Editor’s Note: The headline of this article was updated to reflect that the pathway is not actually open to the public until May 1. However, the gate will be open on the evening of April 30.
JACKSON, Wyo. — The seasonal closure of the North Highway 89 multi-use pathway between the Town of Jackson and Grand Teton National Park will lift Sunday evening April 30 for a Monday, May 1 opening.
The five-mile segment is closed seasonally from Nov. 1 through April 30. The closure is aimed at reducing the likelihood of conflicts between elk and pathway users.
Since the pathway opened, biologists have collected GPS elk collar data and conducted weekly elk counts on the area south of the Gros Ventre Hills during both the spring and fall migration periods. Using both GPS information and other tools such as motion-detecting trail cameras, wildlife managers have determined that peak spring elk movements occur during the second and third weeks of April. In the fall, the main segment of the Jackson Elk Herd that crosses the pathway comes from Spring Gulch and the southern area of Grand Teton National Park.
The seasonal closure coincides with other closures, including Teton Park Road, Elk Refuge Road and winter wildlife closures. Moose-Wilson Road will be closed from the Granite Canyon Entrance to Laurence S. Rockefeller Preserve until May 26 for construction.
