Cache Creek to Skyline Trail Loop
The Cache Creek to Skyline Trail Loop is a fantastically beautiful and strenuous 14.25 mile hike in the Gros Ventre Mountains, easily accessed from Jackson, Wyoming.
Gros Ventre Mountains
Though the Gros Ventre Mountains typically get overshadowed by the nearby Teton Mountains, they’re still packed with trails that locals love to frequent. The mountains receive little traffic relative to the neighboring Tetons, giving hikers a sense of solitude and serenity often hard to find so close to a major tourist destination. With rugged peaks and crystal clear streams, the Gros Ventre Wilderness found in the heart of the Gros Ventres is a mountain paradise that is hard to compete with. Trails provide access from all different directions, including from Goodwin Lake, Granite Canyon, and Gros Ventre Road.
Must Do Hikes
Easy: Cache Creek
Moderate: Sink or Swim
Strenuous: Snow King
Skyline Trail
The Skyline Trail is a moderate 7.4 mile hike along the eastern ridge of Snow King Mountain in the Gros Ventre Mountains.
KC Trail
The KC Trail is a moderate 1 mile trail running along the base of Snow King Mountain in the Gros Ventre Mountains and Bridger-Teton National Forest.
Putt Putt Trail
The Putt Putt Trail is a moderate 4.7 mile hike in the lower Gros Ventre Mountains connecting several trails through the Cache Creek Trail network.
Josie’s Ridge Trail
The Josie’s Ridge Trail is a strenuous 2.6 mile trail that ascends from Flat Creek to the summit of Snow King Mountain in the Bridger-Teton National Forest.
Sidewalk Trail
The Sidewalk Trail is an easy 1.6 mile trail in the lower Gros Ventre Mountains that connects numerous trails in the Cache Creek Trail network.
Gros Ventre Slide Interpretive Trail
The Gros Ventre Slide Interpretive Trail is an easy 0.6 mile lollipop loop through one of the largest landslides on Earth in an easily accessible part of the Gros Ventre Mountains east of Jackson Hole.
Crystal Lite
The Crystal Lite Trail is a strenuous 0.5 mile (one way) hike in the Gros Ventre Mountains that brings hikers to a gorgeous viewpoint overlooking the town of Jackson, Wyoming.
Best Jackson Hole Hikes Not in Grand Teton National Park
Jackson Hole, Wyoming is a stunning hiking paradise. Yet there are plenty of hikes outside of Grand Teton National Park that offer great adventure and remarkable beauty.
Cache Creek
The Cache Creek Trail is an easy and pleasant hike through a canyon at the edge of the town of Jackson, Wyoming, at the base of the Gros Ventre Mountains. The boundary to the Gros Ventre Wilderness is 5.6 miles up the trail, though many people hike up to a few miles before turning back.
Jackson Peak
The Jackson Peak hike is a 5.25 mile trek and is a fantastic intro into climbing one of the peaks surrounding Jackson Hole. From within the valley, it’s one of the relatively easier climbs that give you significant altitude, providing a stunning vista from its summit.
Sink or Swim
The Sink or Swim Trail is an integral part of the Snow King trail network. Running along baseline roughly one third to a quarter of the way up of Snow King Mountain, the trail is frequented by not only hikers getting to and from Josie’s Ridge and the Snow King summit, but also by mountain bikers.
Josie’s Ridge via Wildlife Lane
Josie’s Ridge is a local’s favorite hike, and a challenging, though slightly shorter, alternative to the summit of Snow King Mountain, clocking in at 1.9 miles up.
Crystal Butte
Crystal Butte’s first mile is infamous for its steepness and ascent. Gaining an average of 100 feet every tenth of a mile, the trail climbs at a relentless rate, all the while providing outstanding views of the town of Jackson, and from higher up, the valley of Jackson Hole crowned by the Teton Mountains.
Josie’s Ridge to Snow King Loop
Both the Josie’s Ridge trail and the Snow King Summit trail are popular hikes for locals to get above the town of Jackson and the surrounding area. Less popular, but even more impressive, is linking the two trails into one diversely beautiful 6.4 mile loop hike.
Snow King Mountain
The Snow King Mountain Trail is a popular hike among locals, bringing hikers to the summit of the mountain over a 2 mile strenuous hike.
Swift Creek to Shoal Creek Loop
The Swift Creek to Shoal Creek Loop hike in the Gros Ventre Mountains is a strenuous 22 miles that brings hikers past the headwaters of the Gros Ventre River and Shoal Falls, among other sites.
Atherton Ridge – East to West
The Atherton Ridge Trail is an overlooked hike in the Gros Ventre Mountains, clocking in at 4.1 miles and offering stunning views of the Teton Mountains.
Defeated by Cream Puff Peak
A hiking log of an attempt to summit Cream Puff Peak in the Gros Ventre Mountains of Wyoming, only to come up short.
Red Hills and Lavender Hills
Tucked away east of Jackson Hole is local treasure very few take the time to see. The Red Hills of the Gros Ventre Mountains are… Read More »Red Hills and Lavender Hills
Coyote Rock
Coyote Rock in the foothills of the Gros Ventre Mountains is a short and moderate hike to a large glacial boulder overlooking Jackson Hole.
Turquoise Lake
Turquoise Lake in the Gros Ventre Mountains of Wyoming provides ample seclusion at a serene glacial lake outside of Jackson Hole.
Sleeping Indian Summit via Flat Creek
The Sleeping Indian, aka Sheep Mountain, of the Gros Ventre Mountains can be summitted via a 5.5 mile strenuous trail starting along Flat Creek.
Hiking the Gros Ventre Wilderness
This past weekend, I backpacked into the Gros Ventre Wilderness for the first time (pronounced ‘grow vont’). I had hiked in a bit previously, but… Read More »Hiking the Gros Ventre Wilderness