Park Service: Don’t Try That ‘Secret Route’ To Jackson, You’ll Get Stuck In Snow

With the word out about an obscure, rugged road between Idaho and Jackson, the National Park Service is worried that frustrated commuters might try charging over it too soon and end up getting stranded in snowbanks.

Wait until after Monday to try going over Reclamation Road, also known as Grassy Lake Road, Grand Teton National Park spokesman Jeremy Barnum told Cowboy State Daily on Thursday.

“It still has 3- to 4-foot snowbanks in the shady areas, and we’re going to start busting through those over the next few days. The road is scheduled to be open on Monday,” he said. “I’d just hate for people to start jumping in their Jeeps thinking it’s a viable way around.”

And although June 17 might seem like a late date for a road to open, that’s still pretty good considering it’s frequently July 4 or even later before crews finally bust through the last of the snow on Reclamation Road.

Even then, many people familiar with the rugged, winding and often unpaved route say it’s no short cut and notorious for claiming tires.

Traffic Jams And Frayed Nerves

The mountain road popped up in conversation after the main route for workers traveling to and from Idaho to Jackson literally fell off the mountain.

Many of the people who work in Jackson can’t afford to live there. Instead, they commute from towns on the Idaho side of the state line. And Highway 22 over Teton Pass was the favored route.

But that ceased to be an option Saturday after a catastrophic failure sent a huge section of the road sliding down a mountainside.

That left many commuters with seemingly only one choice, taking the long way around through Star Valley. It’s also caused exhaustion and frayed nerves. It can take four hours, or longer, each way.

The route going through Snake River Canyon has seen traffic jams more akin to places like Los Angeles than anything people living and working in small-town Wyoming and Idaho would expect.

Fit For A Sedan, If You’re A Little Nuts

And so, interest was renewed in the previously all-but-unknown-except-to-locals Reclamation/Grassy Lake Road. While it’s there, nobody Cowboy State Daily has talked to recommends anyone use it as a commuter route.

But the closure of Teton Pass has sparked some in Idaho to start calling for the road to be graded and improved to give commuters another option.

The route starts about 25 miles north of Tetonia, Idaho, taking off east along a dirt and gravel road at the Squirrel Cemetery near Ashton, Idaho.

It then winds over the Tetons, coming out at U.S. Route 191 north of Jackson

It’s been described as little more than a “jeep trail” by some, but it’s slightly better than that, Barnum said.

“It’s a little bit better than a jeep trail. It’s not paved. It’s dirt and it has some pretty bad sections of washboard,” he said. “I’ve seen some people take sedans over it, but I wouldn’t recommend that.”

And even with high-clearance four-wheel-drive, it’s not the best option for commuters, Barnum said.

“Communters are definitely better off going the Snake River Canyon Route through Alpine,” he said.

Heavy Equipment

The National Park Service plans to tackle the remaining snowbanks with heavy digging equipment, Barnum said.

“In some places, the snow might have gotten soft enough, they’ll just be able to push it out of the way with a plow,” he added.

Once the road is clear, it might make a good secluded byway for those who wish to take their time and enjoy nature’s beauty. But it’s not for people trying to beat the clock and make it to Jackson in time for their shift, Barnum said.

In the mountains, the route goes partly through Grand Teton, and then through National Forest, with great scenery along the way he said.

Mark Heinz can be reached at mark@cowboystatedaily.com.