JACKSON, Wyo. — The Old Pass Road (OPR) on Teton Pass is now open after being plowed this past weekend.
Jackson local, Jim Verdone, has been the head of the Old Pass Road Project over the past years. The project is a non-profit that seeks to maintain the Old Pass Road through repairs, vegetation control, plowing, repaving, and more.
The original pavement on the road was from around 1968 before Verdone took over. Last July, the repaving of the OPR was finished after a span of over ten years thanks to donations for the project.
“Every year I plow it to open it up earlier and take care of maintenance on it. It’s a nonprofit that’s all done through private donations, mostly funded for sign up through Old Bill’s every year,” Verdone said.
Verdone mentioned that more work still needs to be done to maintain the OPR.
“Although the heavy lifting is over with the completion of repaving, I am still responsible for maintenance including repairs, vegetation control, and plowing,” Verdone said. “This year I hope to seal coat the asphalt that was done almost eight years ago and continue work on drainage.”
Over the weekend Teton Heritage Landscaping stepped in to help plow the road on Saturday.
“Thanks for all your support and a big shout out to Peter Cornfoot and Teton Heritage Landscaping for stepping in to plow after the building boom caused the past firm to back out,” Verdone said.
Anyone who is interested in donating to the project should keep an eye out for the Old Pass Road Project in Old Bill’s Fun Run.
According to AllTrails, Old Pass Road to Teton Pass is a 7.3 mile lightly trafficked out and back trail located near Wilson, Wyoming that features beautiful wildflowers and is rated as moderate. The trail is primarily used for hiking, walking, and road biking.
