Topo Map: Grand Teton/Teton Village
Directions/Parking: To access from the southern end, drive to the end of the Teton Village Road, and continue about one mile past the turnoff for Teton Village. To access from the northern end, drive to Moose, take a left on the Moose-Wilson Road, and drive 3.1 miles to a small parking area at the Death Canyon turnoff.
Trail description: Along the unplowed road, this ski tour is a four-mile or longer round trip that makes a nice half-day outing. And since the Lawrence S. Rockefeller Preserve (formerly the JY Ranch) opened to public access within the last year, this route also provides access to the south end of Phelps Lake. Skiers can make a nice loop through the Preserve starting from either the south or north end of the unplowed Moose-Wilson Road. From the south, leave the parking area past the Grand Teton Park entrance gate (fee required) and ski along the unplowed road to the north, which winds through stands of conifers and open meadows. There are great views of the Teton Range to the west. This is a good spot for wildlife, including moose. From the north, the route covers similar terrain, and it’s slightly shorter from the north to access the LSR Preserve. Either way, during the first winter it was open (2007-08), there was frequently a broken ski track entering the Preserve from two different points along the unplowed road, one that roughly follows the summer Woodland Trail (northern route) and the other that follows an old access road to the Ranch (at the juncture where the paved road turns to gravel in the summer).
Avalanche risk: Low