General Weather – Snow today, sun tomorrow
Mountain Weather is forecasting snow today with clearing skies tomorrow. For a detailed daily forecast check out mountainweather.com.
What’s Groomed Today?
Every Day
- Turpin Meadow Ranch
- Trail Creek Nordic
- Teton Pines Nordic
- Shooting Star Nordic – season pass required
Thursday
- Grand Targhee Nordic
- Alta Nordic Track
- Teton Reserves
- Stilson Loop / Emily’s Pond / Wilson-Centennial Trail
- School Fields Loop (Jackson)
Be sure to check the real-time grooming situation of your chosen trail by clicking the links above as trail grooming is dependent on conditions. Thank you groomers!
March Nature News from The Hole Hiking Experience
A snowy February draws to an end and March begins with sunny, bluebird days. During the month of March, we typically experience all types of weather from sunshine to cold rain, wind and snow. Light powder days become fond memories as warming temperatures create big, wet snowflakes. Spring is a dance of changing weather. Male Grizzlies will soon emerge from their winter dens. They seek dead carcasses to gorge on for much needed protein and calories in order to regain strength. The call of the Red-winged Blackbird will soon be heard along with the flash of blue of the Mountain Bluebirds. Returning birds brighten the month with their brilliant colors and songs contrasting the brown landscape of the encroaching mud season.
Longer days and brighter sunlight also signify the arrival of spring. It’s interesting how our bodies can sense it. Light encourages us to lift our faces to the sun. Take the opportunity to pause and take it in with a few deep breaths. The pulse of the Earth and the daily changes at this time of the year are welcome after the dark days of December. All parts of nature respond to this change.
Spring officially begins on March 20, 2025. It’s a fragile time for many animals as they recover from the harsh elements of winter. Elk, moose, deer, bison and pronghorn are all in recovery mode, so make sure to minimize any disturbance. Early snow melt helps the animals by encouraging the growth of green leaves.
Enjoy this season of change,
Cathy Shill
Founder, The Hole Hiking Experience
Trip Report: Cottonwood Creek to Jenny Lake
Thank you to K. Nyrop for the rich photos of sunshine, blue skies, and crust cruising during your trip to Jenny Lake via Cottonwood Creek on Sunday.
Skiing to Jenny Lake via Cottonwood Creek can be a nice alternative to cruising along the road. The Cottonwood Creek ski trail offers spectacular views of the Tetons in Grand Teton National Park. It is a flat trail, primarily made by skier and/or snowshoe tracks, crossing meadows and following alongside the creek. The trail provides a wilderness experience with occasional glimpses of historic cabins and expansive meadows.
Yellowstone Road Plowing Schedule
The following information is from a recent Buckrail article. Read it in full here.
The first road expected to open to YNP visitors, according to YNP’s updated park roads website, will be the West Entrance road with access to Madison, Old Faithful, Norris, Mammoth Hot Springs and Canyon Village, scheduled to open on April 18. Up next will be East Entrance access to Lake Village (via Sylvan Pass) and Canyon Village to Lake Village on May 2.
Most pertinent to Jackson residents is the projected opening date of the South Entrance, which is slated for May 9. This will provide access from the John D. Rockefeller Memorial Parkway (the protected space between Grand Teton National Park and YNP) to park attractions including Old Faithful, Grant, West Thumb, Bridge Bay and Lake Village.
See Yellowstone’s dedicated Park Roads website for further information. Sign up for road alerts by texting 82190 to 888-777. Learn about how Yellowstone’s roads used to be cleared by hand.
Maintenance Update from Shooting Star
Spring’s just around the corner and Golf Maintenance is scheduled to conduct our annual practice of applying black sand on the greens to naturally aid in melting the snow. Based on the upcoming forecast, we anticipate temporarily switching to evening trail grooming this Friday (3/7) for allowing us time to perform maintenance on the greens during the colder mornings. Evening trail grooming begins at 5:30 pm and all skiers need to be off the trails by this time. Reminder, that conditions may be icier during the morning hours. Below is an approximate outline of the upcoming Maintenance schedule during March 7-11 (Weather & Equipment pending):
- Friday (3/7): Evening Grooming begins at 5:30 pm, skiers need to be off the trails.
- Friday & Saturday: The snow on the greens will be packed down via our snowcat during the morning and early afternoon hours. TBD if black sand will be applied on Saturday. Evening Grooming will begin at 5:30 pm daily, skiers need to be off the trails.
- Sunday-Tuesday: Black sand will be applied to the greens during the morning hours. Evening Grooming will begin at 5:30 pm daily, skiers need to be off the trails.
- Wednesday (3/12): Grooming switches back to mornings, pending completion of maintenance practices.
Note, skiers may encounter some rough sections caused by equipment hauling materials to the Golf Maintenance facility, but skiing conditions should remain enjoyable throughout this process. This is a time sensitive operation and needs to be performed during this window, as more inclement weather is expected Tuesday (3/11) afternoon.
Events
International Women’s Day
Saturday, March 8
Celebrate the strength, grit, and joy of all women adventuring outdoors! Let’s honor those blazing trails (on skis, bikes, and boots). Whether breaking trail or breaking barriers, here’s to the women who embrace winter and the wild. See you out there!
Now Through March 9
The Best of Jackson Hole ballot is officially open and JH Nordic is nominated as the Best Family Friendly Activity under the Adventure & The Great Outdoors Category. Cast your vote now!
2nd Annual TVTAP Women’s Nordic Grooming Clinic
Saturday, March 15
at the Alta Track from 10am to 1pm. Prior experience driving snow machines is not necessary! Come learn about how we groom and get hands on experience (and maybe even volunteer for TVTAP someday)! Space is limited so click here to sign up today! Questions? Get in touch! caitie@tvtap.org
