Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
III. SOUTHERN SECTION
Approaches to the South Entrance
You'll be entering Yellowstone through the South Entrance if you include a visit to Grand Teton
National Park in your travel plans. It's also the closest entrance for those interested in water
sports or in backcountry hiking in the relatively undeveloped southern one-third of the park.
The spectacular Tetons loom above the valleys from east or west and afford splendid photo-
graphing opportunities. Note that one fee (currently $25 per car) covers entry to both parks for
one week.
As much as nine thousand years ago, Native American Indians left evidence that they were
here. Then in the last two centuries, many colorful characters have passed through Jackson
Hole. Beaver trappers came as early as the 1820s, and gold prospectors followed in the 1860s,
but the latter never found pay dirt in commercial quantities. Some people found this a good
place to escape the law, but many came as homesteaders and established ranches. By the begin-
ning of the twentieth century, dude ranches were catering to wealthy Easterners. Today tourism
and cattle are both important to the economy.
Jackson, Wyoming, has an airport and rental car agencies. Accommodations are plentiful,
as are outdoor activities of every kind. The distance from Jackson to the South Entrance is 58
miles (93 km).
There's another way to approach Yellowstone's South Entrance, one that comes from the
southeast rather than passing through Jackson. It follows U.S. Highways 26 and 287 from the
town of Dubois near the northern end of the Wind River Range, across beautiful Togwotee
Pass, and northwest to reach Yellowstone. Togwotee Pass road reconstruction was completed
in 2012.
J ACKSON, W YOMING, AND E NVIRONS J ACKSON H OLE A IRPORT
Population: 9,600 8 mi. (13 km) N
Since World War II, Jackson has become a full-blown summer and winter tourist center, replete
with motels, restaurants, shops, and sports outfitters. Perhaps symbolic of its cachet, President
Bill Clinton and family chose the area twice in the mid 1990s for their August vacation, and
former Vice President Dick Cheney has a home nearby. Not surprisingly, you will pay more
here for most accommodations and restaurant food than in any other gateway city around
Yellowstone. There are numerous upscale ranches, houses, and condominiums in and around
Jackson.
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