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
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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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A hiking log of an attempt to summit Cream Puff Peak in the Gros Ventre Mountains of Wyoming, only to come up short.
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Tucked away east of Jackson Hole is local treasure very few take the time to see. The Red Hills of[…]
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Coyote Rock in the foothills of the Gros Ventre Mountains is a short and moderate hike to a large glacial boulder overlooking Jackson Hole.
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Turquoise Lake in the Gros Ventre Mountains of Wyoming provides ample seclusion at a serene glacial lake outside of Jackson Hole.
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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.
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This past weekend, I backpacked into the Gros Ventre Wilderness for the first time (pronounced ‘grow vont’). I had hiked[…]
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