What's on in Jackson, United States through the year

Busy — Winter / Christmas break in United States, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in January.

Still on: Teton Park Road closed to cars (1 Nov – 30 Apr), Ski season (27 Nov – 11 Apr (usually)), Elk on the National Elk Refuge (15 Dec – 5 Apr (usually))

Busy — one of its best months for weather

Nothing new starts in February.

Still on: Teton Park Road closed to cars (1 Nov – 30 Apr), Ski season (27 Nov – 11 Apr (usually)), Elk on the National Elk Refuge (15 Dec – 5 Apr (usually))

Busy — Spring break in United States

Nothing new starts in March.

Still on: Teton Park Road closed to cars (1 Nov – 30 Apr), Ski season (27 Nov – 11 Apr (usually)), Elk on the National Elk Refuge (15 Dec – 5 Apr (usually))

Shoulder season — an ordinary month

• Opening

  Park road open to bikes only

  1–30 Apr · usually

  Once the ploughs are through and before the cars are let back on, the Teton Park Road belongs to cyclists and walkers for about a month. Plough progress decides the start date, so check before committing. Source ↗

Still on: Teton Park Road closed to cars (1 Nov – 30 Apr), Ski season (27 Nov – 11 Apr (usually)), Elk on the National Elk Refuge (15 Dec – 5 Apr (usually))

Shoulder season — an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in May.

Busy — Summer break in United States, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

• Nature

  Valley wildflowers

  25 Jun – 31 Jul · usuallyWildflowers & blooms

  Balsamroot and lupine cover the sagebrush flats and the Death Canyon and Cascade trails once the snow is off them, usually from the last week of June through July. Source ↗

Peak crowds — Park summer peak, Summer break in United States

• Season

  Park summer peak

  1 Jul – 20 AugSchool holidaysCrowdedBook early

  Jackson is the south gate to two national parks and takes the full American summer: parking full by nine at the popular trailheads, and lodging priced accordingly. Source ↗

• Hazard

  Wildfire smoke

  15 Jul – 15 Sep · usuallySmoke season

  Late summer smoke drifts in from fires anywhere in the northern Rockies or the Pacific Northwest, and the Tetons can disappear for days without a fire being anywhere near. Check the air index, not the forecast. Source ↗

Still on: Valley wildflowers (25 Jun – 31 Jul (usually))

Peak crowds — Park summer peak, Summer break in United States

Nothing new starts in August.

Still on: Park summer peak (1 Jul – 20 Aug), Wildfire smoke (15 Jul – 15 Sep (usually))

Peak crowds — Jackson Hole Fall Arts Festival, Summer break in United States

• Festival

  Jackson Hole Fall Arts Festival

  4–14 Sep · usuallyMajor festivalCrowdedBook early

  Eleven days of galleries, auctions and the Takin' It to the Streets paint-out around the town square in early September, timed to the first cool weather and the aspens turning. Source ↗

• Nature

  Aspens turning and the elk rut

  15 Sep – 10 Oct · usuallyAutumn colour

  The cottonwoods along the Snake and the aspen stands on the benches go gold in the second half of September, which is also when the bulls are bugling at dawn on the park flats.

Still on: Wildfire smoke (15 Jul – 15 Sep (usually))

Shoulder season — an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in October.

Still on: Aspens turning and the elk rut (15 Sep – 10 Oct (usually))

Busy — Thanksgiving break in United States

• Closure

  Teton Park Road closed to cars

  1 Nov – 30 Apr

  The inner park road from Taggart Lake to Signal Mountain shuts to vehicles on 1 November and reopens 1 May. Winter access to the Tetons is on the outer highway, or on skis. Source ↗

• Season

  Ski season

  27 Nov – 11 Apr · usuallyBook early

  Jackson Hole Mountain Resort opens the Friday after Thanksgiving and runs to early April; Snow King in town and Grand Targhee over the pass run to similar dates. February and March hold the deepest base. Source ↗

Busy — Winter / Christmas break in United States, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

• Nature

  Elk on the National Elk Refuge

  15 Dec – 5 Apr · usuallyWildlife season

  Several thousand elk drop out of the high country onto the flats north of town for the winter, and horse-drawn sleighs run out among them from mid-December until the herd leaves in early April. Source ↗

Still on: Teton Park Road closed to cars (1 Nov – 30 Apr), Ski season (27 Nov – 11 Apr (usually))