Moose - Grand Tetons

The scenic drive north from Jackson to Togwotee Pass is nothing short of drop dead gorgeous. The 60 + mile drive which goes north on highway 26/28/191 past the Grand Tetons through the park is of course legendary. At Moran, Grand Teton Park¡s northern entrance, highway 191 splits off and heads for Yellowstone. This 15-mile stretch from right before the junction is a good place to look for moose. From here, you head east on U.S. Hwy 26/287, which gradually winds up a long climb that takes you up to a high plateau to the top of Togwotee Pass that straddles the Continental Divide. Dominating the view along the way for a number of miles is the Breccia Cliffs. The 9,658-foot pass is named for a sub-chief under Chief Washakie. Togwotee, The word meaning "From here".

Togwotee is a region more than just a pass and the whole region provides many skiing opportunities, many touring and some backcountry downhill. Togwotee Pass receives over 600 inches of snow annually and there are many around the touring areas I include where you can bushwhack some good downhill turns.

1 - A little past the Buffalo Valley KOA campground you will come to the Hatchet Resort, there on the south side of the road the groomed snowmobile trail leaves the road and heads into the mountains. From here you can ski up the trail and there are several places you can dive off it for some turns. This trail has many great views of the Tetons.

Grand Tetons From Togwotte Pass

2 - Four miles after you start climbing the pass past Black Rock Ranger Station you will find Rosie¡s Ridge at Fourmile Meadows Road. Here you will find a plowed parking area on the left. From here you ski west up the trail. After eight miles this trail ends at the west end of the ridge and offers beautiful views of the Grand Tetons and the Valley below.

3 - Several miles Past Four Mile Meadow you will come to Togwotee Mountain Lodge, many trails spider out from the lodge but as the lodge caters mostly to snowmobilers you will encounter a lot of snowmobile traffic. Just a short ski or walk from the lodge a half mile south of the road provides a magnificent vista of the Tetons

4 - One mile past the Togwotee Mountain Lodge there is a parking area on the north side of the road where you can skin to the top of Angel Mountain which has many good downhill runs.

5 - Five miles east of Togwotee Mountain Lodge there is a plowed parking area on the south side of the road, this is Black Rock Meadows. Here you¡ll find numerous options on where to ski. There are numerous snowmobile trails here that can make the skiing easy but noisy at times. You can head south through meadows and find some forested and open slopes. Be careful of cornices forming on the slopes above the creek. You can also opt to cross the highway and ski north toward Angel Mountain or through the rolling hills at the base of Breccia Cliffs.

Skiier at Wind River Lake

6 - Nine miles past Togwotee Mountain Lodge you will reach Togwotee Pass which straddles the Continental Divide. There is a plowed parking area on the right. You can ski southwest from the top of the pass, following the divide until you reach the woods and an unplowed road that is your trail. Follow this road south and west to Squaw Basin, in the open areas the road becomes hard to define so be watchful. You can also ski southeast along the base of Two Ocean Mountain. You can then loop around to the west through some hilly areas before returning to the parking area using Bridger Peak on the north side of the road as a landmark. More ski opportunities can be found on the north side of the road by skiing northwest along the base of Breccia Cliffs or you can head east/northeast to Brooks Lake lodge 6 miles up the groomed snowmobile trail from here.

Wind River Creek

7 - For another great area drive eight miles down the east side of the divide to a plowed turnout on the north side of the road. This turnout is also 23 miles west of Dubois WY. This is the access for Brooks Lake Lodge. From here you ski north on a groomed snowmobile trail. Spectacular formations called the pinnacles cap the mountain to the east and are well worth seeing on this ski tour. The majestic Breccia Cliffs to the west balance the scenery of the Brooks Lake Valley. The trail winds through lodgepole forests to reach Brooks Lake Lodge after a 5-mile ski. Lunch is available there seven days a week but you must make reservations well in advance, Overnight accommodation also is available. Another scenic ski to the lodge is to park at the Togwotee Pass parking area, cross the road to the groomed snowmobile trail there go right on that and in 6 miles you will reach the lodge. The hardy skier could combine the two trails and make it a long 19-mile loop.

Brooks Lake Lodge

Brooks Lake Lodge overlooks beautiful Brooks Lake in this beautiful valley and if you choose from here you can continue north and in a short distance you will reach the Teton Wilderness where bushwhacking and no motorized vehicles is the rule, and solitude may be had in abundance.