6.7 miles

Rosie's Ridge

Togwotee Pass

Fee: $0.00 - donations appreciated

Access:

Drive north on N Hwy 89 from Jackson to Moran, continue northeast on Hwy 287/26. Pass BlackRock US Forest Ranger station. After 8 miles of climbing, turn left onto Turpin Meadow "summer" road (Four Mile Road) Parking area allows for 20+ vehicles. Trailhead on northside of parking area. 43 miles 1way

Description:

Rosie's Ridge is an intermediate trail set in the Bridger Teton National Forest, just off Togwotee Pass Road set at 7800 feet. The trail follows a forest service dirt road, running on a rolling ridge, west for approx. 4 miles one way/8 miles roundtrip, with gentle descents and climbs. Adjacent to the trail are several open knolls , with striking views of the Tetons range to the west.

Thanks to the elevation (average 7800-7600 ft), Rosie's often has early and late season snow (Jackson Hole valley floor ranges from 6000-6600 ft), so is a local favorite place to start or end the season. The trail also runs through critical wildlife habitat, so one may see some wildlife along side the trail. Dogs on leashes only, to protect the wildlife.

The trail begins on the north side of the parking area. Head north then immediately start to circle left (south) around a small knoll, climbing a gentle hill on your left. for approx 100 yards. On the right side at the top of the knoll, look for tall orange poles, indicating a snowmobile trail. The summer service road becomes visible as you head a further 100 yards west, at which point there is a brown metal gate and sign for Critical Wildlife Habitat.

Continue west, now on the road/trail through aspen and conifer groves, gentle descending into the first of several lowland meadows. Follow the trail out approx 1.5 miles, until you see the first of several open meadow knolls on your left (south). We choose to ski to the top of the first knoll for our first of many wide views of the Tetons. It's worth the short climb for the views, plus a gentle downhill ski back to the trail after was good fun.

Pick up the trail, continuing west, with its gently climbs over a small ridge then dropping backing the next meadow. Look for tall or short poles which serve as trail markers. There are 4 hilltop "summits" which you can ski to for continuing views west to the Tetons. Looking back east are views of the southern Absaroka Mountains and craggy peaks above Togwotee Pass. Views norths looks far into the central Absorokas and Teton wilderness.

Ultimately , the trail continues west to a small FAA tower on the crest of the last rounded knoll , overlooking the BlackRock Creek valley and Buffalo Fork valley to your northwest. You may have noticed the small orange posts following the trail on the way out or back -marked "fiber optic cable ", which were installed to provide data access to the FAA tower.

The gps track posted here represents 3.3 miles out then back (6.7 miles total), as we skied just short of the tower on this trip. As the trail is an "out-and-back" you can make the trip as short or long as you like, though we highly recommend skiing the first 1.5 miles to reach the first viewpoint.

From the trailhead, one can also ski down Four Mile Road to Turpin Meadow Ranch. This is the summer access road to Turpin, closed in winter to vehicular traffic. It's a favorite snowmobile trail, so is usually packed by snowmobiles, but another close-by variation for cross-country skiing and fat biking.

Bring bear spray early and late season, all year long, actually!

Remember to donate to Friends of Bridger Teton - btfriends.org, to help with maintenance and management of these incredible trails.