Chris Peck, Stephanie Sweet and Renny Jackson ride the Jenny Lake loop road on Wednesday during motor-free season on the scenic byway. Grand Teton National Park officials plowed the road free of snow and will open it to vehicles May 1. (Angus M. Thuermer Jr./WyoFile)

Grand-Teton National Park has finished plowing the Teton Park Road and Jenny Lake loop and is allowing motor-free access through May 1.

For the next month, hundreds of residents and visitors will drive to a parking lot near Cottonwood Creek or Signal Mountain Lodge to embark on a walk or ride along the 14-mile road and the nearby Jenny Lake loop. On sunny weekend days, cars will overflow the Taggart Lake Trailhead parking lot as people strike out toward the mountains.

In Yellowstone National Park, crews have plowed from West Yellowstone to Mammoth Hot Springs and cycling is also allowed along that 49-mile stretch. Officials warn of wildlife, including bears and bison, and recommend carrying bear spray. Also, weather can quickly change back to winter.

Never miss  photo — subscribe to WyoFile’s free weekly newsletter

Even though no vehicles are present, “bicyclists are required to ride single file and follow all other rules of the road,” Yellowstone officials said in a press release.
The West-to-Mammoth road opens to cars April 21, along with some other park roads.

Angus M. Thuermer Jr. is the natural resources reporter for WyoFile. He is a veteran Wyoming reporter and editor with more than 35 years experience in Wyoming. Contact him at angus@wyofile.com or (307)...

Leave a comment

WyoFile's goal is to provide readers with information and ideas that foster constructive conversations about the issues and opportunities our communities face. One small piece of how we do that is by offering a space below each story for readers to share perspectives, experiences and insights. For this to work, we need your help.

What we're looking for: 

  • Your real name — first and last. 
  • Direct responses to the article. Tell us how your experience relates to the story.
  • The truth. Share factual information that adds context to the reporting.
  • Thoughtful answers to questions raised by the reporting or other commenters.
  • Tips that could advance our reporting on the topic.
  • No more than three comments per story, including replies. 

What we block from our comments section, when we see it:

  • Pseudonyms. WyoFile stands behind everything we publish, and we expect commenters to do the same by using their real name.
  • Comments that are not directly relevant to the article. 
  • Demonstrably false claims, what-about-isms, references to debunked lines of rhetoric, professional political talking points or links to sites trafficking in misinformation.
  • Personal attacks, profanity, discriminatory language or threats.
  • Arguments with other commenters.

Other important things to know: 

  • Appearing in WyoFile’s comments section is a privilege, not a right or entitlement. 
  • We’re a small team and our first priority is reporting. Depending on what’s going on, comments may be moderated 24 to 48 hours from when they’re submitted — or even later. If you comment in the evening or on the weekend, please be patient. We’ll get to it when we’re back in the office.
  • We’re not interested in managing squeaky wheels, and even if we wanted to, we don't have time to address every single commenter’s grievance. 
  • Try as we might, we will make mistakes. We’ll fail to catch aliases, mistakenly allow folks to exceed the comment limit and occasionally miss false statements. If that’s going to upset you, it’s probably best to just stick with our journalism and avoid the comments section.
  • We don’t mediate disputes between commenters. If you have concerns about another commenter, please don’t bring them to us.

The bottom line:

If you repeatedly push the boundaries, make unreasonable demands, get caught lying or generally cause trouble, we will stop approving your comments — maybe forever. Such moderation decisions are not negotiable or subject to explanation. If civil and constructive conversation is not your goal, then our comments section is not for you. 

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *