JACKSON HOLE, WYO – Bridger-Teton is getting ready for winter and that means closures to many roads and more limited recreation opportunities as some areas of forest are subject to critical winter range habitat restrictions.
Jackson Hole
The Jackson Ranger District of the Bridger-Teton National Forest reminds visitors that all forest roads will be closed on Friday, December 1, 2017 when the winter travel restrictions go into effect on the forest. With the early snow some roads, such as the Granite Creek and Shadow Mountain roads, are already gated. Curtis Canyon Road is already impassable. Additionally, there is a leash requirement in trailhead areas such as Cache Creek, Game Creek and Teton Pass, along with required dog waste pickup.
“Oftentimes, visitors forget that there is no snow removal on forest roadways,” said public affairs officer Mary Cernicek. “As winter progresses, the mountain roads become drifted with snow and unpassable. If not careful, an unsuspecting motorist could get caught on a drifted road or slide off into a ditch and the vehicle cold be stuck there until snowmelt in the spring.”
Winter travel maps are available at district offices or online for your mobile device for Android and Apple operating systems. The Free App is available for download through Avenza System Inc.: www.avenza.com/pdf-maps. This application along with the PDF maps, will allow you to view your location at all times as you navigate through the forest.
“We ask our visitors to take all precautions as weather and road conditions can change,” Cernicek said. “Be prepared for winter driving, limited sight distance and bumpy driving on all Forest Service roads. Bring extra clothing, food, water, blankets, first aid kit, shovel, tire chains and let someone know your destination and expected day or time of return.”
Greys River
Authorities in the Greys River Ranger District, in partnership with the Wyoming State Trails Program are getting ready to transition to snowmobiling on forest roads in the Greys River drainage from December 1 through April 30. During this time wheeled motorized vehicles are not allowed on marked or groomed routes, which protects the trail surface. This includes the Greys River Road and Smiths Fork Road and all roads accessed from them, as well as the Grover-Turnerville Road and Swift Creek Road.
Snowmobilers should beware that other recreationists may also be on these routes, however, including skate-skiers and dog-walkers, so keep speeds low enough to see whoever may be around the next corner, and enjoy the district’s incredible winter vistas. On Salt Pass, an area is reserved for non-motorized winter recreation on both sides of the highway, where the district grooms loop trails for skiers and snowshoe enthusiasts once accumulations are sufficient.
Several areas on the district are also designated as critical wildlife winter range, where popular large game animals, including mule deer, elk and moose, all find needed respite from deeper snow. The Star Valley Front from Swift Creek Road to the bottom of Bradshaw Canyon east of Grover is closed to all vehicles. Snowmobiles are allowed only on the designated route through the Grover Park closure area. Similarly, along the Greys River corridor, a protected wildlife area exists in the Deadman-Moose Creek area, and over-snow vehicles must remain on the designated routes through this area. Near state elk management areas just southeast of the Forest boundary outside Alpine and at Forest Park, human presence, motorized or non-motorized, is allowed only on the designated route through these areas.
Still gathering firewood or on the hunt for that perfect Christmas tree? Star Valley roads that remain open after December 1 include Strawberry and Willow Creeks, Dry Creek and Cottonwood Creek. Christmas tree tags are available in Afton at Gardner’s Country Village, in Thayne at the Hitching Rail, and in Alpine at the Visitor Center (open Wednesday through Friday, 9:00-5:30 and Saturday 9:00-3:00). You can greatly reduce your impact by not traveling on wet roads or trails, even if they are legally open. A wheel track that leaves a rut creates a channel for water, which can significantly degrade a road. Equestrian use on wet trails can have similar adverse effects.
