Road To Jackson Hole Buried Under 35 Feet of Snow After Large Avalanche

The road, which connects Jackson Hole to the wider world, was hit by a controlled...

Ian Greenwood
•
powder.com
•
December 22, 2025

Teton Pass Highway, also known as Idaho 33 and Wyoming 22, one road that connects Jackson, Wyoming, to the wider world, is buried beneath avalanche debris after road workers set off a large controlled slide early Monday morning.

The Jackson Hole News & Guide, a local news outlet, reported that the debris is as deep as 35 feet, containing dense, wet snow. The avalanche, part of planned mitigation efforts, was released in a slide path called Glory Bowl, which ends at Highway 22.

“This is the biggest slide I’ve seen come out of Glory,” WYDOT avalanche technician Don Lawless told the News & Guide. He added that the avalanche was strong enough to push what looked like a 100-ton boulder into the gully below.

WYDOT, in a social media post, estimated that the road will reopen between noon on Monday and 2 p.m. Tuesday, due to the extent of the cleanup.

The 2026 POWDER Photo Annual is here! Look for a print copy on a newsstand near you, or click here to have a copy shipped directly to your front door.

Crews work to clear Teton Pass of the debris.
WYDOT

The slide comes as the Jackson area faces “very dangerous” avalanche conditions caused by strong wind and heavy snowfall, according to the Bridger-Teton Avalanche Center.

“Cautious route-finding is essential to steer clear of large avalanche paths and complex terrain,” the Center wrote in a forecast shared on Monday morning.

More snow is coming.

The National Weather Service expects another six to ten inches to fall on Teton Pass through the end of Monday, followed by a few more inches on Monday night, December 22, 2025.

The storm should be a boon to Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, which, so far, has had a somewhat slow start to the season. Like other mountains out West, the ski area delayed its opening because of warm weather and low snowfall, kicking winter off a bit later than anticipated on December 4.

According to Jackson Hole’s snow report, ten inches of snow have already fallen at its summit in the past 24 hours. Five inches have fallen at the mid-mountain.

The ski area also noted that the freezing level has been finicky.

“Keep your thoughts cool as the rain-snow line creeps ever so slightly downward to about the 7,000-foot mark for your powder pleasure,” the snow report reads. “Exercise patience as staff work diligently to get the mountain open safely.”