Jackson Hole Activities : trail

Hiking to Hidden Falls

kristine — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 17:32:00 GMT

Just returned from a conference in Winter Park. Although I love traveling to other mountain towns I always find that my heart belongs in Jackson Hole. The weather was amazing this weekend so we packed up the kids, called a friend to join us and headed off to Grand Teton National Park. Our 3 year old loves boats (who doesnt!) and since the season is slowing down we decided to take the ride across Jenny Lake to hike to the 80 foot high waterfall called Hidden Falls. I am sure we were quite the scene - Me, with a 3 month old strapped to my front, my husband walking while our 3 yr old toddled along the trail and our friend carrying her 2 yr old in a backpack. The trail was easier than I remember. Did they move it? Seemed shorter or not as steep. Maybe I am in better shape than I thought? The hike turned out great. The trail has some tricker areas with slightly steep steps but nothing our son couldnt handle. We looked for huckleberries (found 4 total), saw (dried up) raspberries and picked up some good walking sticks along the way. Since it is approaching off-season the trail was mostly clear of other hikers allowing us to meander our way to the waterfall. The area at Hidden falls offers good spots to relax under the shade of trees. We parked ourselves on a couple of boulders, unpacked our lunch and cooled off from the misty breeze that comes off the waterfall. Hiking down was a little more difficult for our son as he doesn’t handle the decline as well. With hand holding and slow moving, we made it down to the dock for a short wait until the boat returned for our journey home. Once back at the dock you will find a nice stretch of “beach” available for toe dipping in the lake. The kids immediately shunned their shoes for rock jumping in the cold mountain-fed water. The hike begins at Jenny Lake Visitor Center, which offers parking for all sizes of vehicles. The boat is a fast and fun way across the lake but if you choose, you can follow the trail around the lake, which is 5 miles roundtrip. Overall, once at the trailhead the trek is less than 1 mile each way. For those more adventurous, keep climbing the trail to Inspiration Point. Great views of Jenny Lake below with the surrounding valley.

There is No Such Thing as Bad Weather!

jim — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 23:09:00 GMT

So many times I hear the same complaint from my couch potato friends: I don't want to go outside. It's not sunny. I'm afraid I'll get wet. It's too muddy/slippery to run. The list of excuses goes on. This past weekend in Jackson Hole, Wyoming was not sunny and the potential to get wet was high and even though the weekend TV sports line up was good, not spending some time outside would have been a big mistake.

When I woke up Saturday morning and looked outside the first thing I noticed is that it was lightly snowing, but not too cold. I grabbed warm clothes, running shoes and the Mutt and headed out for a short run. The trails were definitely a bit muddy, but it is easier to run with the Pooch off the pavement - less cars to think about. I am lucky enough to live right next to National Forest access and the Snow King Ski Area. Snow King snow makers were already filling in the base area with man made white stuff, but my corner of the hill was untouched so before long I was out of the Snow King base area heading up towards mid-mountain. The trails were definitely slick, but with some careful footing the rewards were well worth the mess. The views of Jackson Hole are spectacular from Snow King. The town was still peppered with red and orange Aspens living out the last of their fall colors while the sprawling meadows of the National Elk Refuge just to the north was filled with mist and looked like something out of a postcard. All the various mountain ranges - Gros Ventres, Snake River Range and the Tetons were in full snow capped view - even the cables for Jackson Hole Mountain Resort's new Aerial Tram were fully visible.

It was time to watch my feet instead of the scenery for a while as I left the mud and entered the snow. As I neared the summit of the Snow King Ski Area I couldn't help but notice how quickly the snow was starting to accumulate. The Pooch was giving me that "My paws are cold!" look so I figured I better start heading down hill. Instead of heading back the same way I decided to take a side trip home via Ferrin's and Cache Creek. During the summer these trails are perfect for mountain biking, but this time of year the trails are empty so a break neck slip sliding run down them with the Mutt leading the charge was nothing but tons of fun. We did get a little muddy and a short run turned into a long run, but the shoes came clean and after a few minutes of rolling around in that new snow so did the Mutt.

New Arrow Mountain Bike Trail: A Great Ride for All

lisadridenour — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 21:52:00 GMT

The Arrow Trail, recently constructed by the Jackson Hole Boy Scouts, is a new mountain bike trail on Teton Pass, linking Phillips parking area to Phillips Canyon Trail, an already constructed downhill and rocky trail. This new single track trail has created a scenic adventure through what used to be a simple forest service road. The trail is a 7 mile out and back (if you turn around at the junction with Phillips Canyon) and is a great ride for those looking for mellow but scenic and fun single track.

Trail Description: Park at the Phillips Parking Area about 3/4 the way up Teton Pass. Ride up the forest service road until you see a trail marker that says Phillips Canyon to the left and Arrow Trail to the right. The Arrow Trail begins about 10 feet after the sign off to the right of the road. The trail maintains relatively the same rolling elevation for the first section. It then crosses the power line road and begins its true ascent, which for anyone who enjoys riding on Snow King or the Big Holes, will quickly appreciate the amount of winding this trail provides during its ascent. I think it adds on an extra mile just to make a mellow ascent, keeping the exertion level totally manageable. The trail then disappears into the trees and then back out to views for a few sections, one including a large tree bridge, with an easy go-around if you aren't feeling up to it. Although bumpy in areas because of loose rock and tree roots, the quality of the trail is impressive for being only a month old. This is a classic cross-country trail. You never really feel like you are ascending or descending because there is a little of both in each section. The fastest section is actually back toward the beginning (or end) of the trail. Otherwise the tight corners on the main switch back area require a slower speed on the descent.

Riding this trail out and back takes a little over an hour, making for a fabulous end of the day or quick ride. If you haven't yet, make your way up to Teton Pass to try out the new Arrow Trail.