Time to keep 2.5 miles of Antelope Flats Road open year-around.
When Darla and I moved to Jackson Hole 32 years ago, the old saying was: “Between Labor Day and Memorial Day, you could shoot a canon down Broadway or Cache and not hit anyone or anything.” Turn the calendar to 2018 and you’ll immediately notice that things have changed. Jackson Hole is not as “remote” as it might have been decades ago. Airports, hotels, and winter activities are catering to ever increasing winter crowds. Tourists are more demanding, more worldly, and more mobile with their 4-wheel drive SUVs and trucks. I’ve personally witnessed this change!
A 2.5 mile section of Antelope Flats Road has been closed during the winter months since we moved here. I suspect it has been closed for decades before our arrival—probably dating back to 1943 when the eastern portion was established as the Jackson Hole National Monument then later included in Grand Teton National Park.
The original decision to close the section made perfect sense, decades ago, when there was no one around in the winter. The 2.5 mile section of road is prone to drift in with snow quickly after a storm.
Traditionally, Antelope Flats Road has been kept open until the end of the Elk Reduction Program, otherwise known as the Elk Hunt in Grand Teton National Park. That date varies some from year to year, but is usually sometime around December 9th or 10th. Without snow plow maintenance, the Park Service locks the gates at both ends once the road becomes unsafe or impassable. Kudos to the Park Service this year for leaving the road open so long! As of December 26th, there was a fair amount of snow on the road, but it was still plenty drivable as seen in the photo above. (December 26th, 2018) As of December 27th, the gates are locked at each end for the winter season.
This map shows the winter road closure in red. The green section is plowed from the highway to a snow plow turnaround .8 miles to the east. The distance from Mail Box Corner to the highway is only 3.3 miles, but to get either end of Antelope Flats Road during the winter months requires backtracking 17.2 miles, as shown in yellow on the map.
You might notice two large touring vans in this crop from the previous photo. I don’t have records to indicate how many Wildlife Tours and Photography Tours operate in Grand Teton National Park during the winter months, but 27 companies are listed for winter tours in the National Elk Refuge, plus another half dozen that opted not to renew their permit this year. There are likely at least 30 companies offering winter tours in GTNP. Several of the larger companies like Jackson Hole Wildlife Safaris, Teton Science School, EcoTour Adventures, and Brushbuck Wildlife Tours have multiple touring vans. Needless to say, these companies wouldn’t be in business if there were no winter visitors to support them!
During the winter months, most of the prime wildlife viewing opportunities are found in the southern portion of the park and on the National Elk Refuge. Most tours begin in town, then head north to the new roundabout at Gros Ventre Junction and northeast towards Kelly. Moose, deer, elk, eagles, coyotes, grouse, coyotes, foxes, and wolves are primary “targets” in this area for tourists and photographers. From Kelly, tours usually head north on the East Boundary Road, which is asphalt covered for around 7 miles to the National Forest Access Road.
When the 2.5 winter road closure goes into effect in mid to late December, visitors and tours are forced to backtrack to the roundabout at Gros Ventre Junction to once again head north. This effectively doubles the traffic on that section of the road and adds considerably to the travel time and gasoline expenses for visitors and tour operators—and it essentially eliminates an important historic and scenic area of the park.
The southern and eastern portions of the park are now very busy in the winter! On any given day, a moose or two, spotted close to the road, can create a jam of 10-20 vehicles, much like the traditional “bear jams” in the summer. With heavier winter traffic in the area, a jam develops quickly. Last spring’s wolves created even larger jams.
Plowing the 2.5 miles during the winter only makes sense now—and for a variety of reasons!
Safety
With the extra traffic and increased number of visitors on the east side of the park, it’s only a matter of time before there is an accident requiring medical attention. A coronary event, like a heart attack, could be deadly. Keeping the road open would mean a much quicker response time from medic teams leaving the Park Headquarters at Moose. The extra 15-20 minutes for the full route could cost someone their life. Unless one of the touring vans have one onboard, there are no defibrillators in the area.
Efficiency
Someone might suggest the 2.5 mile closure saves the Park Service some money for the plowing. However, there’s a reasonably good possibility that opening the section could actually save money. Rangers could more efficiently patrol the eastern and southern region and the snow plows could blast on through the 2.5 miles and continue their east side plowing. From a bigger picture, less gasoline would be used by a variety of companies like FedEx, UPS and the numerous tour operators. Visitors and tour operators could spread out and reduce traffic on the East Boundary Road and Gros Ventre Roads.
The Numbers
The chart above was supplied to me by the Jackson Hole Chamber of Commerce (Thanks Rick Howe). It documents years back to 1992…I would love to see the chart all the way back to 1986 when we moved here! Notice the incredible increase in traffic from the early years in December through March (shown inside the red boxes). Additionally, I found this related article written by the staff at the National Elk Refuge: December numbers set new visitation records. The simple fact that enough tourists are visiting the area to support the ever increasing number of tour operations should be evidence enough.
I can only speak with empirical data, but the changes have been easy to see. I recently drove downtown to take a few photos of the Christmas lights on the Town Square. I had to search for a parking space! A canon shot down Broadway or Cache would take out countless tourists and vehicles!
Time for a Change!
Each time I submit my monthly reports to Grand Teton National Park (Best of the Tetons Photo Tours), I include this line in the comments box, “Please consider keeping Antelope Flats Road open during the winter months for safety reasons—and to help reduce congestion on the east side of the park”. I’ve been doing that for three or four years, but I fear the comments never make it to the person that could affect the change. Possibly this post will reach the decision makers. The photo above shows there is a need and willingness to visit areas along Antelope Flats Road in the winter. Keep the road open and people will use it!
A Photographer’s Point of View
Most of what I’ve written above would probably fit into the “nuts and bolts” issues. How about a photographer’s perspective? Summer visitors usually find the Park, concessions, and vendors in full operation with essentially all roads and pull-outs open. Late in the fall, visitor centers close, businesses winterize and lock their doors, and important roads are barricaded—such as portions of the Moose-Wilson Road and portions of the Teton Park Road (Inner Park Loop Road), along with areas like Schwabacher Landing. The Chapel of the Transfiguration’s entrance road is almost always blocked by piles of snow. As the closures take place, we feel “pinched” into smaller and smaller zones of the Park. Typically, most of the wildlife in Grand Teton National Park have either left the area, hibernated, or moved to the southern portions of the park. Thus, many of the Wildlife Tours and Safaris stay south where the action is. Farther north, the historic old buckrail fences have been removed. They were a hallmark of the park, but their loss eliminates a few of our “go to” winter landscape locations from earlier days. As I mentioned, it feels like we are being forced to stay south, and with all of the tours, tourists, and restricted access, it can feel crowded at times.
Artists and photographers are often encouraged to include foreground, middle ground, and background in most of their photos. As winter progresses, finding good foreground subjects becomes increasingly difficult in Grand Teton National Park. That’s where access to Antelope Flats and the Mormon Row barns is so important. They provide a romantic foreground subjects, with the Tetons and clouds serving as middle ground and background elements.
Yes, it is possible to hike, cross country ski, or snow shoe out to the Mormon Row barns—even after the gates are locked. Not many casual GTNP visitors actually take up the challenge, and none of the tour companies are allowed to legally make a hike of that distance. Mormon Row is slightly more than a mile from the west gate, taking 20-30 minutes to hike or snow shoe in (or much longer). Early morning temperatures can hover well below 0° F, making an outing potentially dangerous for anyone not prepared for the cold conditions. I’ve been there with -30° F and a slight breeze. My fingers and toes were definitely hurting when I made it back to my vehicle, and that was without the long hike to and from the location. The photo above was taken at 7:30 am in mid-February last year.
The December full moon sets with the Mormon Row barns and Grand Teton Range in a single composition. In 2018, the full moon was on December 22nd, but both mornings were cloudy with no chance to take advantage of this year’s late road closure. This photo was taken on December 11th, 2011. Notes in last year’s Daily Journal indicate the road closed on December 23rd.
During the winter, there are many times when I find myself at the locked gate at Mail Box Corner. I would like to “check out” the areas around the Moose Visitor’s Center and the open areas of the Moose-Wilson Road. I realize it will mean driving 16.1 miles to get to Moose Junction. Without the winter road closure, I could be there quickly with a much shorter 4.4 mile drive. The feeling is worse yet if I contemplate driving to Oxbow Bend or Snake River Overlook from Mail Box Corner.
A Few Compromise Suggestions
I would love to see Antelope Flats Road open all year. That should be evident. However, any of several compromises might be workable for winter tourists and tour operators.
- First, Rangers could lock the gates temporarily if the road drifts in with snow. The Park Service could designate Antelope Flats Road as “low priority” for the snow plows, meaning it might be one of the last roads to be cleared after a big winter storm.
- Another option might be workable if the Park Service designated they would plow the road only on Tuesdays and Fridays (any two days would work). Tour operators would know which days they could depend on for the 3.3 mile crossing. If the road drifts in, the gates could be locked until the next scheduled plowing.
- Mormon Row Road wouldn’t need to be plowed. Likewise, the new rest room could be left closed during the winter months.
