JACKSON HOLE, WYO – It’s that time of year again, when the “Last and the Best of the Old West” is on display as cowboys from the Pinto Ranch head ‘em up and move ‘em out up north.
The traditional cattle drive will take place in Grand Teton National Park early Saturday, September 2. During the drift, a two-mile stretch of US Highway 26/89/191 will be temporarily closed to vehicle traffic from Moran Junction to the Elk Ranch Flats area that lies just one mile south of the junction. Motorists should expect a travel delay about 7-8am as cattle are herded from their summer pastures at Elk Ranch Flats back to the Pinto Ranch east of Moran. Park rangers will provide traffic control on the highway during this cattle drive.
Pinto Ranch wranglers are expecting to drive a herd of approximately 290 cattle eastward from Elk Ranch Flats using a right-of-way along US Highway 26/287. The animals must cross the Buffalo Fork highway bridge due to conditions on the Buffalo Fork River.
Efforts will be made to minimize any inconvenience to travelers driving along the highway near Moran Junction early Saturday morning. To avoid the minor travel delay, motorists may choose to use an alternate route and drive the Teton Park Road between Jackson Lake Junction and Moose Junction.
In 2008, Grand Teton officials requested that the Pinto Ranch shift their cattle from an historic, free-range Pacific Creek grazing allotment north of Moran to the fenced Elk Ranch Flats pastures to minimize potential conflicts with predators in the Pacific Creek drainage.
Pinto Ranch is grazing spayed heifers only, rather than running a cow-calf operation allowing for reduced potential predator conflicts.
In accordance with the 1950 Grand Teton National Park enabling legislation, certain historic grazing privileges were retained. Since that time, the fenced and irrigated Elk Ranch Flats pastures have been used for grazing each summer season.
