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To the chagrin of many cyclists, the Highway 89 pathway north of town along the National Elk Refuge is closed until April 30.

The closure is part of the deal Teton County arranged with the refuge to build the pathway in 2011. Despite a recent plea by cycling advocate Tim Young to open the path early, the refuge is sticking to the specified dates.

The path offers a velvety-smooth ride 10 miles to Moose and another 8 miles to Jenny Lake in Grand Teton National Park. Only the portion along the refuge, between Jackson and Gros Ventre Junction, is closed from Oct. 1 to April 30 each year; the park sections presumably are rideable when free of snow.

Although it may seem aggravating and bureaucracy at its worst, there is a rationale behind the closure. To better explain it, county pathways coordinator Brian Schilling provided the following list of frequently asked questions. The bottom line: Be patient, people, and let the refuge finish studying impacts.

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Posted under County Government, Environment, Politics, Sports

Tags: cycling, elk, grand teton national park, wildlife

Today’s chilly morning, with a temperature of -8 degrees at Jackson Hole Airport, made for lots of annoying “I’m glad I’m on spring break” Facebook posts, but it was not a record, according to meteorologist Jim Woodmencey.

The record for March 25 in Jackson is -27 degrees, set in 1965, he said.

The meteorologist noted colder temperatures in Bondurant (-18) and at Yellowstone Lake (-19) this morning. The lows may have been even a few degrees colder before dawn, he said.

The recent blast of winter has ensured that there will be a nordic leg for the 38th annual Pole Pedal Paddle on Saturday. The Jackson Hole Ski Club will set a course at the base of the mountain by the Teewinot and/or Eagle’s Rest lifts.

Today is the deadline to register for the PPP without paying an additional $15 registration fee. Sign up to participate individually or with a team here.

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Posted under Ski Resorts, Sports, Weather

Tags: cycling, jhmr, Nordic, ppp, ski racing, skiing

Around Christmas, as parties negotiated the final terms of a deal, I apprised venerable outdoors columnist and cult fishing legend Paul Bruun of efforts to create a park along the Snake River near Wilson.

“This is the biggest thing to happen for the river since …” I said, struggling to put the deal in perspective.

“Since forever,” Bruun finished the sentence for me.

The 40-acre property acquired by Rendezvous Lands Conservancy — located upstream of the Wilson bridge, on the northwest bank — will be a jewel for recreation, a place where the community can interact with the river in a setting likely nicer than the old Wilson Beach.

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Posted under County Government, Environment, Politics, Sports, Town Government

Tags: cycling, river running, snake river

Whether skiing, biking, paddling or skating for the Jackson Hole Moose hockey team, Spencer Morton can do it all.

Morton retained his title as the best all-around athlete in Jackson Hole yesterday by winning the racing class of the 37th annual Pole Pedal Paddle.

On a day that began with pouring rain and ended with brilliant sunshine at Astoria Hot Springs, Morton survived a grueling nordic leg and edged triathlete Adam Wirth of Boise, Idaho, and Dave Bergart of Victor. Morton’s total time for the 4,139-vertical-foot downhill, 10-k cross-country ski, 20-mile bike and 10-mile paddle was 2 hours, 22 minutes and 49 seconds.

Katie Engelman won the women’s racing class by one minute over Kathleen Crowley, finishing in 2:41:21. Peter Neal, 14, won the men’s recreational class. Complete results are posted here.

Afterward, competitors enjoyed music in the sun at Teton Village by Jackson bands Lazy Eyes and Elk Attack, followed by Mountain Fest headliner G. Love and Special Sauce. It was a perfect ending to one of the biggest PPPs in recent history.

For more on the event, see Monday’s Daily and Wednesday’s News&Guide.

Posted under Entertainment, Sports

Tags: bears, cycling, Nordic, ppp, river running, skiing

Last week the town held an open house at Center for the Arts to gather public input on a proposed redesign of South Cache Drive.

The $1.4 million reconstruction would add or improve sidewalks on Cache between Snow King and Pearl avenues. Work is slated to begin next year.

In the wake of the reconstruction of Redmond Street, which significantly narrowed the roadway, residents turned out in force to criticize the plan. As a starting point for discussion, town engineers presented a preliminary design for the sort of “Complete Streets” favored by Friends of Pathways.

Around midday, when I stopped by, comments were running about 3-to-1 against narrowing the road. Nearly everyone seemed to agree that the “bulb-out” pedestrian crossings have to go. Not only have they made Redmond a tight squeeze at intersections, but pedestrians tend not to use them as designed, an engineer told me. At least one resident called for a stop sign at Kelly and Cache.

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Posted under Politics, Town Government

Tags: cycling, development