Snow King Mountain Resort

In 1939, Snow King Mountain opened as Wyoming’s first ski area.

Just east of the Town Square, its rope tow was a cable purchased from an oil drilling company in Casper, Wyoming, powered by a Ford tractor. It wasn’t until 1947 that a chairlift—a single—was built. Snow King is still a snowball’s throw from the Town Square but now home to a new 8-passenger gondola for winter and summer visitors, a snow tubing park, hiking and biking trails.

Although other ski areas have opened since Snow King’s founding, Snow King is Jackson’s “town hill.” This name comes from the fact that the King looms above downtown Jackson and also because it's where many local kids and the local ski racing team, the Jackson Hole Ski & Snowboard Club, learn to ski and practice. If you want to genuinely ski like a local, do a day at the King. Being a visiting skier is easy; the lone lodge at the base is ski-in/ski-out.

The King is also beloved because it’s the center of a network of more than 100 miles of hiking, biking, and horseback riding trails that stretch into the Gros Ventre Mountains and the Bridger-Teton National Forest. You could even start at Snow King and hike to Yellowstone National Park completely on trails (this would take about 10 days).

Although it’s a popular gateway to wilderness, the King is easily accessible—the Town Square is only five blocks from its base—and in addition to trails and skiing, it offers a lot of family-friendly activities. These include a treetop adventure ropes course, scenic gondola rides, the Cowboy Coaster, a zip line, snow tubing, an ice skating rink and more.

From 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.