Photo: Greg Tally - User: (WT-shared) WineCountryInn at wts wikivoyage · CC BY-SA 3.07% of Jackson’s land is conserved, and 99% of residents live within a half mile of a park
4.5 miles of mapped trail cross Jackson, 1.5 per square mile of land. 7% of Jackson’s land is conserved, about 142 acres. 128 acres are parks and preserves, 12 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 87% of U.S. towns · #10 of 28 in Wyoming. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Jackson?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Jackson have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Jackson is ahead of 87% of U.S. towns, #10 of 28 in Wyoming. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, park acres per resident lowest.
Wyoming towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 9%; the U.S., 4%), so Jackson’s 7% is ahead of 41% of Wyoming towns, while its trails per square mile lead 70% of them.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Pick a walk
Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
National Elk Refuge
May Park
Rangeview Park
All 10 parks & preserves
142 conserved acres
7% of Jackson’s land. Who manages Jackson’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| National Elk Refuge National Wildlife Refuge | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | 35 | Restricted |
| Community/TCSD Athletic Fields Local Recreation Area | Other state land | 31 | Open |
| State Lands 1111129515 State Resource Management Area | State land board | 13 | Open |
| Teton National Forest National Forest | U.S. Forest Service | 12 | Open |
| Wayne May Park Local Park | County | 10 | Open |
| Karns Hillside Local Park | County | 9 | Open |
| Smith's Park Local Park | County | 9 | Open |
| Rangeview Park Local Park | County | 7 | Open |
| Phil Baux Park Local Park | County | 7 | Open |
| Russ Garaman Park Local Park | County | 5 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
12 places to go in Jackson
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
8 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
2 scenic views without a name on the map.
1 picnic area without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
8 named trails
25 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
12 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 2 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
The best walking months in Jackson: May to September
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 9.3 | 10.4 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.7 | 15.4 | 15.1 | 14.0 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 9.0 |
| High (°F) | 27 | 32 | 41 | 50 | 61 | 70 | 80 | 79 | 69 | 54 | 38 | 27 |
| Rain (in) | 1.8 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.9 | 1.6 | 1.0 | 1.1 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.6 | 2.0 |
July is the driest month (1.0 in) and the warmest (highs of 80 °F). 2.0 inches fall in December, the wettest month. The climate in Jackson →
Jackson and its neighbors
Jackson has the second most mapped trails of the 2 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jackson | 7% | 1.5 | 12 | 99% | A |
| South Park | 18% | 1.4 | 24 | 42% | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Jackson
Where can I hike in Jackson?
The longest trail networks: National Elk Refuge, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Jackson is conserved land?
7% of its land, against a typical 9% for a Wyoming town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Jackson’s trails?
Karns Meadow and National Elk Refuge don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Jackson?
25 miles of bike routes are on the map: 5.0 of painted or protected lanes, 12 of off-road paths and 7.4 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Jackson?
42,970 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Jackson or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 157 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Jackson have?
Ahead of 87% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #10 of 28 in Wyoming. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Jackson neighbors.
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →