Jackson Hole · Backpacking
ON A BUDGET
An expensive resort town with free buses, free forest camping and a genuinely cheap hostel.
The Hostel, Teton Village
Bunk rooms and shared lounges at the base of the tram, subsidised by the ski era and still the cheapest bed in the valley. Book far ahead for winter.
What a day costs
Jackson is not cheap: $70–130 a day camping, more like $150 with a hostel bunk and a bar tab. Groceries at Smith's rather than the square.
Free forest camping
Bridger-Teton National Forest allows dispersed camping on Shadow Mountain and up Curtis Canyon, both with Teton views and a five-day limit. Bear-proof storage is required.
START buses
Southern Teton Area Rapid Transit runs free within Jackson and a couple of dollars out to Teton Village. It reaches trailheads without a car, summer and winter.
Where travellers meet
The Million Dollar Cowboy Bar's saddle barstools are a tourist set piece that still works; Snake River Brewing draws the seasonal-worker crowd.