Teton Pass is a high

mountain pass A mountain pass is a navigable route through a mountain range or over a ridge. Since mountain ranges can present formidable barriers to travel, passes have played a key role in trade, war, and both Human migration, human and animal migration t ...

in the

western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, located at the southern end of the

Teton Range The Teton Range is a mountain range of the Rocky Mountains in North America. It extends for approximately in a north–south direction through the U.S. state of Wyoming, east of the Idaho state line. It is south of Yellowstone National Park, ...

in western

Wyoming Wyoming ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States, Western United States. It borders Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho t ...

, between Wilson and Victor,

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest and Mountain states, Mountain West subregions of the Western United States. It borders Montana and Wyoming to the east, Nevada and Utah to the south, and Washington (state), ...

. At an

elevation The elevation of a geographic location (geography), ''location'' is its height above or below a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational equipotenti ...

of above

sea level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an mean, average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal Body of water, bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical ...

, the pass provides access from the

Jackson Hole Jackson Hole (originally called Jackson's Hole by mountain men) is a valley between the Gros Ventre Range, Gros Ventre and Teton Range, Teton mountain ranges in the U.S. state of Wyoming, near the border with Idaho, in Teton County, Wyoming, T ...

valley in Wyoming to the Teton Valley of eastern Idaho, including the access route to Grand Targhee Resort through Driggs, Idaho. To the south of the pass lies the Snake River Range. The Teton Pass highway in Wyoming is designated as State Highway 22 and the pass is approximately out of Jackson. The maximum grade on the road is 10%, and several

avalanche An avalanche is a rapid flow of snow down a Grade (slope), slope, such as a hill or mountain. Avalanches can be triggered spontaneously, by factors such as increased precipitation or snowpack weakening, or by external means such as humans, othe ...

slide paths traverse the road along its length, including Glory Bowl slide area. During the winter months, the road is often closed in the early mornings for avalanche control by the

Wyoming Department of Transportation The Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT) is the state agency that manages transportation infrastructure and services inWyoming. According to its official mission statement, it aims"to provide a safe, high quality, and efficient transpor ...

. The area is popular for

backcountry skiing Backcountry skiing ( US), also called off-piste (Europe), alpine touring, freeriding or out-of-area, is skiing in the backcountry on unmarked or unpatrolled areas either inside or outside a ski resort's boundaries. This contrasts with alpine s ...

, snowboarding, and

mountain biking Mountain biking (MTB) is a sport of riding bicycles off-road, often over rough terrain, usually using specially designed mountain bikes. Mountain bikes share similarities with other bikes but incorporate features designed to enhance durability ...

. The pass is a few miles south of

Grand Teton National Park Grand Teton National Park is a national park of the United States in northwestern Wyoming. At approximately , the park includes the major peaks of the Teton Range as well as most of the northern sections of the valley known as Jackson Hole. G ...

; parts of the route to the pass are located in the Caribou-Targhee National Forest and in the Bridger-Teton National Forest. The small town of Wilson sits at the base of the east side of the pass, while Teton Village and the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort ski area are northeast of the pass. At the state line at approximately , it becomes Idaho State Highway 33 and continues northwest to Victor, then north to Driggs.

2024 collapse

On the morning of June 6, 2024, large cracks formed in the road near milepost 12.8 of the Teton Pass highway. The road was temporarily closed with the hope that the road could be patched. However, two days later on June 8, the cracked section of the Teton Pass highway collapsed. Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon declared an emergency in the region, citing the significant impact the collapse had on commuters and the local residents and economy. The impact on commuters was significant, as the alternate route between Jackson and Victor, Idaho requires a >60 mile (97 km) detour. On June 28, the highway reopened with a slight detour while work continues.

Cited references

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External links

*Wyoming Department of Transportatio
webcam for Teton Pass
Mountain passes of Wyoming Mountain passes of Teton County, Wyoming Transportation in Teton County, Wyoming