TRAILS & ALES: JACKSON HOLE, WYOMING
Jackson, Wyoming, often referred to by tourists as “Jackson Hole,” the name of the town’s most famous ski resort, abuts Grand Teton National Park so finding a hike nearby is not difficult. Choosing a hike, however, can be, and in-park hikes can quickly turn into full-day affairs.
For a day, when you want more time to explore the quaint town of Jackson, the Snow King Mountain Resort is a great option for an “in town,” day paired with post-hike (or in my case, pre-hike) bite and beer at Snake River Brewing. The hike gives you a nice view of the town and a solid work-out while still leaving plenty of time for you to enjoy exploring the town.
TRAILS: SNOW KING MOUNTAIN TRAILS
Trailhead: 8494, 402 E Snow King Ave, Jackson, WY 83001(Intersection of Snow King Avenue & Cache Street)
Parking: Free parking (public parking lot and street)
Fees: None unless you want to ride the ski lift up or down
Other: This is a seasonal hike that becomes a ski slope in winter
The Snow King summit hike is a solid, quick summer workout – you climb 1,500 feet over 1.8 miles. The scenery as you climb is pretty standard ski trail hiking (fair amount of exposed, hot portions, some pretty trees), but what makes the hike worth it are the views of Jackson along the hike and from the summit.
Once at the summit, you can add on miles with other trails or turn around and enjoy descending twice as quickly as you climbed the ski hill. A local told me about the other trails as I was approaching the summit so I decided to make my hike a loop (using Josie’s Ridge and Sink or Swim) and quite enjoyed “the other side” of the summit, which was a bit more scenic.
If you like trail running, the Snow King trails are prime for running. Not crowded and runnable terrain. A number of bad a$$ looking runners passed me while I was on my hike.
Trail Information & Maps:
Snow King Mountain: Trail Information & Map
All Trails: Snow King Summit via Slow Trail (trail to summit)
All Trails: Josie’s Ridge via Sink or Swim
ALES: SNAKE RIVER BREWING
Address: 265 S Millward St, Jackson, WY 83001
Phone: (307) 739-2337
Website: Snake River Brewing – Wyoming’s Oldest Brewery
Instagram: @snakeriverbrew
Parking: Free city parking about a block and a half away at the public garage at 150 W. Simpson Avenue, Jackson, Wyoming Garage.
Beer Offerings: Rotating taps of Snake River’s own brews.
I went with the bison chili with cornbread and pub pretzel with cheese. Both were fantastic. I fancy myself a bit of a carb connoisseur so soft pretzels are a common order for me at bars that have them and the one from Snake River was one of, if not, the best I’ve had. My favorite beer, was the Earned It, Hazy IPA, which I liked enough to subsequently buy cans.
