Jackson Hole

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Jackson Hole is a valley in the U.S. state of Wyoming. It is located in west-central Wyoming, and gets the name "hole" from early trappers who primarily entered the valley from the north and east and had to descend down into the valley along relatively steep slopes, giving the sensation of entering a hole. The valley is named for David (Davey) Edward Jackson, a mountain man who trapped the area for beaver in the early nineteenth century. Though used by Native Americans for hunting and ceremonial purposes, the valley was not known to harbor year round human settlement prior to the 1870's. Descriptions of the valley and its features were recorded in the journals of John Colter, who had been a member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. After returning to the Rocky Mountains, Colter entered the region in 1806 in the vicinity of Togwotee Pass and became the first white American to see the valley. His reports of the valley, the Teton Range and of the Yellowstone region to the north were viewed by people of the day with skepticism.

Grand Teton National Park occupies the western half of the valley along with the mountains for which the park is named. Jackson Lake is in the northern part of the valley, and the town of Jackson, Wyoming, is at the southern end. The average altitude of the valley is over 6,500 feet.

High altitude and steep mountain slopes on all sides of the valley oftentimes causes calm winter nights to be very cold, as radiational cooling from snow-covered ground creates cold air near the surface, which then slides down into the valley due to its higher density. In 1993, this effect during an already severe cold snap plunged the morning low temperature down to -56°F or -53°C in the valley, officially recorded by the National Weather Service. The state record low temperature was also recorded in the valley at Moran at -66°F in 1933.

The only incorporated town in the valley is Jackson, sometimes also mistakenly called Jackson Hole. Other communities in the valley include Wilson, Teton Village, Moran Junction, Hoback, Moose (Moose Wilson Road, Wyoming), and Kelly. Numerous elk use the valley as grazing range during the winter, and sleigh rides are offered to tourists. The Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, Snow King and Grand Targhee ski areas, and nearby Grand Teton and Yellowstone national parks are major tourism attractions year round.