The Spookiest Fall Walk in Jackson Hole: South Park’s Elk Feedground
There’s a spot just south of Jackson that feels a little haunted in October. The clouds hang low, the ponds turn a strange shade of green and old wooden corrals stand empty in the field. Locals call it the elk reserve. Officially it’s the South Park Wildlife Habitat Management Area, and it’s one of my favorite fall walks in the valley.
Where it is
The South Park Wildlife Habitat Management Area is about 8 miles south of Jackson on Highway 26/89, run by Wyoming Game and Fish. It’s mostly Snake River bottomland at about 6,000 feet, with cottonwoods, meadows and more than 50 acres of wetlands. The Snake River and Flat Creek both run through it, and there’s parking and a restroom.
The walk
In fall it’s quiet and a little eerie. A metal-grate boardwalk runs through tall cattails under the cottonwoods, past ponds that go bright green under gray skies. Then there are the corrals: weathered black wood and tall gate posts, empty this time of year. With the clouds low over the valley, it’s about as spooky as Jackson Hole gets.
Green pond under heavy gray clouds at the South Park feedground south of Jackson
What happens here in winter
Those corrals have a job. South Park is one of several elk feedgrounds in Jackson Hole. Wyoming Game and Fish set it up in 1939 to keep wintering elk off private land. From December through May, about 1,000 elk winter here and are fed daily from horse-drawn sleighs.
It’s not only elk. Mule deer and moose use the area too, and it’s a good place to spot osprey, trumpeter swans, bald eagles and waterfowl.
Know before you go
The area is open from May 1 to Jan 1, and closed to people from Jan 1 until 6 a.m. on May 1, when the elk need the space.
Vehicles stay on the roads marked with white arrows.
No overnight camping or parking, open fires, fireworks, recreational shooting or firewood cutting.
Shed antler collecting isn’t allowed from Jan 1 to May 1.
[Optional, if your Reel used a number:] The scariest thing in South Park
The corrals aren’t the scariest thing out here. That would be [your MLS number for South Park, with the period, e.g. “the number of houses for sale under $2M”]. If you own in South Park and you’re curious what your home would sell for in this market, send me a message. I’m happy to help!
Close (if you drop the optional section): If you live in South Park or are thinking about it, I’m always happy to talk about the neighborhood. Send me a message anytime!
Parker Bertles, Engel & Völkers Jackson Hole.
Source: Wyoming Game and Fish, South Park Wildlife Habitat Management Area.
