JACKSON, Wyo. — Buckrail’s SNAPPED series brings readers a selection of photo highlights from town and county happenings multiple times a week. SNAPPED stories source images from local photographers, community members and Buckrail’s team.
These visual articles feature everything from wildlife to weather, public art to powder hounds, events, the environment and everything in between.
The stories linked below are our favorite SNAPPED stories for each month of 2023. If you capture the perfect SNAPPED, submit your photos.
January
SNAPPED: Boom! Avy mitigation underway on Teton Pass
An explosion caught on camera when January 2023 storms dumped snow on the Tetons forcing multiple pass closures for avalanche mitigation.
SNAPPED: Steve Aoki at The Center
Steve Aoki rolled through Jackson Hole this week, Aoki’s first show in Wyoming.
February
SNAPPED: Kings and Queens of Corbet’s put on the show
Kings and Queens of Corbet’s took off flying for its 6th year at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort.
Powder Hounds Volume I
Reader’s submitted their favorite four-legged friends who know how to have a ball when the powder falls.
MArch
SNAPPED: Snowed-in Jackson post office
With about 100 inches of snow, the post office looked more like an igloo than a place to pick up mail.
SNAPPED: Spring Gulch avalanche
An avalanche shut down Spring Gulch Road as crews worked to clear an estimated 15 feet of snow off the road.
April
SNAPPED: Full moon at sunrise in Grand Teton National Park
April’s full “Pink moon” rose over Jackson Hole on April 6, and was the first full moon of the spring season.
SNAPPED: Calving season underway at Lockhart Cattle
Lockhart Cattle reported its first calf of 2023 at the end of March.
MAY
SNAPPED: 399 emerges as an ‘ambassador’ of her species
It was lights, cameras and National Park Service-monitored action when Grizzly 399 emerged from hibernation with a single cub.
SNAPPED: Third Annual Teton Powwow
The Teton Powwow featured competing dancers representing tribes throughout the West and craftspeople and artisans selling beaded jewelry and artwork.
June
SNAPPED: Plein Air Fest’s 12th year
This year’s edition of the art festival featured a “plein air” category, allowing artists to paint any regional scene, and an “al fresco” category, with no limitations on subject matter.
SNAPPED: Summer Solstice sunset
The Jackson Hole Valley enjoyed nearly 15 and a half hours of daylight on Wednesday, June 21, the summer solstice.
JULY
SNAPPED: Wildflowers are in full bloom in Jackson Hole
Wildflowers adorned the Jackson Hole valley after a wet and cool June. Buckrail photographer Nick Sulzer captured these snapshots of the blooms at sunset on July 17.
SNAPPED: Figure 8s at the Teton County Fair
The annual Figure 8 Races concluded the events for the 67th annual Teton County Fair. The always rowdy event combines high-speed racing with rough and tumble paint trading between cars at the intersection as drivers race to complete the most figure 8s each heat.
August
SNAPPED: Dog Days of Summer
Canine and human residents enjoyed summer sunshine after a long winter and wet spring. Readers submitted their best shots of their pups in the great outdoors.
SNAPPED: Super blue moon sets over Tetons
A rare super blue moon graced the skies over Jackson Hole at the end of August. It was the third supermoon of the year, meaning the moon was at its closest to Earth, and the second full moon of the month, making it “blue.”
September
SNAPPED: Readers capture dazzling Northern Lights
Geomagnetic activity put on a spectacular show in mid-September, captured beautifully by Buckrail readers. Red, purple, blue, green and yellow hues were visible in the aurora over the valley.
SNAPPED: First snow of the season
A fresh dusting of snow hit high elevations in mid-September, functioning as a false start to winter. Snowfall remained rather scarce through the end of 2023.
OCtober
SNAPPED: Community members gather on Town Square in solidarity with Israel
After the Israel-Hamas conflict escalated in early October, the Chabad Jewish Community Center of Jackson Hole organized a prayer vigil on Town Square.
SNAPPED: Grizzly in winter wonderland
Late October saw a storm pummel higher elevations in GTNP with snow, which provided a gorgeous backdrop for bear sightings.
November
SNAPPED: Moose mob
Humans weren’t the only species getting together this holiday season. Buckrail photographer Nick Sulzer spotted five bull moose dining on frigid shrubs together.
SNAPPED: November 2022 vs. November 2023
Winter weather took its time to settle into the valley this year, compared with a rather snowy November in 2022. Use the slider tools to see how images from this winter compared against last winter in this interactive post.
December
SNAPPED: Jackson Lake starts freezing over
Waterways around Jackson finally started to freeze over in late December, and Buckrail photographer Nick Sulzer captured some beautiful shots of chilly Jackson Lake reflecting the Tetons and winter sky.
SNAPPED: Santa drops from JHMR tram
Jackson Hole Mountain Resort hosted a visit from Santa Claus on Christmas Eve as he carried out the annual tradition of dropping from the aerial tram. Kids visited the man in red and told him about their Christmas lists.
Want to see more SNAPPED stories, click here! If you capture the perfect SNAPPED, submit your photos.
Check out Buckrail‘s other “Year in Review” 2023 stories:
