Jackson WY

On a grassy plateau, surrounded by mountains and with the spectacular Grand Tetons as a backdrop, sits the town of Jackson. Antler arches in the town square and wooden sidewalks under deep verandahs. The people are laid back and friendly and wild animals – moose, elk, bighorn sheep, wolves – hang out and graze on the edge of town. Despite the fact that the hills around here contain some of the best skiing and snowboarding in North America, there is no doubt that when you’re in Jackson you’re in still in cowboy territory.

Looking over a rough wooden fence into a snow-covered field with mountains in the distance in the cold light near dusk.
It must look spectacular from inside, a commercial airplane takes off from the Jackson Hole airport with the town below and tall snowy mountains all around.
A moose, without antlers, pauses for a moment in the snowy woods just outside town.
Moose antlers hang from the center of one of the elk antler arches in the town square, with a snowy hill and blue sky behind.
A pickup truck pulls out onto the snow-covered street, with colourful weatherboard shopfronts, a sign for the Ranch Inn and the Snow King ski area straight ahead, as the temperature reads 5 degrees celsius.
A cowboy hat store with verandah and wooden sidewalk on the snowy main street, with hills in the background; An old-style lamp made from an antler lit by an an electric candle on the wooden wall outside a shop.
Wooden sidewalks beneath verandahs, with fresh snow walked all over them, just like the old wild west; Bronze statue in the town square of the bucking horse and rider that is the Wyoming logo, with bare winter trees and blue sky.
American and Wyoming flags hang over parked cars in the main street; A log cabin with electric candle twinkle lights and snow on the wooden shingle roof.
Traffic lights at a snowy intersection with the Cowboy Bar neon sign and a very round snow-covered hill.
A stuffed elk with light snow resting on its nose outside a shop, with the reflection of a man walking the snowy streets in the shop window; Crusty old snow on the wooden sidewalk beneath the verandahs, with a dusting of fresh light snow on top.
Faded letters on the old Teton movie theater sign, still operational on the snowy main street; Four people cross the snowy road near shops with a big snow-covered hill looming large behind them.
A close up of the elk antlers that form one of the town square’s four antler arches, wrapped in twinkle lights; The famous elk arches that form the four corners of the town square were first built during the 1950s and 1960s but have been rebuilt in recent years.
With just a thin strip of clouds across them, the dramatic Grand Tetons rise up from a landscape of snowy hill and forests.
Looking across a snowy landscape to a thin strip of bare winter trees and snowy mountains cloaked in grey clouds; A moose kicks up snow as it trots through the snowy woods just outside town.
Late afternoon at the Grand Tetons, with deep blue shadows and sunny peaks just catching the last sun through the light cloud; Rich brown soil where snow has melted off the ground thanks to the nearby hot springs, with a lone tree and snowy mountains in the distance.
Out on the Elf Refuge four bighorn sheep blend in to the landscape on a rocky hillside amongst grasses and snow.
A moose lifts its foot high as it walks through knee deep snow in the woods; A moose stretches its head up to reach a twiggy bare winter branch it wants to eat.
Looking across scrubby plants sticking out of the snow to the Grand Tetons hidden by cloud; The Grand Tetons in the blue shade of late afternoon, the last sun still hitting the peaks with a wisp of white cloud draped across them.
On the Elk Refuge three bighorn sheep nibble on grasses sticking out from the snowy landscape; Two bighorn sheep blend in to the steep rocky hillside amongst tall grasses and snow.
A lone bighorn sheep finds itself stranded on a small rocky cliff edge covered in snow, backed against the wall it seems unable to work out where to go next; A male bighorn sheep stand in the snow covered landscape and watches the herd.
Looking across a snowy landscape to the Grand Tetons with blue sky, light cloud, and the sun starting to dip closer to the horizon.
Oddly regimented and straight snowy hills amongst the forest at the base of the Grand Tetons.
Late afternoon sun hits the white clouds and rocky outcrops of the snowy Grand Tetons.
Looking through bare winter branches to a forest and hills beyond with light snow falling; Steam rises from Kelly Warm Springs just outside town, in a sunny snow-covered landscape will rolling hills.
Late afternoon sun hits the rocky peaks of the Grand Tetons with a cover of light cloud, the shade of the afternoon tingeing the rest of the snowy mountains blue.
A mixture of textures from the leaves and trunks of trees in the snowy forest.

To see more photos of Wyoming go to Middle America Road Trip: NV UT WY NE IA or to see more of America’s beautiful ski towns go to Lake Tahoe CA: winter or Bend OR.

This entry was posted on Sunday, February 12th, 2012 at 5:32 am. It is filed under snow and tagged with America, Jackson, mountains, nature, snow, town, wildlife, winter, Wyoming. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.