONGHORN SPEND PART OF EACH SUMMER ON BALDES’S PROPERTY TO THE WEST OF FORT WASHAKIE, ONE OF A HANDFUL OF SMALL TOWNS ON THE RESERVATION.

along. Baldes is an Eastern Shoshone member. Imposing hunting, fishing, and trapping seasons on residents who weren’t accustomed to and didn’t want them wasn’t easy. “I became a pretty big enemy, especially of the [Northern] Arapaho Tribe,” Baldes says. The fight was pitched enough that one day he returned from a fishing trip to discover bullets had torn holes through the walls of his family’s trailer.

REMARKABLE RETURN

lthough the code was drafted in 1979, the Northern Arapaho wouldn’t vote to implement it. A federal court eventually arbitrated a solution, putting the game code into effect in 1984. “In a sense, they were forced into it,” Baldes says. Wildlife finally got a reprieve after decades of unregulated killing. Initially, there weren’t many animals around to benefit. But Baldes and the Tribes almost immediately began transplanting pronghorn and bighorn sheep, species that had been functionally extirpated from the reservation. Elk and

mule deer were still present enough that they bounced back on their own. “It didn’t take long for those antelope to thrive and do their thing.” Baldes says. “They had the best habitat in the world that hadn’t been occupied for 50, 80, 100 years.” Initially, hunting wasn’t allowed at all in order to give the herds time to grow back. By the early 1990s, the tides had turned and the native ungulate herds were once again abundant. “‘You said it was going to take 10 years,’” Jason Baldes, Richard’s son, remembers telling his father. “I killed my first antelope eight years later, because the population had grown to a level that was sufficient for harvest.” Richard Baldes agrees the herds bounced back with impressive speed. “When we go out and hunt an antelope, it’s not unusual for us to see 400 or 500 head in the morning of one hunt—in one day,” he says. “We went from nothing to that.” Today, the Wind River Indian Reservation is chock full of native ungulates and large carnivores. It’s also an extraordinary place to be a human hunter. Art Lawson, who directs Shoshone and Arapaho Fish & Game and manages

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A BOOST FOR BISON

The next generation of Baldeses fights to restore buffalo to Wind River.

B R A D LY J . B O N E R

iologist Jason Baldes, who leads the Wind River Tribal Buffalo Initiative, had a big 2024. An Eastern Shoshone Tribal member and the son of Richard Baldes, he was awarded a National Geographic Wayfinder Award and made major progress toward achieving his ultimate goal of restoring bison as a free-roaming wildlife species on the Wind River Reservation. Through the Economic Development Administration’s “recompete” grant program, Baldes was awarded nearly $10 million to build a new 14,000-square-foot buffalo museum. The facility, which hasn’t been built yet, is projected to support 15 full-time and six part-time jobs in one of the most impoverished areas of Wyoming. The cause of bison restoration also got a boost. Baldes has acquired new grazing land to grow the Northern Arapaho and Eastern Shoshone’s fenced herds. He’s stepped up his lobbying efforts, too, in hopes of reclassifying

The Wind River Tribal Buffalo Initiative is working toward restoring the American bison as a free-roaming species on the Wind River Reservation.

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bison as wildlife under the Tribal game code his father pioneered. “I met with the Wind River ag producers a couple weeks ago,” Baldes said in late fall 2024. “It was a meeting that I’ve been very hesitant to have because of the perceived animosity against buffalo that’s out there from cattle producers—whether they’re Tribal or not.” Baldes’s plan is to give stock-growers financial incentive to give up their grazing allotments, then turn bison loose in the same spots. The endeavor has potential to take decades, not unlike his father’s push to create a Tribal game code in the 1970s and ’80s. “Jason has been a singular champion for buffalo restoration, helping to restore an iconic animal once on the brink of extinction while centering Tribal and Indigenous priorities,” says Brian Kurzel, executive director of the National Wildlife Federation’s Rocky Mountain Regional Center. “This award [from the National Geographic Society] could not be more well-deserved.”

A PRION DISEASE RELATED TO MAD COW DISEASE IS NOW FOUND IN MORE THAN 60 PERCENT OF THE POPULATION OF THE TRIBE'S PROJECT HERD OF DEER; THIS IS THE HIGHEST PREVALENCE RATE OF THE DISEASE ANYWHERE IN WYOMING.

wildlife on the reservation, likes to say there’s an argument that Tribal members have the best hunting opportunities of anywhere in the Lower 48 states. Partly that’s just because of the lack of pressure. There are roughly 13,000 members between the Northern Arapaho (approximately 9,000) and Eastern Shoshone (approximately 4,000) Tribes, and they have no one to compete with but themselves for access to the game that dwells on an area the size of Yellowstone. (Non Tribal members are eligible to fish on the reservation with a permit but cannot hunt.) “You can fill your freezer with elk, deer, antelope, and you can draw for moose and bighorn sheep,” Jason Baldes says. “It’s the best hunting opportunity there is in the world.” Toothy critters balance out the predator-prey dynamics, too. Wolves were extirpated from the Yellowstone region, including the reservation, during the Anglo settlement era, only to be reintroduced in the 1990s. Canis lupus made its way south from Yellowstone

National Park to the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho’s modern territory almost immediately, with packs establishing along the front of the Winds and Owl Creek Mountains—a welcomed return of a species the Tribes regard “as kin, as helpers, as strong [and] deserving of respect,” according to the wolf management plan for the reservation. Grizzly bears, likewise, were extirpated from the Winds, only to return as a result of the Endangered Species Act and deliberate conservation efforts. The Tribes manage grizzlies differently than elsewhere. In 2023, a bold grizzly bear was frequenting campsites in the high-elevation portion of the reservation popular with Wind River Range backpackers. Rather than wait for a bad run-in to happen, the Tribal councils closed down an entire drainage to human use, acting on a recommendation from Lawson, the Tribal Fish & Game chief. The precautionary measure and attempt at coexistence seemed to work. No more issues were reported with the grizzly bear that summer.

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MODERN CHALLENGES

B R A D LY J . B O N E R

COURTESY WIND RIVER COUNTRY

Mule deer have returned to the Wind River Reservation since more than 7,000 non-native wild horses were rounded up and trucked away.

Wild horses on the Wind River Reservation.

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lthough the Wind River Reservation’s fauna have enjoyed a 180-degree turnaround since the pregame-code lawlessness of the earlyto-mid-20th century, its wildlife face modern threats and challenges. A population of free-roaming horses exploded in the Wind River Valley in recent decades, reaching a high point of nearly 10,000 animals. The non-native equines, which have no real predators, effectively displaced the native species from the rangeland by eating them out of a home. The situation was dire enough that Pat Hnilicka, a U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service biologist based in Lander, dubbed it an “ecological crisis.” The horses were eating more than 100 million pounds of forage annually, often leaving only non-native cheatgrass remaining on the range. But over the

last couple years, roughly 7,600 horses were gathered and trucked away. The landscape immediately took a breath. “We used to drive around and see horses,” Lawson said during a June 2024 drive around the reservation. “Now we can drive around and see wildlife. The mule deer that I’ve seen since we removed horses is unreal—really, deer [numbers] I haven’t seen in 10 years.” Yet, mule deer here have another difficulty. The herd dwelling in the core of the reservation, known as the Project Herd, is a poster child of how chronic wasting disease can devastate a population of ungulates. That prion disease, an always-lethal cousin of mad cow disease, is being found in more than 60 percent of the Project Herd’s deer—the highest prevalence rate of anywhere in Wyoming. Because animals are dying before they can breed and replace themselves, the herd is declining. “Deer, they are in

trouble now,” Richard Baldes says. With few proven tools to fight chronic wasting disease, the future of mule deer on the reservation is unclear. On the upside, at least there are mule deer—and elk, pronghorn, and the remaining suite of native species—to fight for. It’s a testament to the decades of effort that Richard Baldes and his counterparts put into establishing a game code and then diligently growing back and managing big game herds. “It’s because of Richard Baldes that it’s now a vibrant ecological community,” says Dougherty, the former Wyoming Wildlife Federation executive director. “I attribute it—all of it, in reality—to Richard. He had the biological knowledge, and he stuck to it long enough to fight [the game code] through. Now, everybody is proud of what has happened: the return of quantities and quality of wildlife on the Wind River Indian Reservation.” JH

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Lower Green River Lake in the Wind River Mountains in the heart of the Bridger-Teton National Forest. The Bridger Wilderness beyond the lake is the home of some of Wyoming's highest mountain peaks and the headwaters of the Green River, one of the West's major watersheds.

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OLLY A

B S O LO

finding th e rig ht E C N A L A B H

ow do you plan for the future of the Bridger-Teton National Forest, which is roughly the size of the state of Connecticut? How do you balance the health of the wildlife that lives within that forest’s boundaries with the growing demand for outdoor recreation? How do you incorporate the values and interests of adjacent communities while also considering those of the people across the country and around the world who treasure the place? How do you plan for multiple-use and sustained yield when such uses inevitably conflict and conditions change? According to the people charged with the task of revising the BridgerTeton National Forest’s forest plan, the answer to all of the questions above is: “carefully.” Although originally envisioned to guide policy for roughly 15–20 years, the BTNF’s current forest plan has been in place since 1990. And conditions on the ground have changed dramatically in the 35 years since. In 2024, the BTNF embarked on a multiyear revision process to update that document. They hope to have a new plan by 2028, though that date is a goal, not a firm deadline. “The National Forest Management Act of 1976 said all national forests have to produce overarching, integrated management plans to guide policy,” says Linda Merigliano, the Bridger-Teton’s engagement and recreation specialist. “This is a comprehensive strategic document. It lays out vision and overall goals, and is the document that guides all project decisions. It’s a little obtuse for the public. The plan is not making specific decisions. It’s more like a county comprehensive plan—like a zoning document—that identifies the right uses for the right locations.”

// BY M ER BON LY J . BRAD

What’s maybe more difficult than managing an expanse of wildland the size of Connecticut? Guiding and planning its future.

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B R A D LY J . B O N E R R YA N D O R G A N

The Bridger-Teton National Forest is a mecca for recreation, with more tham 2,000 miles of trails for uses ranging from mountain biking to hiking, horseback riding, and dirt biking.

Linda Merigliano, BTNF's engagement and recreation specialist, is one of many BTNF staff working on the new forest plan.

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The Bridger-Teton National Forest is often described in superlatives. As the single-largest mass of public land within the 15-million-acre Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem—one of the largest nearly intact ecosystems in the northern temperate zone—the forest is home to some of North America’s most iconic wildlife species. It’s also the headwaters of three major watersheds (the Missouri, Snake, and Green Rivers) and a mecca for recreation ranging from mountain biking to skiing, dirt biking, fishing, snowmobiling, birdwatching, hunting, hiking, camping, and boating, among countless other outdoor pursuits. Less important to the BTNF are minerals and oil and gas. It’s just the luck of geology that has kept these industries from having a hold on the local economy, although grazing, and, to a lesser degree, small-scale timber harvesting are important uses of the forest and will also need to be considered in the forest plan revision. Kathy Rinaldi, the associate director of conservation for the Greater Yellowstone Coalition, points to intact, contiguous habitat as one of the most precious things about the BTNF, and one her organization has prioritized protecting. “Think of the Wasatch Range [near Salt Lake City]. Think of the Front Range in Colorado. Those forests are

broken up by roads, communities, and inholdings of private land. There’s a reason the longest remaining ungulate migration in the Lower 48 goes through the Bridger-Teton. We have intact habitat, and we’re not going to get that back if we lose it.” But wildlife and habitat are just two of the things Merigliano and her team have to weigh. National forest management is dictated by the 1960 Multiple-Use Sustained Yield Act, which states, “It is the policy of the Congress that the national forests are established and shall be administered for outdoor recreation, range, timber, watershed, and wildlife and fish purposes.” “We have lots of debates trying to find the right balance for all these different mandates,” Merigliano says. “I think there are some misperceptions out there about what ‘multiple-use sustained yield’ means. Some people take it as a code for extractive, commodity production, when it really means we have to blend all these activities.” During the first stage of the planning process in 2024, the BTNF worked to lay the groundwork for the actual forest plan revision. This initial stage involved gathering data and the best available science to determine current ecological, social, and economic conditions and trends affecting the BTNF, as

THE BTNF IS THE SINGLE-LARGEST MASS OF OF PUBLIC LAND IN THE GREATER YELLOWSTONE ECOSYSTEM AND IS HOME TO ICONIC WILDLIFE SPECIES. The BTNF is home to 355 species of birds, 74 species of mammals, 35 species of fish, six species of amphibians, and six species of reptiles.

well as beginning the public engagement process. A 500-page assessment document consolidating all this information was scheduled for release in the fall of 2024 but is not coming out until this summer, indicating how complex and time-consuming the revision process can be. Many forests and other public land agencies take 10 years or more to complete management plans. The BTNF has now moved into drafting the new forest plan using the information gathered last year. When completed, that plan will go through the standard National Environmental Policy Act process, which includes opportunities for public comment. Merigliano says that overall, they were pleasantly surprised by what they heard from the people who weighed in during the early stages of the planning process. “The values expressed are pretty stable,” she says. “We kept hearing the same thing over and over again. People agree on the importance of wildlife.” According to the 2024 report Study of Preferences and Values on the Bridger-

Teton National Forest compiled by Jessica Western of Big Goose Resolutions (and funded by the state of Wyoming, the Governor’s Office, and Fremont, Lincoln, Sublette, and Teton Counties) other key values identified by the public include recreation, biological diversity, protecting the resources for future generations, and aesthetics (scenery, sights, sounds, smells, etc.). There are some subtle differences in values depending on location, however. Teton County residents identified conservation (protecting wildlife and fish habitat, wilderness, watersheds, and Wild and Scenic rivers) as the highest priority, while Lincoln, Sublette, and Park County respondents ranked recreation most highly. “It’s easy to get tunnel vision in Jackson Hole,” says Teddy Collins, Wyoming conservation associate at the Greater Yellowstone Coalition. “But the forest extends almost to the Utah border, and the communities adjacent to it are as different as the landscape. You have Jackson, and you have Cokeville. There are millions of acres people in

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ERIN BURK

Last fall, the Pack Trail Fire burned about 90,000 acres in the BTNF. Much of the terrain burned contained dead trees killed by pine beetles. Climate change could increase the severity of wildfires in the coming decades.

CLIMATE CHANGE IS ALREADY ON THE BRIDGERTETON’S RADAR, PARTICULARLY WITH REGARD TO WILDFIRE. There are six mountain ranges in the BTNF: the Tetons, the Gros Ventres, the Wind Rivers, the Wyoming Range, the Salt River Range, and the Snake River Range. 120 SUMMER 2025 | JACKSON HOLE

the Tetons have never set foot in. This plan is not about your favorite trail. It’s about 3.4 million acres. Six ranger districts. People feel like the part of the forest they love is theirs, but it’s a lot more complicated.” For the forest planners, the history of conservation in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem is a plus. The debates that raged in the West in the 1980s over extraction versus protection are less pronounced around the BTNF, in part because those industries have never been big economic drivers here but also because the area has long recognized the economic, aesthetic, biological, and spiritual importance of the natural environment. Sharing a conservation ethic is a good starting place for coming up with a plan that everyone can live with. However, when it gets down to specifics, special interests will undoubtedly still provoke conflict. “The history and economies of the communities surrounding the BT are different,” says Merigliano. “Sublette County has a history of ranching. Ranching conserves range land, which is not totally incompatible with wildlife. Lincoln County is long and skinny. Alpine is a pretty different beast from Kemmerer, which was tied to coal. The Afton area’s historical economics were largely dependent on dairy and cows. It had all these cheese factories, and there was a timber mill there. Furthermore, recreation in Sublette and Lincoln Counties tends to be more motorized. All these things give the communities different perspectives on how the forest should be managed.”

“We are trying to make [the forest planning process] as much of a grassroots effort as possible,” Merigliano says. “We’re going to listen to the public, listen to the state, listen to cooperating agencies and the Tribes, and really focus on where we find commonality, not where we see differences.” And yet, while a mountain biker may have the same overarching values and love for the outdoors as a horseback rider, dirt biker, or hiker, their differences can be glaring when it comes to just how forest use is appropriated. In 2018, Teton County (Wyoming) formed a committee of special interest groups to try to come up with a consensus recommendation for the futures of the Palisades and Shoal Creek Wilderness Study Areas, the former of which is in both the BTNF and the Targhee National Forest and the latter of which is entirely within the BTNF. That process broke down when members refused to make concessions on key issues. The future of those wilderness study areas remains in limbo, though the new forest plan may provide some direction. “I think we’re going to see two plans within the overall plan,” says Teton County (Wyoming) Commissioner Luther Propst. “One for Teton County and one for the other counties. Teton County is kind of like a county in Colorado. Lincoln and Sublette have more of an old-school dynamic.” Propst worries that all the planning effort could be stymied by a lack of funding. He points to the challenges the BTNF faced in the fall of 2024 finding enough money to fully staff the Bridger-Teton Avalanche

PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT

The BTNF is engaging the public in a variety of ways as it revises its forest plan. First, there are the cooperating agencies, as defined by the National Environmental Policy Act. For the BTNF’s forest plan revision, the group of cooperating agencies includes 10 Wyoming state departments, ranging from geology, parks, forestry, agriculture, and game and fish to the Department of Environmental Quality and the historic preservation office. The counties of Fremont, Lincoln, Sublette, and Teton are also cooperating agencies, as are local conservation districts and the Governor’s Office. The goal of identifying and working with these organizations is to tap into specific areas of expertise, as well as to integrate different social and economic concerns into the forest plan. Tribes that have ancestral links to the BTNF have a special status as sovereign nations in the forest planning process. Several Tribes have expressed interest in being involved. These include the Shoshone-Bannock, the Comanche, the Crow, the Kiowa, the Northern Arapaho, and the Eastern Shoshone. Their specific concerns include ensuring the forest plan respects treaty rights as well as protects areas and species of special cultural significance. Local voices—citizens and nongovernmental organizations—from the communities surrounding the BTNF—specifically western Wyoming, eastern Idaho, and northern Utah—have been identified as key partners by the forest in its planning process. In addition, “distant voices”—citizens from across the nation or world—will have opportunities to express their opinions by submitting comments. In general, the more specific these comments are, the more weight they carry. Citizens can access information on the forest planning process at the Bridger-Teton National Forest Land Management Plan Revision Hub: fs.usda.gov/detail/btnf/landmanagement/planning/?cid=FSEPRD1177489. The hub provides information on the planning process, the timeline, and ways to be involved.

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Center, which provides daily avalanche forecasts to thousands of winter recreationists. Propst said Wyoming Senator John Barrasso (R) played a key role in finally securing the dollars needed to pay for critical staff, but the experience does not bode well for the future of forest funding. “You can create a huge, lovely plan, but the question is whether Congress is going to fund it,” he says. “Unfortunately, with the federal budgeting process, we have to fight for every dollar.” Despite all the potential challenges, a new forest plan is desperately needed. In the 35 years that have passed since the first—and only—forest plan was put in place, much has changed, and the current plan—despite being amended 13 times—fails to address many things that are now of prime importance to the BTNF and the people who live near its borders. “I see two main challenges that weren’t highlighted in the last plan,” says Taylor Phillips, the founder of EcoTour Adventures and one of the creators of WYldlife for Tomorrow, an initiative that inspires businesses and individuals who depend on Wyoming’s wildlife to help fund on-the-ground conservation efforts. “The most pertinent are recreational pressures and climate change,” he says. “Recreational pressure is intense now. More people are visiting the ecosystem, more people want to get out and about to recreate, and better equipment is allowing folks from around the world to access wild places here. There’s incredible value in providing opportunities to bird, hike, mountain bike, and backcountry ski, and for motorized experiences as well. The tricky piece is to provide opportunities that do not favor one value over the other, while still protecting the resource. At the end of the day, with advancing technology and the increasing number of users, all user groups will have to make sacrifices.” “And climate change is so incredibly difficult,” Phillips says. “I think that the forest service, really all public land managers, need to take a deep dive and look into the future to try to see what things could look like in 20, 30, even 50 years. That really needs to frame how they manage things like recreation and the extraction of timber.” Climate change is already on the Bridger-Teton’s radar, particularly with regard to wildfire.“There was no discussion of climate change in the last plan,” says Matt Gaffney, who served as the interim forest planner for the BTNF last winter. “Fire is going to be a big deal, especially with all the beetle kill and dead and down fuel on the forest. And obviously water is a huge issue. Water was certainly discussed in the 1990 plan, but it is so critical it will definitely be a much bigger topic this go-round.” The Greater Yellowstone’s Rinaldi hopes for a plan that is able to adapt to contemporary challenges, human development, and a warmer, drier climate. “The Bridger-Teton represents a host of GYC’s organizational priorities, most importantly interconnected habitat and water. Our ecosystem is going to be a climate refuge for cold-water trout, to say nothing of other wildlife species. We hope for a plan that at least maintains, if not enhances, protections.”

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FOREST PLAN REVISION PROCESS AND TIMELINE 2023

Gathering Data and Best Available Science was mostly done in 2023, although the forest will continue to incorporate relevant data and science in response to input from cooperators and the public throughout the planning process.

2023 2024

Public Engagement is ongoing, but multiple events were held in 2023 and 2024. (Continue reading for specific future opportunities.)

2024 2025

The Forest Assessment summarizes existing conditions and trends for a wide variety of resources and activities in the forest (e.g., the condition and trend of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, wildlife, water, air quality, community socioeconomics, range and forest management, recreation, fire, cultural and geologic resources, and existing specially designated areas). The assessment informs what the focus of the forest plan will be as management direction is revised. The assessment was drafted in 2024 and will be reviewed/updated in 2025. The Need for Change is a short summary of what the focus will be for revising the existing forest plan based on the findings in the assessment and will come out after that document is finalized. Proposed Action develops updated management direction. It outlines what that management direction might look like.

2027 2028

The Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) contains the Draft Forest Plan (with proposed desired conditions for different areas of the forest, standards and guidelines for project implementation, and monitoring requirements so adjustments can be made over time) as well as alternatives based on what issues arise regarding the proposed action. The public will have at least 45 days (the minimum required by law) to comment on this document. The goal is for the DEIS to come out late 2027 into early 2028. When the public comment period on the DEIS is finished, the agency will analyze comments, conduct further analysis as needed, and prepare the Final Environment Impact Statement (FEIS), which must respond to the substantive comments received in response to the DEIS. A copy or summary of all substantive comments will be included in the FEIS. When it is ready, the Bridger-Teton will publish the FEIS and the Environmental Protection Agency will publish a Notice of Availability on the Federal Register. That publication marks the start of a minimum 30-day waiting period before the Record of Decision can be finalized. With that finalization, the Forest Plan is adopted and becomes the guiding document for the forest for the next 10–15 years (ideally). JH

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Public Lands Need Carrying Hands // BY SOFIA MCGULICK

he Bridger-Teton National Forest (BTNF) is bigger than Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks combined. Many of Jackson Hole’s most beloved places are part of the BTNF, including Cache Creek, Teton Pass, Curtis Canyon, Snow King, Shadow Mountain, and Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. “I moved to Jackson for the Tetons, but I’ve stayed for 28 years because of the BTNF,” says Jackson Hole magazine editor Dina Mishev. The amazingness of the BTNF isn’t only up to its 200(ish) dedicated employees, but all of its users. “Public lands need carrying hands,” says Linda Merigliano, the BTNF’s Forest Plan Engagement, Recreation Specialist. “The single biggest thing local and visiting users of the BTNF can do this summer to help the forest is to ‘know before you go.’” Know the weather forecast. Is the road you’re driving passable? Check fire restrictions. Is motorized travel allowed on the trails you’re planning to ride? Are there bathrooms at the trailhead? How many nights are you allowed to camp? “There’s no such thing as a dumb question,” says Kasey Stewart, who is currently a BTNF Support Services Specialist with the Jackson District, and formerly worked at the front desk of the Forest’s visitor center. “We love it when people come in and want to learn about the forest.”

“Know Before You Go” to help be a steward of Jackson Hole’s largest mass of public land, the 3.4 million acre Bridger-Teton National Forest.

forests like the BTNF, and "alsoNational national parks, belong to the public,” says Scott Kosiba, executive director of Friends of the Bridger-Teton, a nonprofit that supports the BTNF. “The federal government acts as a steward of these lands on behalf of the public.”

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FRIENDS OF BRIDGER-TETON

LAST SUMMER, FRIENDS OF THE BRIDGERTETON VOLUNTEER AMBASSADORS EXTINGUISHED MORE THAN 200 ABANDONED CAMPFIRES.

BRIDGER-TETON NATIONAL FOREST

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Pawprints and Policy // BY BILLY ARNOLD

In life, Grizzly 399 was a symbol of the species’ recovery under the Endangered Species Act. In death, can her legacy protect grizzlies as their time under federal protections seems to be coming to an end? And if it could, should it?

TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC, her story began with the splat of grizzly feces, a tracking expedition, and the crinkle of fresh newsprint. The year was 2004, and Rebecca Huntington, a young reporter with the Jackson Hole News&Guide, was in the northern part of Grand Teton National Park following researchers who were tracking, but trying not to disturb, a young grizzly mother and her cub. Pushing through willows, they chronicled the bear’s diet of yampa roots, followed her tracks through smashed grass, and searched for an obvious tell: glistening piles of her scat. 124 SUMMER 2025 | JACKSON HOLE

Grizzly 399 burst into national fame when she emerged from hibernation in the spring of 2006 with three cubs and over the next three years, raised them along roadsides in Grand Teton National Park.

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“I vividly remember that day and being astounded that a grizzly could casually feast on these tiny roots next to a highway with thousands of people driving by and having no idea she was there,” Huntington says. She didn’t think the bear was unique. A bike path was being discussed for the area. “I just thought science and a recovering population were allowing us to see bears as they really are, a plant nibbler leaving a discarded trail of leafy tops.” Huntington returned to the office and wrote a feature. At the time, the article was standard fare, a few hundred words explaining how GPS collaring was helping biologists track grizzly bears. But the article has become a critical piece in the history of the most famous grizzly in the world: Grizzly 399, the 28-year-old grizzly bear who raised 18 cubs along the roads in Teton park, attracted over 60,000 followers on her human Instagram account, and gave millions of bear lovers across the globe the opportunity to better understand how bears live in an ecosystem dominated by humans before dying in a vehicle strike in October 2024. While wildlife managers eschew giving animals human names, when they collar animals for research, they do give them numbers, and the famous grizzly was the 399th collared in the Greater Yellowstone. Huntington’s article was the first time 399’s presence was ever publicized—two years before the sow caught the attention of wildlife watchers, bringing bear paparazzi to the Tetons to document her and her offspring’s lives for two decades. Perhaps more important, it shows 399 doing what made her a star: recolonizing the area south of Yellowstone National Park for grizzlies. Before European settlers arrived in North America, an estimated 50,000 grizzlies roamed the western United States, from the West Coast almost to the Mississippi River. But settlers saw bears as a threat to themselves and their cattle and sheep. Over the course of decades, grizzlies were eradicated from all but 2 percent of their historical homerange. By 1975, when the federal government protected grizzly bears under the En-

dangered Species Act, there were only an estimated 750 left in the Lower 48, with only 136 in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, which includes Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks, the Wind River Reservation, portions of five national forests, three wildlife refuges, Bureau of Land Management land, and private land. Endangered Species Act protection turned management of the bears over to the federal government and required state and federal wildlife biologists to develop plans for recovering the species. These state plans included a ban on hunting, required scientists to track grizzlies’ behaviors and deaths, and developed ways to prevent grizzly deaths while keeping humans safe. Thirty years later, when Huntington tracked 399 through the willows near Jackson Lake Dam, the population had begun rebounding near Yellowstone National Park itself. Some grizzlies had moved through Grand Teton National Park, and a few had established home ranges there. But 399 was the first to make herself consistently known, not only to GTNP rangers but also to the general public. In doing so, she became a symbol— not just of grizzly bears, but also of grizzly bears’ meandering path toward recovery. Last fall, she was struck and killed by a driver commuting on U.S. Highway 89/26 through the Snake River Canyon. The driver was neither speeding nor distracted. Nonetheless, 399's death hit her fans around the world hard. It was quickly woven into the debate about grizzly bear conservation. “She truly was an icon and an ambassador for not only her species, but also the wildness of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. And I do think that it is important to remember and recognize that 399 is actually part of a larger, amazing conservation success story,” Grand Teton Superintendent Chip Jenkins said after the bear’s death. “Her ambassadorship is a story of the effort that many people, whether it’s private citizens or agency representatives, have done in terms of conserving grizzly bears as well as other wildlife in the Yellowstone ecosystem.”

399 was the first grizzly to make herself consistently known, not only to GTNP rangers but also to the general public. In doing so, she became a symbol— not just of grizzly bears, but also of grizzly bears’ meandering path toward recovery.

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Altogether, 399 raised 18 cubs alongside roads in Grand Teton National Park between 2006 and 2024.

But, in 2025, the year after 399’s death, and exactly 50 years after federal wildlife managers enshrined grizzlies’ Endangered Species Act protections, the species’ future is in question.

SYMBOL OF RECOVERY IN THE EARLY 2000S, neither locals

nor visitors saw many grizzly bears in the Tetons. Ask about seeing a grizzly at one of GTNP’s visitors centers, and the answer was something like, “You might see a grizzly bear in the northernmost canyons of the park—if you’re lucky.” But in 2006, 399 strolled out of the forest near Oxbow Bend with three cubs and made that area home. Jackson-based wildlife photographers took pictures of the family, sold them at galleries, and posted them on social media, which was just beginning to take off. The story was unbeatable. Grizzly 399’s prominence compared to the bears that shirk human view meant that people could watch her over time and better understand how grizzlies lived. In the

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span of years, people saw her have cubs, teach them how to forage, keep them out of trouble, mourn when they died, and then kick them out and mate and start the whole process over again. They watched her dig for roots, pull fish out of a frozen river, and mate with boars (male grizzly bears) like Bruno, the name given by bear watchers to a grizzly believed to be one of 399’s frequent companions. “We were just watching them, how they dealt with living in the park and how they lived,” says Sue Cedarholm, a wildlife photographer who followed 399 and the triplets in those early years. “People didn’t bother her. We were seeing her, how they function, and live and raise children.” The bear’s presence in GTNP would have been improbable without the concerted recovery effort that began with the species’ listing on the Endangered Species Act. Through that process, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, managers of public land like national forests, and state wildlife biologists

developed a shared philosophy for managing the species. In addition to banning hunting; developing plans for managing bears that killed livestock and got into human-related foods, like garbage; and developing sciencebased policies to protect grizzly habitat far from human development, managers set up scientific study teams to understand where grizzlies were moving across the landscape. They closely tracked individual bear deaths, reproduction, and survival. In the 1990s, wildlife managers developed three key metrics to gauge grizzlies’ recovery in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem: 1) a population of 500 or more bears, 2) an adequate distribution of female bears on the landscape, and 3) thresholds for the number of grizzlies that could die each year. By 2004, these criteria had been met six years in a row, and 399 was the living, highly photogenic proof. “Here we have a reproducing female that is living there, having offspring. Her offspring are having offspring, and

In the span of years, people saw 399 have cubs, teach them how to forage, keep them out of trouble, mourn when they died, and then kick them out and mate and start the whole process over again.

in a place where, in the early 1980s, there were no [grizzly] bears at all,” says Chris Servheen, who served as the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s grizzly bear recovery coordinator for 35 years. “She’s very much evidence of recovery into the Jackson valley, Grand Teton, and south.” And 399 stuck around, raising that litter of cubs along the side of the road. She kicked them off—bear-speak for becoming an empty nester—mated, gave birth in a den near Pilgrim Creek, and, in 2011, returned to the park roads with another set of triplets. Then another in 2013. Altogether, the matriarch birthed and raised 18 cubs alongside roads in the park between 2006 and 2024. (Biologists believe 399 raised her cubs along roads to protect the cubs from marauding boars. Male grizzlies will kill cubs to prevent competition and send mothers into heat, but most male grizzlies shy away from humans and roads.) It is estimated that about half of 399’s cubs survived to adulthood, giving her at least 12 grandcubs and two known great grandcubs—a significant contribution to the Teton area’s grizzly population. Drawn to narratives about 399 and her offspring’s improbable survival, her human fan base grew. People made Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter pages where they spoke for her. Wildlife

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sued, making the case that the service had ignored the best-available science about grizzlies’ diets and genetic health, among other legal arguments on the alleged misapplication of the Endangered Species Act. Some of the species’ main food sources— cutthroat trout and seeds produced by whitebark pines—were themselves imperiled by climate change, advocates argued. (Whitebark pine trees were listed as “threatened” under the Endangered Species Act in January 2023.) They also made the case that grizzlies in the Greater Yellowstone, isolated from other grizzly populations, didn’t have strong enough genetics to avoid inbreeding without connecting to other bears. Tribes, meanwhile, said the decision ignored their rights to consultation and their longstanding religious beliefs elevating the significance of grizzlies. Notwithstanding the lawsuit, in May 2018, the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission, a board appointed by Gov. Mark Gordon that oversees the state game agency of the same name, approved a grizzly hunt. The commission believed the population of the species to be high and that

watchers flew to the Tetons from across the globe, asking tour guides to show them the famous bear. And wildlife managers like Kate Wilmot, Grand Teton National Park’s branch manager of fish and wildlife, who started the park’s Bear Brigade, a coalition of staff and volunteers that manage bear jams to keep tourists away from grizzlies, scrambled to figure out how to manage the deluge of visitation to keep humans and 399 and her offspring safe. (The founding of the Bear Brigade was one such management tool.) In the early days when 399 and her cubs were visible from the road, about 10 cars stopped to watch them. By 2020, when Grizzly 399 was at the peak of her popularity and emerged from the den with four cubs of the year—a feat documented only 11 other times in the Greater Yellowstone since scientists began tracking grizzlies closely—hundreds, if not thousands, of rabid wildlife watchers crowded the park, seeking her out. She wasn’t only the “Queen of the Tetons” but also the queen of bear jams. “She changed this place,” says wildlife guide Kurt Johnson. “She changed Grand Teton forever.” Grizzly 399 and her popularity forced wildlife managers in the park to develop new policies for managing roadside bears and also for managing

the people who flocked to the Tetons to see them. When she began venturing south and outside of the park’s borders in the later 2010s and found garbage, compost, and unsecured livestock feed to eat in the yards of homeowners— behaviors that other bears might have been killed for (to protect humans)— local governments adopted new bearresistant trash cans. She led state wildlife managers to tweak policies about proposed grizzly hunts.

1973

1975

1993

1996

2001

2004

President Richard Nixon signs the Endangered Species Act into law.

Grizzly bears are listed as “threatened” under the Endangered Species Act. At the time, only about 750 grizzlies— about 130 in Wyoming— remained in the Lower 48 states.

Grizzly bear managers adopt a new recovery plan for grizzly bears, choosing to manage them in six isolated islands. Only four of the six populations are occupied.

Grizzly 399 is born. Where, exactly, is unclear.

The Interagency Grizzly Bear Study Team collars 399 for research.

A Jackson Hole Grizzly 399 News&Guide visibly raises a reporter and litter of three researchers cubs in GTNP, track 399 in becoming the Grand Teton first grizNational Park, zly reguarly the first time observed 399 is ever living south of mentioned in Yellowstone the news. At National Park the time, she since the spehas one cub. cies was listed as threatened.

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READY FOR DELISTING? IN 2017, FEDERAL LAND managers decided that grizzlies had fully recovered and no longer needed the protection of the Endangered Species Act. By that point, the recovery criteria established in the 1990s had been met annually for well over a decade. The species was removed from the endangered species list, and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service turned the management of grizzlies over to states. This meant changes in how the species was managed. But mostly it meant that states could authorize grizzly hunts for the first time in over four decades. Wildlife advocates and some Native American Tribes didn’t agree that the species had recovered, and

2006

2007

2009

The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, which manages “threatened” species like grizzlies, removes the bears’ Endangered Species Act protections. States vow to challenge the decision.

A federal judge overturns the service’s decision, restoring grizzlies’ protections.

2017

2018

2020

Grizzly 399 The Wyoming The U.S. Fish 399 has three emerges from Game & Fish & Wildlife cubs. One is the den with Department adopted by her Service once four cubs, an approves a daughter, Grizzly again removes grizzly bear hunt. incredibly rare 610, and the two grizzlies’ phenomenon 399 inspires moms raise their protections, in the ursine the “Shoot ’em arguing the combined five with a Camera” kingdom. At cubs within view species is the height of campaign. A recovered. of GTNP roads. judge relists the the COVID-19 The adoption is Multiple lawsuits are filed bears before the pandemic, the covered by event propels challenging this hunt happens, newspapers though. decision. around the her stardom. world.

2022 Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho petition the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service once again to remove grizzly bears’ Endangered Species Act protections.

When a grizzly hunt was planned for 2018, a coalition of Jackson Hole residents and wildlife advocates spearheaded a campaign for nonhunters and photographers to register for the available hunting permits, with the goal of keeping the tags out of actual hunters' hands.

2023 Grizzly 399 emerges from the den with one cub, becoming the oldest known grizzly mother in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.

2024

2025

A commuter hits and kills 399 in the Snake River Canyon, prompting bear funerals and mourning from Israel to the United States to South Africa.

The Fish & Wildlife Service decides against delisting grizzlies, arguing the bears need to be protected as they move between island populations. States vow to challenge the decision. CODY DOWNARD

2011

area was known to be frequented by Grizzly 399. Here, hunters could not harvest grizzlies. (GTNP, by virtue of being a national park, was already off limits.) “That ‘no hunt’ area was based on all known locations of that particular bear,” Dan Thompson, large carnivore supervisor for the Game & Fish department, previously told the News&Guide. But the buffer zone wasn’t enough for wildlife advocates and 399’s fans. The “Shoot ’em with a Camera” movement was born. When Game & Fish opened the application process for the September hunt, photographers and nonhunters, concerned about a bear like 399 being killed just outside Grand Teton National Park’s borders, applied in droves. The goal was to keep grizzly tags out of actual hunters’ hands. “I have already applied,” organizer Judy Hofflund told the News&Guide at the time. “As has everybody in my family and everybody I can get my hands on.”

R YA N D O R G A N

hunting was a way to decrease it. Wyoming’s first grizzly hunt in 44 years was set to take place in September 2018. At that time, 399 was 21 years old and more of an ambassador for the species than ever. In 2011 she had gone from a local icon to a global star. That spring she emerged from her den with a litter of three cubs while a daughter from her 2006 litter of triplets, Grizzly 610, emerged with two cubs of her own. Biologists aren’t sure why, but 610 adopted one of 399’s triplets. Both mothers and all five cubs were around park roads all summer. The “adoption” was covered by newspapers as far away as London and Turkey. Cognizant of 399’s global renown while developing proposals for the hunt, the Wyoming Game & Fish Department established a buffer zone in the Bridger-Teton National Forest on the east side of GTNP where hunting grizzlies would be prohibited. The

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SUE CEDARHOLM

Grizzly 399's final cub was nicknamed "Spirit" by fans. Spirit was not killed in the accident that took its mother; biologists believe the cub, which was born in 2023, has a good chance at survival.

Hofflund didn’t draw a tag, but wildlife photographer Tom Mangelsen, the photographer best known for documenting 399’s life, did. Mangelsen beat out 3,500 Wyoming residents and 2,327 nonresidents for a tag that he would not use. In total, Game & Fish issued 22 tags. Two went to members of the “Shoot ’em with a Camera” movement. But Mangelsen's odds-defying draw ended up being moot. Days before the hunt was supposed to start, a federal judge intervened and ruled on the lawsuits filed by environmental groups and tribes. The judge found merit in the arguments against removing grizzlies from federal protection. The hunt was cancelled, and Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho were required to revisit their plans for ensuring the species’ genetic diversity and counting bears.

LOOKING TO THE FUTURE SEVEN YEARS LATER, THE fight for grizzly bears’ futures still rages. In the waning days of the Biden administration, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

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decided against removing grizzly bears’ Endangered Species Act protections, enraging Western governors. Now, officials in the Trump administration have pledged to work with states to remove the bears’ protections. But wildlife advocates are resolute. Many don’t want to see grizzly protections removed, ever. They don’t trust states to manage the bears—and they certainly don’t trust states’ plans to hunt them. Many of 399’s fans fall into this camp, like Jack Bayles, who spent 10 years in the military, 7 years as an ER tech, and 13 years as a cop. He describes 399 as his “salvation.” At a memorial after her death, he was clear. “We have to keep them listed, whatever that takes,” he said. Had grizzlies’ protections been removed and 399 ventured as far afield as she did when she died — the farthest south she’d ever been, notable for a bear that often ventured far outside of her traditional home range— it could have been hunters’ bullets, not a commuter’s car, that killed her. Bayles doesn’t think that’s an appropriate fate for a grizzly, let alone a famous bear like 399.

But other wildlife advocates say they do, eventually, want to see grizzly bears’ protections removed—when recovery is complete, and human communities have adequately prepared themselves to deal with grizzly bear reoccupation. They just don’t think the time is right now. “The goal is to get the species off the list and in a position where they’re not endangered anymore. There is no advocate, I would say, who wants them permanently listed,” says Kristin Combs, executive director of Wyoming Wildlife Advocates. The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, however, wasn’t focused on bears like 399, or even hunting, which state and some federal wildlife biologists say the species can tolerate. Instead, the agency’s decision was bigger picture, focused on the entire Western United States rather than the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. The argument against delisting grizzly bears, the service says, is about allowing isolated populations of grizzlies in the GYE, the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem surrounding Glacier National Park,

“For bears to be successful, and many other animals to be successful in the face of climate change, they’re going to need to move across the landscape because they may have to go places they didn’t have to go before.” CHRIS SERVHEEN, RETIRED U.S. FISH & WILDLIFE SERVICE GRIZZLY BEAR RECOVERY COORDINATOR

and the Bitterroot Mountains, which grizzly bears haven’t yet been able to recolonize, to connect. As it stands, each of these areas is managed independently, but the the Biden-era Fish & Wildlife Service proposed managing grizzlies as a big, interconnected population—something that’s now possible because the bears’ numbers have climbed and they’ve been frequently detected outside the heart of the Greater Yellowstone and Northern Continental Divide Ecosystems. In areas that grizzlies are likely to occupy, federal wildlife biologists proposed protecting them by preventing hunting, promoting bear-safe communities, and closely regulating states’ killing and removal of bears that get into trouble (like getting into trash or having come to associate humans with food). In areas that grizzlies are not likely to recolonize, the idea was to relax protections and allow states discretion over handling the bears. Advocates like Combs are generally on board with the service's proposal. “The problem is that the recovery

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plan was written in 1993. It’s outdated and focused on these island populations,” she says. “We need to see that the threats they’re under from climate change, human development, and human mortality are better before they move toward delisting.” The proposal closely mirrors one submitted by Servheen, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s former grizzly bear recovery coordinator. Thinking about grizzlies as a large interconnected population will have three benefits, he says: It will allow them to move freely across the landscape and recolonize new areas. That will allow different populations to interbreed, improve their genetics, and avoid inbreeding. It will also make them more resilient to climate change. “For bears to be successful, and many other animals to be successful, they’re going to need to move across the landscape because they may have to go places they didn’t have to go before,” Servheen says. States, however, have accused the federal government of moving the goalpost on recovery, especially because the

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U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service itself admits that previous markers of recovery have been met and because Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho took significant steps to demonstrate their dedication to protecting bears. The states have signed onto a plan with federal land managers and biologists to manage grizzly bears after their protections are removed. They’ve relocated bears from the Northern Continental Divide into the Greater Yellowstone to address genetic concerns. They’ve created an agreement that establishes a grizzly bear population target in the GYE and regulates hunting to ensure the species’ survival in its core range. In more far-flung areas, managers want less-strict regulations on grizzly populations so they have more flexibility to kill bears that cause conflicts with livestock or threaten people. Instead, they see the Fish & Wildlife Service’s decision-making as a folly and they’ve turned to the Trump administration and Republican lawmakers in the U.S. Congress, including Wyoming’s Harriet Hageman, to remove bears’ protections and hand management to states. “This is not a science-based decision. It is a decision based on federal government not wanting to give up control,” says Angi Bruce, the director of the Wyoming Game & Fish Department. She feels that connecting populations,

given human development in the West, is unlikely. The proposed area for grizzly protection “includes large areas of unsustainable habitat, including private lands in human-populated areas, which makes it very unlikely for connectivity to occur.” But, like 399 fans and grizzly advocates such as Bayles, Servheen doesn’t trust the Western states, and particularly state legislatures, that have moved their own goal posts by opening the doors for hunters to target other carnivores in ways that could impact grizzlies, like hound hunting black bears in Montana and Idaho (Wyoming doesn’t allow the practice) and trapping wolves over bait, which is allowed in Montana and Idaho, with restrictions, but banned in Wyoming’s portion of the Greater Yellowstone. In Wyoming, state lawmakers proposed allowing hunters outside of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem to target grizzlies for free if they purchase an elk tag. The bill died, but wildlife advocates worry about the message it sends. “They have moved the goal post by putting these mortality mechanisms for grizzly bears out there,” Servheen says of the Western states. “And this effort is not only as an effort to increase resiliency, but to minimize those mortality-causing mechanisms that were never there when the 1993 recovery plan was written.”

All that is to say the debate about delisting has become much more global than 399. Intentionally or not, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s decision, which is likely to be overturned, changed the debate from an ecosystemspecific discussion where 399 could be a major player to a West-wide fight where celebrity bears are only part of the picture. Still, her supporters think that 399’s increasingly famous offspring or celebrity bears that traverse through areas that grizzlies don’t currently occupy will be pivotal in the next debate. “Because people feel so connected to these animals and love to see them so much, I think celebrity bears, wherever they are, will continue to be important and continue to be the focal point for people to learn about this issue and that bears are still struggling,” says Combs. And, in a way, 399’s story is unmistakably tied to the ongoing debates, even if the focus shifts elsewhere. As a vanguard for her species, the first of her kind to visibly take up residence on the side of the road in Grand Teton National Park, decades after grizzlies had been all but removed from that landscape, she was a harbinger of grizzlies’ expansion and recovery—not just in the Greater Yellowstone, but across the American West. The question, now, is what to do with it. JH

Since 1975, when the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service first protected grizzly bears under the Endangered Species Act, they have been considered “threatened,” a lower level of threat than an “endangered” designation. “Endangered” species are in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of their range. “Threatened” species, by contrast, are likely to become endangered within the foreseeable future. Over time, conservationists have tried to elevate various grizzly populations' status from “threatened” to “endangered,” but the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service has never agreed, either because science didn’t back the push, or because of limited resources. As a “threatened” species, grizzlies have a handful of key protections: • Grizzlies cannot be hunted, harmed, harassed, or killed, except in self-defense.

• While grizzly bears can be killed for preying on livestock or becoming food-conditioned and habituated to human presence, state wildlife managers are required to consult with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service before moving a bear to a new location or killing it. • Notably, federal and state employees are “allowed to pursue, capture, collect, and import grizzly bears and to possess, move, or export unlawfully taken grizzly bears, so long as those activities are for scientific or educational purposes,” according to the Congressional Research Services.

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• The Endangered Species Act prohibits the import, commercial export, commercial transportation, sale, or take of grizzly bears in the Lower 48 states.

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THE BIRTH OF

BIKEPACKING CONCEIVED OF ALMOST 30 YEARS AGO, THE GREAT DIVIDE MOUNTAIN BIKE ROUTE IS AS MUCH OF AN ADVENTURE AS EVER, AND IT PASSES THROUGH JACKSON HOLE.

ess than an hour ago, at the start of the 2,700-mile Great Divide Mountain Bike Route (GRMBR), my husband, Allen, and I posed for a photograph. Fresh, clean, fit, and full of enthusiasm, we smiled for the camera and then set off. But now—only three miles in— we’re turning around. Allen’s pedal fell off. And, because we dare to think it can’t get much worse, it starts pouring rain. This could be a very long—or a very short—trip. Fortunately, most of the road back is downhill, which allows Allen to coast.

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A mechanic at a bike store in Canmore, Alberta, gets the pedal back on, and we start again. Thirteen miles later, we arrive at our planned camp. Settling down for the night, I hope our mechanical issue is not a sign of things to come.

THE GREAT DIVIDE Mountain Bike Route, which traverses two Canadian provinces and five Western states, crossing through Jackson Hole at the northern end of the valley, began in 1990 as a casual conversation between Gary McFadden, the then-director of

// BY MOLLY ABSOLON

COURTESY PHOTO

The author and her husband, Allen O’Bannon, ride through peak autumn foliage over Marshall Pass south of Salida, Colorado.

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M O L LY A B S O L O N

Allen O’Bannon takes in the view on the way to Brooks Lake on Togwotee Pass, in the BridgerTeton National Forest.

Adventure Cycling—a bike-touring and advocacy group based in Missoula, Montana—and his assistant director, Michael, better known as Mac, McCoy. McCoy lived in Teton Valley, Idaho, for years and served as the editor of this magazine from 1999 to 2012. He and his wife, Nancy McCullough-McCoy, started Powder Mountain Press in Driggs, which, among other things, publishes Teton Valley magazine. McCoy met his wife working at Grand Targhee Resort in 1974, so they have deep roots in the Tetons although they’ve now retired to Arizona. McCoy wrote the GDMBR guidebook in 2000. Allen and I read the 2013 version each night before we went to bed.

MOUNTAIN BIKING WAS a nascent

sport in 1990 when McFadden and McCoy’s conversation took place, but bike touring was not. Adventure Cycling, originally called Bikecentennial, had been in operation since 1973. The organization’s original purpose was to host

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a group cross-country ride to celebrate the nation’s 200th birthday. Roughly 4,500 cyclists participated. Following that success, Bikecentennial morphed into a nonprofit membership group designed to support traveling bicyclists, create new multiday routes, provide maps, and conduct bike tours. In 1990, the group’s name was changed to Adventure Cycling. McCoy worked on and off for Bikecentennial/Adventure Cycling throughout the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, mapping out routes and leading trips as well as doing his own tours with Nancy. Those rides were on pavement until 1985, when the McCoys bought a pair of Cannondale mountain bikes, the first fat-tire bikes sold in Missoula, and discovered the joys of riding on dirt, away from traffic. “We decided why not put panniers on our mountain bikes and tour offpavement? So, we took a five-day experimental trip, riding on dirt roads and trails from Kemmerer, Wyoming, around the Wyoming Range into Jack-

LABELED A MOUNTAIN BIKE ROUTE, THE GDMBR HAS LITTLE IN THE WAY OF SINGLETRACK. IT CONSISTS OF FOREST SERVICE ROADS, TWO-TRACKS, GRAVEL BYWAYS, AND OCCASIONAL STRETCHES OF HIGHWAY.

M O L LY A B S O L O N

son Hole,” McCoy says. “I didn’t know anyone who was putting panniers on their mountain bikes in those days, but it worked. The trip was hard, fun, and a real adventure.” And it got McCoy thinking about something longer. “I worked for the forest service up in northwestern Montana one season, and part of my job was to ride my motorcycle on closed logging roads to document their condition,” he says. “That opened my eyes. If this one ranger district had that many gravel roads you could ride a bike on, what about the rest of the country?” The allure of dirt roads proved to be irresistible. McCoy isn’t sure whose idea the Great Divide Route was, but both he and McFadden quickly grew excited by its promise. Still, it took some convincing for Adventure Cycling’s board of directors to buy in. The organization was strapped for cash, and the idea of mountain bike touring—what we now call bikepacking—was virtually nonexistent at that time. After a couple of meetings with McFadden cajoling the directors, they agreed to set McCoy loose to try to come up with a route through Montana, figuring if they could make something happen close to home, they could probably find a route farther south. McCoy’s first attempt along the eastern side of the Rocky Mountain Front in Montana failed. He ran into too much private land and too many access issues. A year later, he tried again on the west side of the divide, and this time he managed to put together a feasible path from Eureka, Montana, near the Canadian border, south to Idaho. At that point, Travel Montana picked up on Adventure Cycling’s idea and put together a press junket that included writers and photographers from a variety of magazines, including Sports Illustrated, Men’s Journal, Outside, and

The New Mexico desert is one of the most remote and arid sections of the Great Divide Route.

Bicycling. The subsequent publicity attracted more attention, bringing with it money—and a red Jeep, donated by a car dealership in Missoula—to keep the project rolling.

I ROUND THE corner and stop. We are heading up one of the GDMBR’s 30 or so crossings of the Continental Divide— this one near Lincoln, Montana—and it’s a doozy. Ahead, the road rises steeply. Loose melon-sized rocks litter its surface. There is no way I can ride it. I see Allen ahead, pushing his bike. I dismount and start doing the same. As the angle grows steeper, it is harder and harder to move upward. Loaded down with camping gear, clothing, food, and water, my bike weighs at least 45 pounds. On the shifting, angled terrain, this feels like a lot. I take one step forward, move my bike a foot or so, squeeze the brakes so I don’t lose ground, and then take another step. Slowly I inch upward. After about 30 minutes, the road tops out on an open ridge from which the views fall away in all directions. What follows is a glorious, flowy descent through golden meadows and aspen forests to the famous Llama Ranch, a day’s ride from Helena, Montana, and a piece of paradise for bikepackers and

Continental Divide through-hikers. Run by Barbara Nye and John Keller since the late 1990s, the ranch offers accommodations, food, and even beer, wine, and chocolate milk for free. John welcomes us and gives us a tour. He explains that they don’t ask for money; instead, they hope guests will pay it forward and help others as a way to spread goodness in the world.

MCCOY SPENT SEVERAL years researching the Great Divide Route. He biked some sections and drove others in the donated Jeep. He backtracked hundreds of miles when options failed to pan out and encountered snow drifts, floods, and even a fence that mysteriously locked behind him. In 1997, Adventure Cycling released its first map of a 2,465-mile route from the Canadian border to the Mexican border. (Later, the route was extended, and its northern terminus is now in Jasper, Alberta.) Labeled a mountain bike route, the GDMBR has little in the way of singletrack. It consists of forest service roads, two-tracks, gravel byways, and occasional stretches of highway that parallel the Continental Divide. Riders pedal through Alberta, British Columbia, Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, JACKSON HOLE | SUMMER 2025

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THE GDMBR IS THE MOST RECOGNIZED AND IMPORTANT OFF-PAVEMENT CYCLING ROUTE IN THE UNITED STATES, IF NOT THE WORLD. MANY CONSIDER IT THE BIRTHPLACE OF BIKEPACKING.

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The author and her husband pose near Elk Lakes Provincial Park in British Columbia on day three of their Great Divide Tour.

and New Mexico. It’s not particularly technical, but it’s long, remote, and includes nearly 200,000 feet of climbing. According to Bikepacking.com—a resource started in 2012 for people who want to explore the world on bicycles (think gear reviews, packing lists, and, most important, route information)— the GDMBR is the most recognized and important off-pavement cycling route in the United States, if not the world. Many consider it the birthplace of bikepacking, a sport that has become hugely popular in the last 15 years. The route was the first of its kind—anywhere— and has inspired the development of many other routes in the years since it was mapped. Now, there are countless off-pavement options for adventure cyclists to explore around the world. Once the GDMBR was established, it didn’t take long for people to start wondering how fast they could ride it. At first, the handful of cyclists attempting the route were taking six weeks to two months or more to complete the ride. John Stamsted, an endurance

F R A N C O I S B R I S S E T T E / C O U R T E S Y M O L LY A B S O L O N

mountain bike racer, thought he could do it faster. He ran into a number of obstacles during his 1999 effort, but he reached Antelope Wells on the Mexico border in 18 days and five hours. The bar was set. In 2004, Mike Curiak issued a challenge to “anyone and everyone” to join him in racing the Great Divide. Six people took him up on the offer. Four finished. Curiak set a new course record of 16 days and 57 minutes, with the second-place rider coming in a mere 20 minutes behind him, and so began what has become known as the Tour Divide, a rugged, unsupported, informal race. For the most part, the race follows the GDMBR, though in places it deviates. The exact reasons for these deviations vary—in some places it’s to avoid areas of snow or burn, in others, it’s to skip a section of pavement. The deviations can change from one year to the next, but, in general, the two routes follow a similar path. In 2007, Jay Petervary, an adventure racer from Victor, Idaho, did the Tour

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Allen O’Bannon, Francois Brissette, and Anik Mecure head south on the Great Divide Route on their second day of riding from Canmore, Alberta.

Divide. He set a new course record of 15 days, 4 hours, and 18 minutes and discovered a new career. “That race was life changing,” Petervary says. “I loved the style of racing. I was burned out on 24-hour events. I wanted to go longer. I loved going in and out of towns, meeting people, and seeing these out-of-theway places. I loved the challenge of figuring out how I could go faster. I geek out on every piece of equipment I carry. I make things for my bike. I’m always experimenting. I loved pushing myself to see how hard I could go.” But while Petervary likes to push himself, he also loves that other people are discovering bikepacking and the GDMBR without the goal of going fast. He and his wife, Tracey Petervary (with whom he shares the record for the fastest Tour Divide on a tandem bicycle), have started a business, The BikeTender, in Victor. It offers guiding services, classes on bikepacking, and shuttle rides. “The Great Divide is special,” Petervary says. “Now, more and more people are riding it. Families do it. You can do it in two weeks or 90 days. It doesn’t really matter. What matters is that you are doing it. It’s our backyard, and I believe the only way to really explore it is by bike. You can’t get the same experience in a car.” The challenge. The length. The remoteness. The trail magic. The beauty. There’s something about the Great Divide that draws people, but it’s difficult to tell exactly how many. Adventure Cycling sells paper maps for the route, but more and more, riders rely on GPX files on their smartphones, or they pass maps around, so sales aren’t a perfect

way of counting just how many people are out there. John Keller at the Llama Ranch said last year they had more than 700 bikers stop in by late August. Our trip occurred toward the end of the Great Divide season, so we often went days without seeing other cyclists. But then we’d run into a clump. There was Larry, who had two months and figured he’d see how far he could get. There were Pete and Andrew, who wanted to finish in 42 days. The last we heard of them, Andrew had slept in an outhouse after wind and snow drove him from his tent. MC had just finished her master’s degree and was on an extended journey. She’d started in Alaska. Last we knew, she’d linked the Great Divide to the Baja Divide and was heading to mainland Mexico to keep riding. We saw quite a few older retired men riding solo, and a boy who had just turned 12 passed us heading north. He and his father had about 30 kilometers to go to Banff. Their bikes were falling apart, but the kid was triumphant. He said he’d walk the final stretch if he had to. Bike shops, grocery stores, gas stations, ranches, and restaurants along the route have learned to cater to the needs of bikers. Trail angels leave coolers by the roadside filled with cold drinks and energy bars. People drive by and ask if riders need water or food. The kindness and generosity of the people we encountered was one of the highlights of the trip for Allen and me. There seems to be something about a long, hard, remote endeavor that breaks down barriers.

OUR LAST NIGHT. We are camping at the community center in the tiny town of Hachita, New Mexico, with seven other bikers, each of us paying $10 to sleep and enjoy access to a bathroom and kitchen. A local band practices classic rock covers inside. Crawling into my sleeping bag, I’m torn. Allen and I spent a lot of nights out under the stars. A lot of nights eating rehydrated meals and quesadillas. Tomorrow we’ll be in a hotel and then will begin the long drive back to Teton Valley. I want to keep going. But the next day, the reality of what it means to keep going hits me. It’s 50 miles from Hachita to the end. The landscape is flat and desolate—stretching endlessly with little to break up its monotony. The headwind is light, but stills slows our pace. My butt hurts. My hands are numb. Suddenly I am ready to be off my bike. To keep my mind off my pedaling, I think about the past two months. How frightened I was when trees fell down around us as we rode through a windstorm south of Whitefish, Montana. The grizzly bear that crossed the road right behind Allen in Canada. Hunkering down beneath Allen’s blue tarp as thunder and lightning danced around us; one bolt started a fire about a mile from where we cowered. Sun. Cold. Wind. Mud. Wild horses. Elk bugling. A pine marten. A badger. Hawks and eagles and miles and miles of road stretching into the distance. Too many energy bars. Too much dehydrated food. So many people met and places seen. These thoughts distract me. For a while. Then my butt starts to hurt again, and there’s no position that’s comfortable. And then I know it’s time for this adventure to be over. JACKSON HOLE | SUMMER 2025

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THE GDMBR IN JACKSON HOLE T he GDMBR enters Wyoming and the greater Jackson Hole area on the Ashton-Flagg Ranch Road, which leaves the open agricultural fields of eastern Idaho’s Teton Valley to climb up and over the northern tip of the Teton Range before it drops down to the Snake River and Flagg Ranch.

The Ashton-Flagg Ranch Road, also known as Grassy Lake Road, is rolling and rough in places with some car traffic. There’s primitive camping along the route, and you might spot moose, elk, and the occasional grizzly bear. Depending on the season, there can also be an abundance of mosquitos on this stretch. From the start of the Ashton-Flagg Road to the John D. Rockefeller Jr. Memorial Highway is roughly 37 miles.

Flagg Ranch is a popular rest stop for cyclists, with a full-service restaurant and small convenience store where you can resupply. From here, the route heads south for 25 miles along the busy, paved John D. Rockefeller Jr. Memorial Highway, aka U.S. Highway 191. Fortunately, the shoulder along the highway is wide, and the views of the Tetons and Jackson Lake make up for all the cars and RVs.

At Moran Junction, the GDMBR heads east for five miles to Buffalo Valley Road, where you trade watching out for cars to being alert for grizzly bears. (This is prime grizzly country.) The route parallels the Buffalo Fork River to Turpin Meadow Ranch, which has a spectacular bar with cold beers and unsurpassed views of Mount Moran.

From Turpin Meadow, the dirt route climbs to Highway 26/287 and up and over Togwotee Pass. At Wind River Lake, a short detour from the highway goes to Brooks Lake. On paper, it hardly seems worth the effort, but the views are spectacular, it’s off the busy pavement, and it includes six glorious miles of downhill.

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5 5 On the eastern side of Togwotee Pass, the GDMBR leaves the highway to ascend through subalpine wildflower meadows to Union Pass, where the Wind River, Absaroka, and Gros Ventre Mountains converge. The climb up Union Pass, the ninth place the GDMBR crosses the Continental Divide since Banff, has some frustrating ups and downs, an abundance of cows, and loose, cobbly road surfaces before it descends for good into the Upper Green River Basin. JH

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WILD AND MILD ADVENTURES

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BIRD WATCHING

NORTHERN FLICKER

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Birds

For the Several hundred species of birds call the valley’s skies home.

// BY JIM MAHAFFIE

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GREAT GRAY OWL

AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN

seasonal rite of passage for Jacksonites every spring is swapping out their seed feeders for hummingbird feeders. Every year, the hummers quickly find these new feeders—zooming around decks—while the winter bird crowd has flown off to find what nature is offering elsewhere. More than 340 species of birds have been identified in Jackson Hole. Most are migratory, spending only three to six months in the valley each year. They flock to the Tetons because the diverse habitats include sagebrush flats, spruce fir forests, alpine meadows, lakes, and streams—all of which offer birds

food, water, shelter, and safe places to nest. “When weather is bad, birding can be really good. Migratory birds don’t move a lot in bad weather,” says Hilary Turner, a local research biologist with the Teton Raptor Center and the Jackson Hole Wildlife Foundation, and a devout birder. “There are a lot of special birds to find in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Lots of veteran birdwatchers come to the Tetons just to see species like great gray owls, American goshawks, black rosy finches, and pine grosbeaks. Birders go nuts for these sightings.” Here are some prime places to bird watch.

BARROW'S GOLDENEYE

THOMAS STANTON

A short distance from the Moran Junction entrance to Grand Teton National Park, Oxbow Bend overlooks a crescent-shaped section of the Snake River. Here you might find waterfowl like pelicans and great blue herons along with muskrats, otters, moose, and bear. It’s a beautiful spot for photos, both sunrises and sunsets, with distant Mt. Moran reflected on the surface of the water.

THOMAS STANTON

Jackson Lake is a 400-foot-deep natural lake made deeper and larger by Jackson Lake Dam. Birds to watch for around the dam include swans, pelicans, cormorants, killdeer, herons, eagles, ospreys, and merganser and goldeneye ducks. Sandhill cranes can often be found in the flats to the north, as well. There are parking areas at either end of the dam, and birds hang out in and around the lake and in the river below the outflow.

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THOMAS STANTON

WESTERN WOOD-PEEWEE

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COMMON MERGANSER

THOMAS STANTON

SAGE-GROUSE

More than 340 species of birds have been identified in Jackson Hole.

In early spring, sage-grouse start looking for love, and they return every year to open clearings and sagebrush flats around the valley, called leks, where the males perform elaborate courtship displays using tail feathers and expandable air sacs under their throats to compete with other males for female attention. Viewing sites are not well publicized as the greater sage-grouse is an imperiled population, but the strutting, preening, and displays are fascinating. Luckily, the National Park Service invites people on early morning ranger-led sage-grouse strut viewings through spotting scopes at sites in Grand Teton National Park. The Park Service has special viewing regulations to minimize human disturbance in these rare and charming birdwatching moments.

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MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD

THOMAS STANTON

The packed gravel paths along both sides of the Snake River are great for birdwatching. At the junction of Highway 22 and the Village Road by the Wilson Bridge are Emily Stevens Park and R Park. Dog walkers, bike riders, and birders stroll around the ponds and along either side of the river to spot many different ducks like mergansers, grebes, and mallards, as well as other waterfowl. Eagles nest to the north, great blue herons can be seen hunting a meal along the water, and dippers flit in and around the pedestrian bridge over the river.

At the Flat Creek Observation Deck off U.S. Highway 89 just north of Jackson and the National Museum of Wildlife Art, you can look into the National Elk Refuge, where migratory waterfowl gather in the water and raptors fly overhead. The refuge was created in 1912 to protect habitat and provide sanctuary for elk and other wildlife. Over 140 bird species have been documented here, and abundant bird life includes many different species of ducks, red-winged blackbirds, magpies, crows, ravens, and trumpeter swans. Elsewhere on the refuge are mountain bluebirds, warblers, finches, wrens, nutcrackers, various species of woodpeckers, and many more. Bring binoculars and spotting scopes.

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Located at the historic Hardeman Barns in Wilson, the Teton Raptor Center was founded in 1991 by Grand Teton National Park biologists Roger Smith and Margaret Creel, who had begun caring for injured hawks, eagles, and owls out of their home. Today, the center manages several education and conservation programs as well as care and rehabilitation for numbers of injured, ill, and orphaned raptors. Reservations are recommended and required for changing public programs at the center, and the birds being cared for are not viewable. If you can’t make it to the Raptor Center, it does outreach at the People’s Market, Jackson Hole Airport, the Village Commons, and other events and locations. “We want to enhance people’s wild encounters,” says executive director Amy McCarthy. “When they’ve had an opportunity to be close to these birds, they can look closely for them on the river and in their own backyards and see them in a new light. There are 25 to 30 raptor species in the Greater Yellowstone ecosystem. So, get outside and look up!” JH

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Historic GTNP’s

The storied dude ranches that helped introduce the West to generations of visitors left an enduring legacy on Grand Teton National Park—one that can still be experienced today. // BY HELEN OLSSON

rom the early 1900s to the 1940s, Jackson Hole was a hotbed for dude ranching. City slickers came to experience the Western landscape, rustic cabins, and the cowboy lifestyle, saddling up for overnight pack trips into the wilderness. The social scene was vibrant, too, with cocktail hours, dances, card games, and dinners. “You’d take a train to Victor, Idaho, then a stagecoach over Teton Pass, and then get picked up in town by your dude ranch, which would bring you to the ranch in a wagon,” says Katherine Wonson, former director of the Western Center for Historic Preservation, an arm of the National Park Service that does preservation projects on NPS lands throughout the Western United States, including Grand Teton National Park. “With that time commitment for travel, guests stayed a minimum of a month—most stayed for the whole summer.” In the 1920s, Grand Teton National Park hadn’t yet been founded, and dude ranching was the valley’s largest employer, with the White Grass, Bar BC, and JY Ranches, all at the foot of the Tetons, leading the way. After World War II— and the rise of personal automobiles—many of the ranches closed; many of those that were within GTNP were purchased by John D. Rockefeller’s Snake River Land Company and then donated to the park. In 1990, over 70 percent of the original ranch buildings acquired by GTNP had been demolished or removed. “Back in the 1980s, the park saw itself as a ‘natural park,’” Wonson says. “These buildings were considered a blight on the landscape.” It wasn’t until the 2000s that historic preservation became a priority. Today, you can visit old dude ranch sites within GTNP—some still dotted with historic structures, others reclaimed by nature.

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R YA N D O R G A N

Ranches

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R YA N D O R G A N

B R A D LY J . B O N E R

RANCHES

MURIE RANCH

BAR BC RANCH

HISTORY: In 1927, biologist Olaus Murie came to Jackson to study the elk herd with the Biological Survey. Olaus and his wife, Margaret—along with his brother Adolph and his wife, Louise—bought the STS Dude Ranch in 1945. Their first order of business was to remove fences so wildlife could roam freely. The ranch soon became a hub for wilderness conservation advocacy. The Muries’ conservation work helped pass the 1964 Wilderness Act and establish the Jackson Hole National Monument, which became Grand Teton National Park, in 1943. Olaus was the director of The Wilderness Society, and the couple hosted front porch chats about preserving the environment. The Murie Residence was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1990, Murie Ranch in 1998. The properties were declared a National Historic Landmark in 2006.

HISTORY: After a falling out with Louis Joy, Struthers Burt partnered with Horace Carncross to open Jackson Hole’s second dude ranch in 1912: the Bar BC Ranch. It once had 32 cabins, a swimming hole with diving board, and an electrical plant powered by irrigation flumes. In its heyday, as many as 50 guests stayed at the ranch, paying $300 for a monthlong cowboy adventure. The Bar BC catered to a high-end clientele, with costume parties, plays, and literary discussions. In 1929, Burt sold the Bar BC to Rockefeller’s Snake River Land Company, though Burt and his new partner, Irving Corse, retained a life lease to continue dude ranching operations. When the last of the Corse family passed away, the Bar BC reverted to GTNP. In 1990, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

MEMORABLE CHARACTER: In 1924, Margaret “Mardy” Murie became the first woman to graduate from the University of Alaska. “After Olaus passed, she continued the conservation legacy,” Wonson says. “She was pretty much responsible for the passing of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA).” For her decades of conservation work, she received the Audubon Medal in 1980, and in 1998, President Bill Clinton awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

MEMORABLE CHARACTERS: Struthers Burt was a well-known author who penned The Diary of a Dude-Wrangler (1924). His wife, Katharine Newlin Burt, was a prolific author whose novels and stories were often adapted for the silver screen, including the 1921 silent film Snowblind. The duo attracted literary icons like Ernest Hemingway and William Faulkner, who came to the Bar BC with their typewriters. “With their literary celebrity, the Burts really put the Bar BC on the map,” Wonson says.

TODAY: The ranch boasts 17 original cabins including the Muries’ homestead. Teton Science Schools is continuing the Muries’ legacy with its free Front Porch Concerts and Conversations held throughout the summer. The program hosts experts, activists, and archivists to discuss nature and conservation, and it also brings in folk music and acoustic acts.

TODAY: Many of the ranch’s cabins remain along the western bank of the Snake River in various stages of disrepair. The main cabin was rehabilitated by the Western Center for Historic Preservation. The ranch had its own airstrip, and remnants of an airplane hangar can still be seen. Visitors can spend the day here fishing, hiking, and picnicking, or biking.

GETTING THERE: Before the Moose entrance station, turn left into the Craig Thomas Discovery and Visitor Center parking lot. From there, it’s a short walk to Murie Ranch.

GETTING THERE: Drive through the Moose entrance station, turn right, and head east on River Road for two miles (4-wheel drive only). Park at the small lot near the gate.

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WHITE GRASS RANCH HISTORY: In the early 1900s, two homesteaders with adjacent properties—Harold Hammond and George Tucker Bisham—discovered that tourism was more lucrative than cattle ranching. In 1919, they opened White Grass, the valley’s third dude ranch. Though it struggled to stay open during the one-two punch of the Great Depression and World War II, White Grass survived through Western grit and ingenuity. They dug ditches near guest cabins to chill drinks in mountain runoff and built silver fox pens during the Great Depression to sell pelts for additional revenue. White Grass shuttered in 1985, and in 1990, the 320acre ranch was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 2005, the NPS, partnering with the National Trust for Historic Preservation, began rehabilitating the ranch’s dilapidated structures. MEMORABLE CHARACTER: Frank Galey, Hammond’s stepson, who dropped out of Princeton to run the ranch upon Hammond’s death, was legendary. Galey once used dynamite to blast snow off the barn’s original gambrel roof. “The barn was sold at auction in the late 1980s for $1 and hauled down to Rock Springs,” Wonson says. TODAY: From 2007 to 2024, White Grass was used as an NPS training facility for teaching historic preservation techniques. Today, 13 structures have been fully rehabilitated, including guest cabins, a bathhouse, and a main cabin with a dining hall, card room, and library. In October 2024, GTNP took the property back for short-term housing for youth crews and volunteers, ending nearly two decades of use as a preservation facility. Visitors to White Grass can hike to Phelps Lake or do an out-and-back in Death Canyon.

Though White Grass Ranch struggled to stay open during the one-two punch of the Great Depression and World War II, it survived through Western grit and ingenuity.

GETTING THERE: There’s ongoing road construction in this area this summer, so check with the GTNP visitor center in Moose to learn the best way to White Grass Ranch.

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RANCHES

LAURANCE S. ROCKEFELLER PRESERVE (FORMERLY JY RANCH)

The JY Ranch was used as a Rockefeller family retreat for nearly seven decades and eventually gifted to GTNP; today it is the Laurance S. Rockefeller Preserve.

HISTORY: Founded by Louis Joy and Struthers Burt on a 1903 homestead, JY Ranch was Jackson Hole’s first dude ranch. In 1908, the operation’s inaugural year, it housed six guests (or “dudes”). By 1927, the thousand-acre cattle ranch on Phelps Lake bustled with 65 guests who came for an authentic Western experience. Starting in the late 1920s, John D. Rockefeller, intent on purchasing land for conservation, bought 35,000 acres, and in 1932, he bought the JY Ranch. The property was used as a Rockefeller family retreat for nearly seven decades and eventually gifted over time to GTNP. By 2007, Laurance S. Rockefeller (John’s son) had transferred the last acres of the JY Ranch to the park. It’s now called LSR Preserve in his honor. MEMORABLE CHARACTER: At a time when many considered dilapidated ranch structures as nuisances, Laurance saw the value in historic preservation. He helped ensure many of the original JY structures were saved. Some were moved to the Rockefellers’ Granite Ranch; others were relocated throughout the park. The former JY log cabin shop was cut into pieces and moved to Moose, where it serves as the Western Center for Historic Preservation’s carpentry shop. TODAY: What’s left is a land returned to its natural habitat. The LSR Preserve Center features sensory exhibits on plants and wildlife and rangerled talks and walks. The Preserve features 10 miles of trails, including a hike to Phelps Lake. GETTING THERE: Just before the Moose entrance station, turn left on the Moose-Wilson Road. The LSR Preserve’s 50-car lot is four miles up the road on the left.

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ELBO RANCH HISTORY: Charles “Chester” Goss opened Elbo Ranch in 1926. Unlike the existing dude ranches that catered to monthlong visits, Elbo attracted tourists arriving in cars for shorter stays. It had rodeo grounds, a racetrack, grandstands, and concessions stands. A billboard proclaimed it “Home of the Hollywood cowboy!” Set beneath the Tetons, it was considered an eyesore that threatened to spoil the natural surroundings. To preserve the land for future park expansion, John D. Rockefeller’s Snake River Land Company bought the Elbo Ranch in 1929. In the ensuing years, different dude ranches operated on the land—at a much smaller scale than Goss’s endeavor. In 1958 the Elbo Ranch name and brand moved to land just outside GTNP. This relocated ranch is sometimes called “the second Elbo Ranch” and now serves as a campus for the Teton Science Schools.

IT’S AT THE

JACKSON HOLE HISTORY MUSEUM. TUES-SAT, 10A-5P 175 EAST BROADWAY AVE 307.733.2414 JACKSONHOLEHISTORY.ORG

MEMORABLE CHARACTER: Some of the land occupied by Goss’s Elbo Ranch was homesteaded by James “Jimmy” Manges in 1911. Manges grew barley, hay, and wheat, but cultivation was tough going, so he was happy to sell it to Goss after more than a decade of scratching out a living. TODAY: The original Elbo Ranch cabins have been torn down or relocated. However, the Manges cabin, believed to be the first two-story log structure in the valley, still sits on the land. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998. Hints of the racetrack can be seen in the sagebrush with satellite imagery. GETTING THERE: To see the cabin from the pasture, enter the park via the Moose entrance and then park at the Cottonwood Creek picnic area north of Taggart Lake Trailhead. You can also see it by hiking the Taggart Lake Loop Trail. JH

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Walk to Water These lakes and creeks are worth the effort it takes to hike to them.

// WORDS AND PHOTOS BY DINA MISHEV

here are 44 named lakes (and an uncountable number of unnamed lakes) in Grand Teton National Park. Yellowstone National Park has more than 600 lakes. The Wind River Mountains, just one of the six mountain ranges in the 3.4 million-acre Bridger-Teton National Forest that surrounds Jackson Hole, are home to more than 1,300 named lakes. And then there are the rivers, creeks, and streams in and around the valley. Add the length of these together, and you’ve got more than 2,000 miles of flowing water, including the Snake River and its headwaters. Add the shorelines of this waterfront together, and the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, of which Jackson Hole is part, has fewer miles of shoreline (not to be confused with coastline) than Florida (8,436 miles) and Louisiana (7,721 miles), but a smidge more than Maryland (3,190 miles) and Michigan (3,224 miles).

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HERE ARE SOME FAVORITE JACKSON HOLE HIKES TO, OR ALONG, WATER. Full disclosure: I have a soft spot for Lake Solitude, in the flats below a ring of cliffs at the back of the North Fork of Cascade Canyon in Grand Teton National Park, because a photo of my thenboyfriend-now-husband and I hiking along its shore once graced the cover of Backpacker magazine (seen to the right). And more disclosure: while you can hike from the western shore of Jenny Lake to Lake Solitude and back (14.4 miles with 2,670 feet of vertical gain), if you are acclimatized and have the fitness, I recommend visiting Lake Solitude as part of the 20-mile loop that links Paintbrush Canyon to the North Fork of Cascade. Either way you get to Lake Solitude, though, you should stop at the lake and soak your feet. The loop is significantly more difficult than the out-and-back—it’s 4,430 feet of vertical gain versus the out-and-back route’s 2,670 feet—but, as pretty as Lake Solitude is reflecting the Cathedral Group, the views of it as you descend to it from 10,700-foot-high Paintbrush Divide are even prettier. Also, I think Paintbrush Canyon is one of the prettiest canyons in the Tetons.

You can do the loop clockwise or counterclockwise, depending on whether you’d prefer to hike up or down the steepest part, which is in Paintbrush Canyon. To hike up the steep, go counter-clockwise—start by hiking up Paintbrush Canyon; if you’d rather hike down the steepest sections, go clockwise, and start the loop by hiking up Cascade Canyon. If you’re not up for a 20-mile day hike, you can do the PaintbrushCascade Loop as a one-night backpacking trip (get a GTNP backcountry permit for the Upper Paintbrush Canyon Camping Zone or the Cascade Canyon North Fork Camping Zone). Dogs are not allowed on trails in Grand Teton National Park

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GOODWIN LAKE

Goodwin Lake is both a gorgeous day hike and a lovely place to backpack.

For about the last decade, the most difficult part of the three-mile hike up 1,400 feet to Goodwin Lake, at 9,500 feet just below the north side of Jackson Peak in the BridgerTeton National Forest, has been the last mile of dirt road to its trailhead. Its ruts, runnels, exposed rocks, and potholes have been impassable for the last several years by anything but trucks and SUVs with substantial clearance. (Don’t think your Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V, or Nissan Rogue crossover SUV can make it.) This effectively makes the hike one mile longer in each direction, but this summer, the BTNF plans to rework the road, trailhead, and trail itself, perhaps even moving the trailhead down to where the road has been going to s&^% for the last 10-plus years. Even though at the time of writing this story, we’re not sure where exactly the trail to Goodwin Lake will start this summer, this hike is worth it. It is both a gorgeous day hike and a lovely place to backpack. Trying to think of another backcountry lake that is as easy (relatively speaking) to hike to, I come up blank. Also, because Goodwin Lake is in the BTNF, it doesn’t require the advance reservations necessary for camping in the backcountry of GTNP; in fact, it doesn’t require any reservations. But there are only three official campsites there, and if you arrive late, they might already be taken.

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The official trail to Goodwin Lake goes along the lake’s north side, but there is an obvious path on the south side so that you can walk around the lake (this takes about 10 minutes). If you fancy a dip in the lake, try the southern shore, where you can walk out into deep water on rocks instead of mucking through the silt that dominates much of the northern shore. In addition to three designated campsites, there are several areas marked for day-use. These are right on the lake and make a perfect daytime base camp if you want to settle in and enjoy a day at the lake. Please don’t camp at these sites, though. One of the seven principles of Leave No Trace includes camping at least 200 feet from any water. This is to protect habitat and also so that when you stumble out of your tent to pee in the middle of the night, you’re not doing that right at the water’s edge. Dogs are allowed at Goodwin Lake (it’s in the national forest, not the national park), but owners should be aware that there is no water along the trail, and the first mile can be hot and dry. Get to the trailhead by taking the Elk Refuge Road to Curtis Canyon Road. About 4.2 miles from the start of Curtis Canyon Road, there’s a fork. Stay right. Depending on the summer construction, parking might be in this area. Please don’t just pull into the sagebrush; instead, look for a hardened, previously parked-on spot.

JENNY LAKE One of the six lakes that were formed by glaciers at the foot of the Tetons, Jenny Lake is the single most visited spot in Grand Teton National Park. Any hike you do here—the 5.8-mile full circumnavigation of the lake or taking the Jenny Lake Boat Shuttle (read more on page 42) from South Jenny Lake to the 1,191-acre lake’s western shore and then hiking back (two or four miles depending on whether you go clockwise or counter-clockwise)—will be busy, but Jenny Lake is rightfully popular. Hiking along its eastern shore when the wind isn’t making waves on the lake, you’ll see Teewinot Mountain reflected in Jenny’s sapphire blue waters. Hike the wilder western shore and you might run into moose, black or grizzly bears (it’s recommended to carry bear spray—and know how to use it—on any hike you do in Jackson Hole), and osprey. At the north end of the western shore, the trail goes through the burn scar of the 1999 Alder Fire, which was started by a lightning strike and almost burned historic Jenny Lake Lodge.

Any hike at Jenny Lake can include a dip in the lake. The best and easiest place to do this is on the eastern shore, just north of the boat dock. Dogs, even on leashes, are not allowed on trails in Grand Teton National Park.

SKI LAKE

Ski Lake might be the easiest of the many gorgeous alpine lakes in and around Jackson Hole to hike to. Starting at the Phillips Pass Trailhead on the north side of Wyoming Highway 22 several miles above the community of

Wilson, it’s two miles and 800 feet of vertical gain to the lake, and you might spot a moose along the way. Do this hike, which is in the Bridger-Teton National Forest, between mid- and late July, and you’ll see the wildflowers along the way—arrowleaf balsamroot, sticky geranium, and Indian paintbrush, among others— at their peak. Tucked into an amphitheater at 8,650 feet, Ski Lake does not offer sweeping views, but it is a favorite with locals, especially ones with fur kids. Dogs love the hike to Ski Lake because there’s not only a lake to jump into at the end, but there’s also water along most of the trail. JACKSON HOLE | SUMMER 2025

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CACHE CREEK

LAKE OF THE CRAGS

“Anywhere else this would be a national park,” my friend said the first time I took her hiking up Cache Creek, a much-loved locals’ spot where the Bridger-Teton National Forest is only 1.5 miles from Jackson’s Town Square. A network of singletrack trails here cuts across the hillsides above and opposite the creek, which looks (it’s crystal clear) and sounds (it burbles) exactly like what you expect of a mountain creek. Closest to the burbling is what used to be a forest service road, now decommissioned and wide enough to walk three or four abreast. The further you get from the trailhead, which is at the end of Cache Creek Drive in East Jackson, the narrower the former road gets and the fewer people you’ll see (expect to see a couple of dozen other hikers/runners/mountain bikers the first mile or two). If you were so inclined, you could enter the BTNF

Few places in Grand Teton National Park are as aptly named as Hanging Canyon, sandwiched into a fissure above the western shore of Jenny Lake between the much larger Cascade and Paintbrush Canyons. And if there is a lake anywhere in Wyoming with a name as much Anneof-Green-Gables-meetsLord-of-the-Rings as the lake tucked into the back of this canyon at 9,565 feet in elevation, Lake of the Crags, I haven’t heard of it. There is no maintained trail into Hanging Canyon, which makes it all the more important for you to stay on the unofficialbut-obvious trail rather than setting your own route and tromping on

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at Cache Creek and walk pretty much all the way into and through Yellowstone National Park. Most people are happy with a mile or two, though. (The old Cache Creek Road actually has small signs marking miles 1, 2, and 3.) If you’ve had enough burbling and don’t want to retrace your steps, there are spur trails that connect to the hillside trails on both side of the old road every half-mile or so. If you hop onto one of these, as long as you follow it down the canyon you’ll eventually end back at the trailhead parking lot. Cache Creek sometimes has more dogs on it than humans; if your dog is anxious or shy, this might not be the best hike for him/ her. Please respect the mandatory leash zone in and around the trailhead. There are Mutt-Mitt stations in the parking lot and the first several hundred feet of the former road.

The effort of climbing another 500 vertical feet to Lake of the Crags from Ramshead Lake is one thousand percent worth it.

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the canyon’s lush vegetation. It’s five miles (one-way) up about 3,000 vertical feet to Lake of the Crags; expect to hop over some deadfall, especially in the first 1,000 feet. Above the deadfall zone, you’ll pass Arrowhead Pool and Ramshead Lake. While you might be tempted to end your hike at Ramshead Lake, don’t. The effort of climbing another 500 vertical feet to Lake of the Crags is one thousand percent worth it. The lake is snuggled into talus fields beneath snaggly pinnacles with names like Symmetry Spire, Rock of Ages, and The Jaw. If I want to take a dip, I usually do it at the eastern end of the lake. If I want to take a nap, I’ve both set up a hammock in whitebark pine trees at the eastern end and also spread out my Z-

rest pad in a patch of grass at the western end. Because the Hanging Canyon trail is unofficial, it is not on maps. It starts from the western shore of Jenny Lake. From the easternmost String Lake Trailhead parking area, hike south along the western shore of Jenny Lake, following signs for the Jenny Lake west boat dock and Cascade Canyon. You will cross three wooden bridges. The third one has a little step down. You’ll see a fourth bridge about 150 feet ahead. If you cross that bridge, you’ve gone too far. Between the step-down bridge and the fourth bridge, there’s a sizable dead tree on your right (west). Just north of the tree’s base, there’s a semi-circle of rocks. Look up from the rocks and you’ll see the trail that will take you up Hanging Canyon. JH

Relax with friends on the best deck in Teton VillageAerial Tram views included.

SCAN CODE FOR MENU AND HOURS

After a day of sun filled activities, meet up at Tram Dock to continue your Jackson Hole adventure. Located at the base of the Aerial Tram in the heart of Teton Village, Tram Dock not only serves a great menu of food and drinks but a connection to Jackson Hole’s culture both past and present. Tram Dock offers outdoor seating on a comfortable patio, music, drinks at the four-sided bar and a menu fit to satisfy every appetite.

OPEN DAILY 11:30AM - 6PM • JACKSONHOLE.COM

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ERIN BURK

Dinner

The Snow King Observatory and Planetarium has one of the largest state-of-the-art telescopes in the world dedicated primarily to public outreach.

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and a

(Star) Show

After more than a decade of planning and construction, there’s a research-grade telescope open to the public, a planetarium, and a celestialinspired fine dining restaurant on the summit of Snow King Mountain. // BY LILA EDYTHE

he new observatory and planetarium on the summit of Snow King Mountain, which was Wyoming’s first ski area when it opened in 1939 and rises 1,500 feet above downtown Jackson, aren’t just unique among ski areas, but in the world. “There are phenomenal observatories dedicated to scientific research and planetariums that offer entertainment for the public, but the marriage of these two things into one facility that is used by both researchers and the public is something I’m not aware exists anywhere else in the world,” says Joe Zator, the director of the Snow King Observatory and Planetarium. The facts that SKOP is 1) reached by taking a scenic gondola ride to Snow King Mountain’s 7,808-foot summit; 2) has stellar (pun intended) views of four mountain ranges, including some the valley’s best views of the Tetons; and 3) can be experienced before or after a snack, lunch, or dinner at a new summit restaurant, Aurora, are bonuses. All of this was enough to entice Zator to leave the University of Colorado Boulder, where he worked at the Fiske Planetarium and as a researcher at the university’s Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (he worked on the MAVEN mission to Mars, an orbiter with an imaging ultraviolet spectrograph to explore the planet’s upper atmosphere), to move to Jackson and be the facility’s director. “It was a dream of dreams—a once-in-several-lifetimes opportunity,” he says. JACKSON HOLE | SUMMER 2025

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To me, the beauty of the facility is how many different "possibilities we have for people to experience it. It has so much

potential—you can be entertained by films and stargazing in the planetarium and the Science on a Sphere, look through a solar telescope and see activity on the surface of the sun, and/or go into the classroom for a talk about black holes."

B R A D LY J . B O N E R

—JOE ZATOR, SNOW KING OBSERVATORY AND PLANETARIUM DIRECTOR

Joe Zator moved to Jackson from Boulder, Colorado, for a job as the director of the new Snow King Observatory and Planetarium, which opened in June 2024.

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SKOP isn’t only a special opportunity for Zator, but also for locals and visitors to Jackson Hole. While SKOP has many parts, its heart is its 1.0-meter PlaneWave telescope, which is housed in a 24-foot AstroHaven dome. This telescope is one of the largest state-ofthe-art telescopes in the world dedicated primarily to public outreach. It’s so state-of-the-art that it’s also used for research by scientists across the country and around the world. “There are nights that are just for research and other nights primarily for the public,” Zator says. When asked how far the telescope can see, Zator’s answer is simple: “All the way.” But there is more to see at SKOP than space. “To me, the beauty of the facility is how many different possibilities we have for people to experience it,” Zator says. “It has so much potential—you can be entertained by films and stargazing in the planetarium and Science on a Sphere, look through a solar telescope and see activity on the surface of the sun, and/or go into the classroom for a talk about black holes. It’s pick and choose for what you’re interested in. Science nerds can stay for four hours, and other people might want just an hour.” Visitors to the 38-seat planetarium can watch space-related IMAX films, or, more popular, tour the constellations and solar system and admire images of deep space taken by SKOP’s telescope. The night sky is projected onto the 26foot diameter 360-degree screen and, to help you identify constellations, line drawings are superimposed over the stars that make up the constellation. Then there’s the opportunity to “blast off” from the surface of Earth and fly to visit other planets. “We might fly over the moon and talk about the Artemis missions and then over to Mars and talk about Olympus Mons and volcanoes,” Zator says. “And then we’ll ask the audience where they want to go.” The rings of Saturn are a frequent request. The planetarium is open during the day and at night. A night visit to SKOP includes time in it and also time with JACKSON HOLE | SUMMER 2025

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ERIN BURK

SKOP’s telescopes; in addition to the PlaneWave, there are five additional (smaller) telescopes that the observatory’s astronomers set up on the open-air observing deck adjacent to the dome. “You have the ability to try many different telescopes and float in and out of the dome and see as many objects as you possibly can,” Zator says. It is entirely coincidental that the name of the new restaurant—opened this past winter—that shares the summit with SKOP is the same as that of Zator’s young daughter: Aurora. The restaurant’s name is a nod to the fact that it is possible you might see the Aurora Borealis—aka the northern lights—through its wall of north-facing floor-to-ceiling windows. But, if the northern lights don’t make an appearance (they’re only seen in Jackson Hole a handful of times a year), the views through the windows are still worthy— the entirety of the Teton Range and into Yellowstone National Park. In addition to the main restaurant, there’s a 2,300-square-foot rooftop deck where you can get beverages and order from a casual menu of small plates. Both are open during the day and evening. Lunch in the restaurant, which has a traditional inside space with four walls and also space covered (or not) by a retractable roof, offers sandwiches, salads, grain bowls, and pasta. Aurora’s executive chef, Brandon Hicks, an alumnus of the kitchen at New York’s Michelin-starred Picholine, describes the dinner menu as “fine dining, but not alienating. It’s approachable food,” he says. “There are refined options like

ERIN BURK

The heart of the Snow King Observatory and Planetarium is a 1.0-meter PlaneWave telescope, which is housed in a 24-foot AstroHaven dome.

A new restaurant, Aurora, opened on the summit of Snow King last winter. There are packages available that combine dinner here with a visit to SKOP.

yellowtail tartare, and also a Wagyu burger.” There are 24 beers on tap and a seasonal cocktail program developed by food and beverage director Nicholas Berti, who hails from Florence, Italy. In the same building is a coffee bar that serves pastries, coffee (using beans from Great Northern Coffee Company), and espresso drinks (from Lavazza espresso)—it’s the perfect place to rest and recover after a daytime hike up the resort, which is part of the Bridger-Teton National Forest. (The trail climbs about 1,500 vertical feet over two miles.) “I started working on the planning for everything on the summit 12 years

ago,” says Snow King general manager Ryan Stanley. “Now it’s all finished and time for everyone to enjoy it. For a small ski area, the diversity of summit experiences makes us unique.” Reserve a visit to SKOP at snowkingmountain.com and make reservations for Aurora at resy.com. There are also combined SKOP/Aurora experiences available at snowkingmountain.com. Both SKOP and dinner reservations at Aurora include a ride up and down on the Snow King Gondola. Aurora has a 10-seat bar available for walk-ins, and this does not include a free gondola ride. JH

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EXPLORE GO! JACKSON

JUST A FEW THINGS TO DO IN

JACKSON HOLE

Go to jacksonholemagazine.com for more details.

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JACKSON y Get a Huckleberry Old Fashioned at Local (p. 68). y Look for trumpeter swans from the Flat Creek Observation Deck (p. 146). y Explore Cache Creek (p. 156).

yD rink a Pako’s IPA at Snake River Brewing (p. 78).

TETON VILLAGE

yH ike Josie’s Ridge (p. 156).

y T ry Mangy Moose’s baby back pork ribs with huckleberry BBQ glaze (p. 68).

y P ick up a copy of The Diary of a DudeWrangler by Struthers Burt at a local bookstore (p. 86).

y T ake the tram to the summit of Rendezvous Mountain—and make sure you’ve got the right gear (p. 36).

GRAND TETON NATIONAL PARK yG et the baked brie served with huckleberry jalapeño compote at Dornan’s in Moose (p. 68). yH ike around Jenny Lake (p. 156).

y Float the Snake River (p. 28).

WILSON

y Know how to use bear spray (p. 96).

y Stroll around R Park looking for grebes and mallards (p. 146).

y Visit Laurance S. Rockefeller Preserve (p. 150).

y Have an encounter with a raptor at the Teton Raptor Center (p. 146). y Take your dog for a dip in Ski Lake (p. 156).

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CALENDAR SAVE THE DATE SUMMER 2025

NATIONAL MUSEUM OF WILDLIFE ART

14 PLEIN AIR FEST, ETC. Plein air painters create works while the public can watch on the National Museum of Wildlife Art's Sculpture Trail. Collectors bid on the artwork later in the afternoon. wildlifeart.org 26–28 JACKSON HOLE FOOD &

WINE FESTIVAL Celebrate food, wine, spirits, and brews at this three-day event. jhfoodandwine.com

COURTESY OF NMWA

JULY

At the National Museum of Wildlife Art’s 38th annual Western Visions Show + Sale, enjoy the opportunity to mingle with participating artists and maybe even add a new work to your collection. Western Visions is a highlight of the Fall Arts Festival and the museum’s largest annual fundraiser. Buy tickets at wildlifeartevents.org

SEPTEMBER

Events below are based on information as of mid-May 2025. Please check with organizers to make sure event details have not changed.

ONGOING

JACKSON HOLE RODEO A long-standing Jackson tradition, the rodeo shows off Jackson’s cowboy culture. jhrodeo.com YOGA ON THE TRAIL Do downward dog surrounded by sculptures of wildlife art and overlooking the National Elk Refuge at these free hour-long yoga classes at the National Museum of Wildlife Art. Led by teachers from several valley yoga studios, the classes are BYOM (bring your own mat). wildlifeart.org JACKSON HOLE PARAGLIDING Tour Teton Village from above. No experience is necessary to fly tandem with a professional pilot. jhparagliding.com JACKSON HOLE PEOPLE’S MARKET Browse fresh, local produce while enjoying prepared foods, music, and beer Wednesdays from June into September. tetonslowfood.org NATIONAL MUSEUM OF WILDLIFE ART This museum takes an expansive view of the wildlife art genre with its 5,000-plus-piece permanent collection. wildlifeart.org

MAY

16–26 OLD WEST DAYS The 44thd annual Old West Days celebrates Jackson’s rich history with live music, theatrical entertainment, arts and crafts, food, rodeo, and more. jacksonholechamber.com

JUNE

07 GRAND TETON HALF MARATHON & 5K Take this unique opportunity to run a flat course at the base of the Tetons. vacationraces.com 170 SUMMER 2025 | JACKSON HOLE

04 GRAND TETON MUSIC FESTIVAL –

AL AND JAYNE HILDE JR. PATRIOTIC POPS Guest vocalist Capathia Jenkins joins the GTMF Orchestra to present a program of Independence Day favorites at the Center for the Arts Park in downtown Jackson. gtmf.org

19–27 TETON COUNTY FAIR This is the ultimate slice of local life, with games, rides, 4-H competitions, and concerts. tetoncountyfair.com 25–27 60TH ANNUAL ART FAIR

JACKSON HOLE This outdoor juried art fair draws artists and artisans from across the country while raising money for the Art Association of Jackson Hole. On the Center for the Arts lawn. artassociation.org

AUGUST

02 RENDEZVOUS MOUNTAIN HILL CLIMB This is one of the toughest mountain races out there, climbing 4,200 vertical feet from the base area to the 10,450-foot-high summit of Rendezvous Mountain. jacksonhole.com 15–17 60TH ANNUAL ART FAIR

JACKSON HOLE This outdoor, juried art fair draws artists and artisans from across the country while raising money for the Art Association of Jackson Hole. On the Center for the Arts lawn. artassociation.org

SEPTEMBER

03–14 41ST ANNUAL JACKSON HOLE

FALL ARTS FESTIVAL Free and ticketed events celebrate the valley’s art scene. jacksonholechamber.com

11 38TH ANNUAL WESTERN VISIONS

SHOW + SALE See Western Visions artworks at the National Museum of Wildlife Art from September 6 to 28. Meet artists and purchase works on September 11, 2025. willdlifeartevents.org

be here. 2025

july 3-august 23 Music Director Sir Donald Runnicles Jackson Hole, Wyoming

gtmf.org

EXPLORE PARTING SHOT

A BUCK MULE DEER stretches to groom itself while grazing on Snow King Mountain. Mule deer, like many ungulates, rapidly grow their velvet antlers beginning in April or May. Around August, the velvet will begin to dry up and be rubbed off by the deer, just in time for mating season when males fight over females.

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KATHRYN ZIESIG

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173

Coeur d’Alene Art Auction Fine Western & American Art

The 2025 Coeur d’Alene Art Auction will be held July 26 in Reno, Nevada at the Grand Sierra Resort.

View works featured in the 2025 Auction and purchase Auction Catalogs & Event Tickets on our website. Visit our website at cdaartauction.com 208-772-9009 • info@cdaartauction.com

Joseph Henry Sharp (1859 – 1953), Tales of the War Bonnet, oil on canvas, 30 × 36 inches, Estimate: $ 300,000 – 500,000

True original

Gill Huff Ranch Wilson, Wyoming Property ID: # RE8BXG

jhsir.com Each office is individually owned and operated.

Jackson Hole Magazine // Summer 2025