Jackson Hole's incredible recreational opportunities

Recreation in Jackson Hole is defined less by how many points a team or individual can score and more by where someone can go, how one can get there and what one can see along the way.

While it is true that people play softball and flag football here, such games of the flatlands do not dominate the place. The Jackson Hole lifestyle is defined by the area's terrain, the mountains, hills, streams and rivers that offer incredible opportunities to ski and snowboard, snowmobile, hike, fish, hunt, climb, ride horses, backpack and camp.

What makes the valley so special is the immensity of the public lands on which people can enjoy their favorite pursuits.

Yellowstone National Park, less than an hour north of the town of Jackson, offers 2.2 million acres to explore via foot, car, boat or bike. The Bridger-Teton National Forest, with headquarters in Jackson, covers 3.4 million acres and contains the state's high point, 13,804-foot Gannett Peak, deep within the Wind River Mountain Range.

Given its size, Grand Teton National Park seems but a supporting actor in the valley recreation scene, encompassing 96,000 acres with a high point of 13,770. However, "The Park," as locals refer to it, offers some of the easiest access to some of the most spectacular alpine terrain in the world. Recreaters can get to the high peaks by hiking, climbing and skiing. Guide services can even be called in to help.

Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, Grand Targhee Resort and Snow King offer almost 6,000 acres of in-bounds terrain. Beyond the resorts and at points of access such as Teton Pass skiers and snowmobilers can access thousands of acres of backcountry.

The valley offers access to big stillwaters such as Jackson Lake and small, intimate places such as String Lake. Angles can test their luck on the big Snake River or they can wade along small streams too small for a canoe but teaming with cutthroats.

Togwotee Pass offers some of the best snowmobiling terrain in the U.S. 'Bilers can ride from Grand Teton National Park to Yellowstone National Park, with a guide.