JACKSON, Wyo. — Bridger-Teton National Forest (BTNF) is seeking community feedback as it explores the possibility of creating four non-motorized trails in the Snow King trail network.
BTNF’s Jackson Ranger District will hold an open house on Nov. 16 to discuss the addition of the following routes: Ferrin’s Trail Alternate, Josie’s Ridge Trail Alternate, Leeks Canyon Trail Alternate and Game Creek Parallel Trail.
“The proposals reflect more than 25 years of collaboration between the Forest Service, Friends of Pathways, local land managers and community members,” BTNF’s press release states. “Environmental analysis and on-the-ground surveys of each proposed route were completed during summer 2026 by interdisciplinary specialists in wildlife, cultural resources, botany, fisheries, recreation, hydrology, rangeland management, and invasive species.”
The four proposed trails, if approved, would be built over the next five years by a Forest Service trail crew, Friends of Pathways, conservation corps and volunteers, BTNF noted. The routes would follow Universal Trail Design principles, providing accessible, sustainable and enjoyable trail experiences for a wide range of users. Planning would be guided by National Environmental Policy Act analysis and the Jackson Ranger District Trail Assessment, released in January 2020, which outlines the overall plan for managing growing recreation and balancing the need for high-quality wildlife habitat.
BTNF provides the following descriptions of the four proposed trails on its project website:
Ferrin’s Trail Alternate
“The Ferrin’s Trail is a heavily used, multi-use route providing access to the Snow King Summit from Cache Creek. Trail users have consistently reported user conflicts and safety issues including collisions and frequent near misses between uphill and downhill traffic on narrow, bi-directional sections. The Ferrin’s Trail Alternate would be 1.75 miles long and would help reduce these conflicts and issues by providing a connection between the easternmost switchback on the Ferrin’s Trail to the fourth bridge junction on the Hagen Trail. This would enable new loop opportunities and provide alternate descent and return options, thereby reducing concentrated out-and-back use on Ferrin’s Trail alone.”
Josie’s Ridge Trail Alternate
“The Josie’s Ridge Trail is the most heavily used trail in the Greater Snow King Area, seeing up to 450 users per day in the summer months. Due to this high amount of traffic daily, as well as steep grades, the trail experiences high levels of user conflicts, erosion, short-cutting of switchbacks, and tread widening. The Josie’s Ridge Trail Alternate would be 1.06 miles long and would provide a new multi-use connection between the lower Josie’s Ridge Summit Area and the Sink or Swim Trail. The new route would be open to horse, hike and bike use, which would provide an alternate route for bikers to the Snow King Summit. This would enable the Bridger-Teton to designate the middle section of the Josie’s Ridge Trail as hike only, thereby reducing conflicts and erosion. The route would also provide an alternate climb or descent option for hikers, further reducing congestion on the main Josie’s Ridge Trail. A portion of this trail would fall within the Winter Wildlife Closure and would therefore be closed from December 1 to May 1.”
Leeks Canyon Trail Alternate
“The Leeks Canyon Trail is a multi-use trail that departs from the upper Wilson Canyon Trail on the back side of Snow King and descends an overgrown old road into Leeks Canyon. The bottom section of Leeks Canyon is on private land and there is currently no public access through this area, creating a dead end. According to the Bridger-Teton Forest Plan, the trail is located within Desired Future Condition (DFC) 12, which is designated and managed for high value wildlife habitat.
The Leeks Canyon Trail Alternate would be 1.19 miles long and would utilize sections of an existing, used, user-created trail to connect between the current junction and the Snow King Antennae Road. This would provide a more sustainable and enjoyable trail which would create new loop opportunities on the back side of Snow King, further reducing congestion on the front side trails by dispersing use across the broader Greater Snow King Area network. The current Leeks Canyon Trail would be decommissioned and rehabilitated, which would relocate recreational use out of DFC 12 and into areas more consistent with the Forest Plan and wildlife objectives.”
Game Creek Parallel Trail
“The Game Creek Trail is a heavily used, multi-use trail in the southern portion of the Greater Snow King Area trail network that follows a two-track road for the first 2 miles before turning into single-track. Due to high levels of use year-round, there are consistent complaints about conflicts between users and safety issues including near misses between hikers, dog walkers, horse riders and downhill bikers due to blind corners and heavy brush. Additionally, due to its proximity to the creek, the road frequently floods each spring, creating muddy conditions and resource damage.
“The Game Creek Parallel Trail would be 2.2 miles long and would connect between the trailhead and the Beaver Ponds junction. The route would begin on the north side of the road from the trailhead, outside of the designated Winter Wildlife Closure, and would then cross to the south side roughly 0.5 miles up the road. A small trail bridge would be constructed to cross Game Creek. The route would be open year-round to bike and hike only and would have the same seasonal dog leash requirement as the road, from December 1 to May 1.
“This route would improve public safety by separating faster downhill bike traffic from concentrated pedestrian and equestrian use and would eliminate blind-corner conflicts on the road. It would provide a high-quality experience in a corridor that connects directly to the South Highway 89 pathway and South Park neighborhoods, potentially reducing vehicle trips to other trailheads (e.g. Cache Creek). Lastly, it can also provide an alternate route for users when the road floods each spring, thereby reducing resource damage caused by heavy trail use.”
Members of the public are encouraged to attend the open house to learn more and discuss the proposals with specialists. Jackson Ranger District staff will review the proposals and answer questions on Nov. 16 from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Jackson Ranger District Office, 340 N. Cache St.
