By Turner Shield

If you are looking for a beautiful vacation spot hidden in the mountains, then you are looking for Jackson, Wyoming. This town, located in the northwestern part of Wyoming, is a perfect vacation destination for all four seasons of the year. Jackson is also a very secluded area, and the population is only 10,000, so you won’t be interrupted by the distractions of a loud city. 

Photo credit: jacksonwy.gov.

The first inhabitants of the area that is now Jackson were Native American tribes. The tribes that first inhabited the Jackson and Teton area were the Bannock, Blackfoot, Crow, Gros Ventre, and the Shoshoni. Jackson the town was founded in 1894, resulting from early western migration. It has the same layout of the town square as it did when it was first built.

A popular area near Jackson is Yellowstone National Park. Yellowstone was founded in 1872, long before Wyoming was even declared a state, and it was the first National Park in the nation. In the 1900’s, Yellowstone quickly expanded, and in 1950, the park received major funding from John D. Rockefeller, adding land and new buildings and features to the park.  

Jackson sits on the Rocky Mountain range in between Grand Teton National Park and Yellowstone National Park. Grand Teton National Park is only 15 minutes away from the town of Jackson, with great outdoor activities and views. If you visit the Grand Tetons, then you could do multiple activities, such as skiing, hiking, mountain biking, and swimming in lakes. 

Jackson Hole Mountain Resort is a ski resort located outside of Jackson. Jackson Hole Mountain Resort is only 15 minutes from town, so if you stay in town it is still fairly accessible. The mountain offers 100’s of runs and is part of the Rocky Mountain range near the Teton mountains. The resort opens at 9 a.m. and closes at 4 p.m. every day of the ski season. The main mountain of the resort is called Rendezvous Mountain. 

Photo credit: Dale Basler via flickr.

The mountain has a total elevation of 10,450 feet, with a rise of 4,139 feet. The mountain resort has 13 total lifts, including a Bridger Gondola and the Aerial Tram, which brings a person from the base of the mountain to the summit. The resort also holds 2500 acres of inbound terrain, also offering a plenty of terrain that is out of bounds. The mountain also offers 130 inbound trails, with various difficulty levels. 50 percent of the trails are expert level, 40 percent are intermediate, and 10 percent are for beginners. The mountain offers more challenging runs for more experienced skiers or snowboarders.

Jackson Hole also is home to the hardest inbound run in North America, known as Corbet’s Couloir. The resort also offers a summer season. In the summer, you can hike to the summit of the mountain, and you can also sightsee. The mountain has its own downhill mountain biking park. The bike park has many trails but doesn’t cover the whole mountain and goes to half the height of the mountain.