Mountain Biking Grand Targhee Resort

About Jackson Hole

Welcome, or as the signs entering town read, “Yonder is Jackson Hole, the last of the Old West.”

Jackson Hole is a valley encircled by mountains, 48 miles long and with valley floor slopes rising 6,779 feet above sea level in the north, to about 6,069 feet at the south.

Is it Jackson or Jackson Hole? It may be both! 

The Town of Jackson is located in the valley of Jackson Hole. In the early nineteenth-century, mountain men explored this part of the Oregon Territory after members of the Lewis and Clark Expedition skirted it. 

The term “hole” was used by these early mountain men who entered the valley primarily from the north and east. In doing so they had to descend steep slopes, giving them the sensation of entering a hole. Jackson’s name pays homage to David E. Jackson, an early partner in the Rocky Mountain Fur Company, a pioneer in western exploration.

Grand Teton National Park occupies the northwestern part of the valley. The Town of Jackson sits at the southern end. The Snake River threads through the entire valley from its headwater in Yellowstone National Park. 

Both Grand Teton National Park and Yellowstone National Park are part of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, one of the last remaining large, nearly intact ecosystems in the northern temperate zone of the Earth. The area is home to some of the rarest wildlife, including moose, grizzly and black bears, pronghorn, bison, and elk.

Jackson Hole is also a place where the modern spirit of adventure remains strong. The Grand Teton, at 13,770 feet above sea level inspires limit-pushing adventurers. Residents choose to call this mountain-town home because of the tight-knit community and the opportunity to pursue careers in a broad range of industries. 

Jackson is a thriving cultural arts center with renowned restaurants, a playground for recreational opportunities, and is home to so much natural wonder, that it inspires the artist and the conservationist in all of us to take pride in what this area has to offer.

Town Map

Need more information? Explore our Explorer Magazine Travel Planner, which you can also explore electronically HERE. If you're already here, feel free to stop by one of our Visitor Centers where an experienced agent will be able to guide you in the right direction.

 

Horse & Carriage Photo by Riley Frances Boone

An informal town square of dirt emerged naturally in the growing town of Jackson. Upgraded in the 1920s when Jackson elected an all-female town…