It is July 1997. I have just moved to Jackson Hole from the flats of the Midwest. At the Moose entrance station to Grand Teton National Park, I buy a park pass, a ranger hands me a park map and, before pulling away for my first-ever day of adventuring in this park, I ask him if there are any trails he particularly recommends for mountain biking. “Oh, I’m sorry,” he says, looking truly apologetic. “Biking isn’t allowed on the trails in the park.” I am crushed … until I decide to trade bike for hike. Getting a closer look at the park trails they all seem to go straight up. For, like, 4,000 vertical feet. Even if it was legal, I couldn’t have biked them. I thought my mountain biking career was over before it ever really started.
In the years since however, I’ve learned there are plenty of trails that are open to bikes in Jackson Hole. After all, the Tetons are only one of the four mountain ranges in the area and Grand Teton National Park only covers a portion (albeit a large one) of the Tetons themselves. Here are a few trail recommendations for varying difficulty levels, as well as some Jackson Hole bike shops happy to give out more bike info.
Easy
While biking on the trails in Grand Teton National Park isn’t legal, biking on its roads is very much allowed. Rent a bike at Dornan’s in Moose and head for a dirt road to the north of the main highway just past the Cottonwood Creek turnoff inside the park’s southern entrance. The road first takes you to the old Bar BC Ranch before cutting close to the Snake River and paralleling it for miles. It is wide, generally in good condition and has very little vehicle traffic on it. If you plan ahead, pack a picnic lunch and grab a piece of bank alongside the river. Better yet, bring your fishing rod for a wheel and reel adventure.
Moderate
The Cache Creek area, just over two miles from Jackson’s famous Town Square, can be pretty congested with bikers, hikers and equestrians, but there’s a reason. Several reasons, in fact: amazing scenery, a great network of trails that longtime locals still haven’t fully explored, proximity to town, a
Finding the Track Tom Moran
great network of trails, a profusion of wildflowers, and, if we haven’t already said it, a great network of trails.
Beginners can start by riding up the old forest service road (it’s all a gradual uphill and you can go for miles). Intermediates and above can take any of the trails bisecting this road and not need to worry about getting in over their heads. You might find yourself pushing your bike up a steep section or two, but, for the most part, this area is an intermediate’s dream. The Putt Putt trail, which crosses the road several times and is marked in each instance, will take you anywhere from 30-minutes to an hour one-way. Ride the road all the way back to the sign for Game Creek (a little over three miles), huff and puff your way up to divide separating the Cache and Game Creek drainages (another mile) and then you have a glorious six miles of wonderful singletrack downhill to the Game Creek trailhead. At Game Creek you can either turn around and do the ride in reverse or ride out to the highway and jump onto the bike pathway that brings you back to town. The whole loop (Cache to Game and then the pathway back to town) is about 20 miles.
Advanced
Teton Pass is your playground. There are trails going every which way from the pass’s summit, but the truly burly want Phillips Pass, about three-quarters of the way up the pass from the Jackson side. Start up a very dilapidated forest service road on your north (the road is labeled Phillips Canyon). You’ll see signs for Ski Lake, but you don’t want to go there. Continue heading up for a little while longer until you’re into Phillips Canyon proper. From there, it’s all downhill. A nice 30 minutes of rooted, rocky singletrack downhill. You’ll pop out on Fish Creek Road, about three miles north of Wilson. From there, you can ride into town and hitch back to your car, bike up the pass to your car or, with some pre-planning and a shuttle, greet your car at the finish (there is a small parking lot there).
Bike shops for more information, area guide books and maps:
Wilson Backcountry Sports (at the base of Teton Pass): 733-5228
Teton Cycle Works: 175 N. Glenwood in Jackson, 733-4386
The Edge Sports: 490 W. Broadway in Jackson, 734-3916
Adventure Sports at Dornan’s: Moose, 733-3307
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