Wild & Mild at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort

Whether your idea of an adventure is a cocktail or rock climbing, JMHR has you covered.

//by lila edythe

Jackson Hole Mountain Resort is one of the best ski resorts in North America. Over the last 15 years, it’s added activities and amenities that make it just as much fun in summer as when its mountains are covered in snow. Here are some of our favorite mild and wild JHMR summer adventures. Buy tickets, make reservations, and find additional information on all activities at jacksonhole.com.

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Inspired by via ferrate in the Italian Dolomites, there are now 15 via ferrate courses on the steep granite walls and outcrops above the top of the JHMR Bridger Gondola. Italian for “iron way,” via ferrate are assisted rock climbing routes; bolts, strands of cable, and rebar rungs are affixed to the rock. Use these manmade features as much or as little as you like. Either way, you’re clipped into a safety line the entire time and accompanied by a guide. From $450 for
2 people for a half-day; daily between June 18 and October 9 (conditions permitting).

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If you’ve ever wondered what it feels like to be a bird, you should consider doing a tandem paragliding flight with a certified USHPA tandem instructor pilot. These flights take off from the top of the Bridger Gondola. Secured to a pilot and paragliding wing, you’ll briefly run down the mountain until the wing catches air. Before you realize it, your feet will no longer be on the ground. Once airborne, sit back and enjoy the views and the feeling of flying. Pilots can make these flights as wild or mild as you want; they might do some loop-de-loops if you ask, or they can keep things calm and have you gracefully descend to the valley floor. Flights last about 10 to 15 minutes. Due to conditions, all flights take place in the morning; the latest takes off at 10 a.m. From $395

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We love that the two most challenging hiking trails at JHMR allow hikers the option of riding a lift down. The 3.9-mile hike up 3,000 vertical feet on the Wildflower Trail ends at the top of the Bridger Gondola, which, if you have knees like ours, you can then ride down (for free!). The most challenging trail in Teton Village is the Cirque Trail, which connects the top of the Bridger Gondola to the top of the tram. From the top of the gondola, the Cirque Trail climbs 1,400 vertical feet over 1.8 miles as it winds through boulder fields and up rocky outcrops. Some sections of trail require scrambling over rocks with your hands and feet. When you’ve soaked up the views from the 10,450-foot summit of Rendezvous Peak, choose between hiking the 4,137 feet back to the base area or hopping on the tram and letting it carry you back to the bottom of the mountain. Riding down the gondola and the tram are free, the last gondola of the day departs Rendezvous Lodge at 9 p.m., the last tram of the day departs the summit at 5 p.m.

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Last summer, scenic rides in the JHMR tram were impossible because the tram was closed for the season (routine maintenance). The tram is back this summer, carrying passengers up 4,139 feet in about 12 minutes. At the top, which is 10,450 feet in elevation, you can enjoy 360-degree views, take a seat on the deck at Corbet’s Cabin (and maybe get a made-to-order waffle from inside), and wonder at the tiny wildflowers able to eke out an existence in this extreme environment. Warning—no matter how hot it is in the base area, bring a jacket up here. A JHMR adult sightseeing ticket that includes unlimited rides on the Bridger and Sweetwater Gondolas and the aerial tram for one day is $35, kids $20, 65-plus $27; the tram runs every 15 minutes between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. from May 21 to October 9.

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If you want expansive views but worry that the elevation at the top of the tram might be too much for you, do a scenic gondola ride. At Rendezvous Lodge at the top of the gondola (elevation 9,095 feet), you can grab a quick lunch or snack and espresso drinks at Off Piste Market or, if you come up in the evening, order small bites and cocktails at The Deck @Piste. A JHMR adult sightseeing ticket that includes unlimited rides on the Bridger and Sweetwater Gondolas and the aerial tram for one day is $35, kids $20, 65-plus $27; evening Bridger Gondola-only tickets from $15; Off Piste is open 11 a.m.–9 p.m. daily from June 12 to September 11, The Deck is open 4:30–9 p.m. daily from June 12 to September 11.

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All of the 14 trails at the Bike Park are rated like ski trails—green, blue, and black—and the number of green (beginner) and blue (intermediate) trails outnumber the black (expert) trails. And green and blue don’t mean boring; Lucky Charm, a green, includes a 377-foot-long raised wooden bridge that spans a rock garden and winds through a grove of aspen trees. Solitoga, an intermediate, might be the most fun trail on the mountain with huge banked turns. Lift access, rental bike, helmet, protective body armor, and damage insurance from $169, lift tickets only from $49; open 10 a.m.
–5 p.m. daily from June 11 through September 11 (open later on Fridays); jacksonhole.com. 

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The 1.7-mile Casper Ridge Loop hiking trail starts at the top of the Bridger Gondola and climbs 400 feet over its distance, winding through stands of 1,000-year-old whitebark pine trees and offering up an incredible view of the major Teton peaks along the way. A “lollipop” loop—the first and last bit are the same, but the middle section of the trail is a loop—this trail crosses some of JHMR’s most challenging ski terrain, which is covered in wildflowers most of the summer. A JHMR adult sightseeing ticket that includes unlimited rides on the Bridger and Sweetwater Gondolas and the aerial tram for one day is $35, kids $20, 65-plus $27; evening Bridger Gondola-only tickets from $15.

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Piste Mountain Bistro, at the top of the Bridger Gondola, has a wall of windows that frames Jackson Hole 3,000 feet below. It serves inventive cocktails and its menu highlights regional producers like Cosmic Apple Gardens, Snake River Farms, 460˚ Bread, and Larks Meadow Farms, all of which are in Idaho, and Wyoming’s Haderlie Farms, Carter Country Meat, Lockhart Cattle Company, and Mead Ranch. The fact you get to ride the gondola up from the base area for free with a Piste reservation is icing on the cake. Dinner nightly Sunday–Thursday from 5–8:30p.m. from June 12 to September, reservations required

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Although suspended between 20 and 32 feet above the ground, the Ropes course is not technical. Designed for ages five and up, the multilevel course is a maze of cargo nets, wobble bridges, balance beams, zip lines, tightropes, and suspended, swaying logs, among other challenges—but all with a cable close by that you can hold on to if you need to steady yourself. Also, you’re wearing a harness and clipped into a safety line the entire time. Courses are rated in difficulty from green to black. One-hour tickets from $40; open daily 11 a.m.–5 p.m. from June 11 to September 5; you must reserve your one-hour time slot at the time you purchase your ticket.

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Redesigned to accommodate revegetation and ongoing construction projects, a free 18-hole Disc Golf course starts to the south of the base of the Wildflower Hiking Trail (follow the trail uphill from its beginning for about 300 yards, then look left and you should see the first basket). The course is diverse, with some holes that are short and technical—think tunnel and tree shots—and others through open fields. Most holes are par 4. Free

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At the Village Commons, you can see raptors and enjoy live music, although not simultaneously. At 5 p.m. every Tuesday and Thursday starting June 28, the local nonprofit Teton Raptor Center brings resident raptors to the Village Commons for Alive @Five, where you’ll have the opportunity to meet and learn about the birds of prey. Concerts on the Commons are every Sunday at 5 p.m. between July 17 and August 28. Details about performers were unavailable at press time, but the concerts always seek to feature a diverse lineup. Both events are free, tetonraptorcenter.org and concertsoncommons.com. JH