JACKSON, Wyo. — It’s beginning to look a lot like winter in Jackson Hole.
While winter doesn’t officially begin until Saturday, Dec. 21, a cold front brought chilly temperatures and snowy skies to the Tetons this past week.
The valley has already accumulated more snow than last year at this time. November 2023 had less than a half an inch of precipitation in town and just over four inches of snowfall, per Mountain Weather’s report. Monday’s snow storm ushered in 10 to 20 inches in the mountains, temporarily closing Teton Pass to travelers.
The town’s hill, Snow King Mountain, has begun snowmaking operations on all of its ski runs in anticipation of opening day on Friday, Dec. 6, according to Snow King Mountain Resort.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), it will still take multiple weeks of below freezing temperatures to create layers of ice on Jackson Lake in Grand Teton National Park (GTNP). The weight of accumulating snow will eventually compress to form ice on the lake this winter, USGS said via its website.
Animals have begun foraging for food in and around GTNP under the fresh snow. A pair of mule deer walked along a fence line searching for shrubs and brush underneath the blanket of powder.
Teton Park Road from the Taggart Lake Trailhead to Signal Mountain Lodge in GTNP opened to non-motorized activities on Nov. 1. The road will be groomed for skiing, snowshoeing and hiking from mid-December to mid-March. After the road is snow-covered, bikes, snow bikes, fat-tire bikes and rollerblades are not allowed.
