The Holey Moley Trail is a strenuous 1.4 mile hike at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort that ascends over 1,600 vertical feet in its short distance. The trail connects the Wildflower Trail to the Casper Ridge Loop in the higher elevations of the resort.
The trail can be hiked up or down, but this is written for those ascending.
Holey Moley Trail Description
From the junction with the Wildflower Trail at 2.1 miles up, take a right to begin ascending the Holey Moley Trail. The trail immediately scrambles up through boulders and thick brush, climbing steeply through a series of meadows and woods. Switchbacks begin to guide you upward as you cut steeply through a ski run.
As becomes consistent with the trail, more switchbacks await as you pop out along a boulder field before climbing up more switchbacks. You’ll wind along the edge of the boulder field before the trail is consumed by it. The trail will ascend and cross a portion of it before heading into an adjacent ski run.
Switchbacking more through the sparse evergreens, you’ll cut across lightly forested terrain where you’re treated to increasingly dramatic views of the valley of Jackson Hole.
Continue following the relentless switchbacks up through sporadic firs where you’ll soon climb past a massive house-sized boulder. Shortly after, beautiful views of Rendezvous Mountain come into view, encouraging a rest if needed. You’ll then cross a service road, followed by a ski run as you maintain a steady and grueling ascent.
The forest will begin to thicken as the terrain gets rockier with more boulders strewn around the landscape. Through here you get extensive views of Jackson Hole and beyond as you begin to scramble through the boulders. Continue climbing steeply through the boulders where the trail gets more exposed. A quick upward scramble, assisted by steel cables, keeps you gaining elevation as you enter more of a scree field.
Modest route-finding skills will come in useful here as the trail can become difficult to see for inexperienced hikers. With less elevation gain as before, you continue to climb through the exposed rocks where you soon enough connect with the Casper Ridge Loop at the top of the trail.
From here, you can take the Casper Ridge Loop Trail to the Bridger Gondola for a ride back down, or head back down the same way you came.
Getting There
From the Jackson Hole Tram, head up the hill toward the Bridger Gondola to look for the Wildflower Trail. Follow that up for 2.1 miles to connect with the Holey Moley Trail.
Likewise, the trail can also be accessed by taking the Bridger Gondola up and hiking down the Wildflower Trail to the same junction. In either case, signs mark the trails at the junction.