From swooshing through layers of delicate snow aboard an old-fashioned sleigh in the winter to feeling a rush of exhilaration and adrenaline dodging white-water rapids in the summer, Jackson Hole, Wyo., provides a myriad of high-octane adventure opportunities for visitors all year long.
Situated in arguably one of the country’s most idyllic settings, the 48-mile-long valley, picturesquely framed on its west side by the Teton Mountain Range, on its east by the Gros Venture Range and bisected by the Snake River, Jackson Hole is an adventurer’s dream boasting limitless outdoor activity options while simultaneously topping the list of many a low-key traveler with its laid-back atmosphere and welcoming, slow pace of life.
“There is really no place like it on Earth,” says Mark Barron, mayor of Jackson.
Jackson Hole is comprised of several communities, including Teton Village, Kelly, Wilson, and the town of Jackson, the valley’s only incorporated municipality. The destination is well known for its proximity to Grand Teton National Park and Yellowstone National Park, both just minutes away from the center of the valley, making the region readily accessible for wildlife- and adventure-loving visitors.
“One of the most remarkable natural resources we have is our scenery,” Barron boasts. “We have beautiful forests, which provide unbelievable climbing and mountain biking, but one of our most precious natural resources is the abundant wildlife, where it is not unusual to see moose, elk and deer in town.”
If the thought of being greeted by a moose at your window is your idea of excitement, that’s just the beginning. The area’s rugged terrain also lends itself to sports enthusiasts with the nearby Grand Targhee Ski Resort; Snow King Resort, located in the town of Jackson; and the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, located in Teton Village.
“For decades Jackson Hole has had a great reputation for extreme skiing,” Barron says, adding that the area is also open to winter activities such as snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, and snowmobiling, and summer activities such as golf, kayaking, horseback riding, and nature hikes.
In recent years, Jackson Hole has earned the reputation of being an area booming with development, primarily with the construction of second homes for the well-to-do, including many celebrities.
“It is a one-of-a-kind kind of place with a small population and incredible outdoor spaces, so it draws people of means to buy property here,” Barron says, adding that there is a good deal of residential as well as commercial construction in the works, including the development of a new tram at the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort (scheduled to open in December 2008) that will connect the valley floor to the top of Rendezvous Mountain, and an eco-friendly boutique hotel named Hotel Terra opening up this December in Teton Village and boasting 72 guest rooms.
Yet although construction is happening at a brisk pace in Jackson Hole, the community is still staying true to its laid-back Western roots, Baron says.
“The fabric of this community makes it really unique,” he says. “It has an amazingly eclectic atmosphere.”
Visitors can witness some of the valley’s vibrant nature first-hand with a stroll into one of Jackson’s many art galleries, shops and restaurants, not to mention the Town Square, a central meeting place that greets visitors with remnants of the Old West, from welcoming arches made of elk antlers to stagecoach rides and even a shootout, performed six nights a week free of charge between Memorial Day and Labor Day.
“We have unbelievably unique art galleries in Jackson Hole and we have a restaurant community that blows the lid off most other communities,” Baron says, adding that another regional asset is the area’s people. “We have some of the world’s friendliest people. Strangers wave at each other here in Jackson Hole and we are pretty proud of that.”
