Western Heritage
Howdy Stranger, Yonder Lies Jackson Hole.
So reads the sign welcoming everyone entering Jackson Hole through Teton Pass, one of the earliest established traveller routes for newcomers to the valley in use since around 1811.
“People want to feel that frontier history. People come here to feel and get that cowboy experience. It’s so important that we are connected to our past while moving forward into the future together” says Vicki Garnick of the Jackson Hole Shootout, a local performance happening since 1957.
The Jackson Hole Rodeo isn’t a slick production for tourists, but the livelihood of a family who settled in Jackson Hole six generations ago. The best way to catch the shootout or rodeo is after taking a stagecoach ride around the Town Square. The stagecoach is almost 100 years old. And, yes, you can ride on the roof!
Land Acknowledgement
The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem carries a legacy of Native stewardship and kinship by Indigenous Tribal nations. Like much of the West, this land also holds a legacy of broken treaties and federal policies centered on the forced removal (1830–1860s), assimilation (1887–1930s), termination, and relocation (1945–1961) of Indigenous peoples.
Where the west is wild
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Rodeo
One of the rowdiest events of the summer, the rodeo draws crowds from near and far to watch the wild west come alive.
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Town Square Stagecoach Rides
Stagecoach rides are available from Memorial Day through Labor Day weekend. Call (877) 559-3585 to make a reservation or stop by the booth located right on the Town Square.
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Town Square Shoot Out
Presented by The Jackson Hole Chamber of Commerce and produced by The Jackson Hole Playhouse. The performance is on the Town Square at 6-7 pm nightly, except Sundays from Memorial Day through Labor Day.
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Try your hand at Dude Ranching
In the early 1900s, cattle ranchers began creating dude ranches to maintain farming and cattle ranching. The first dude ranches established in the valley of Jackson were the JY in 1908 by Louis Joy and Struthers Burt, the Bar BC in 1912, and the White Grass in 1913 by Harold Hammond and George Bispham.
Many of these dude ranches originally were found on the west side of the Snake River as a way to better market the authenticity of the location. These dude ranches became destinations where visitors could learn about the cowboy culture through different activities and living like a cowboy for the summer.
Today, you can stay in a cabin or a glamping tent at a dude ranch for a week, and horseback riding is only one of a dozen possible ways to spend your day.
Adventure starts here.
View AllFrom awe-inspiring encounters with nature to wild and western activities every kind, Jackson Hole offers once-in-a-lifetime experiences, 365 days a year.
Eager to glimpse your first bear, moose, or wolf? Challenge yourself with a run down black diamonds or class III rapids? Hook an 18-inch cutthroat? Meet a real cowboy? Watch a Teton sunset? This place is full of experiences you won't find that at home, or anywhere else for that matter. In Jackson Hole, wild adventures aren't just possible—they're already here waiting for you.
The Code of the West
In 2010, Wyoming signed a law declaring “The Code of the West” as the official state code, becoming the first state to adopt a code of ethics.
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Local History
The earliest occupants and environmental stewards of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem were the ancestors of contemporary Indigenous Tribal nations. Around 1884 the first homesteads were filed in Jackson Hole and settlers began building homes, farming the land, and raising cattle.
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Culture
Long before it had a skiing or climbing culture, Jackson Hole had art and music culture. This area inspires artists whose creations range from sculptures to stand-up comedy and even symphonies. Like the wildlife, the culture here knows no bounds.
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