The Overview
Michael Fulton
Melbourne-based skier and snowboarder with 50+ resorts across 5 continents. Specialises in Australian resorts and international resort comparisons.
Snow King Mountain's summit reaches 7,808 feet, dropping 1,571 vertical feet to a base at 6,237 feet across 34 runs spread over 400 acres on the southeast edge of Jackson, Wyoming. Terrain splits 40 per cent advanced, 24 per cent intermediate, 18 per cent expert and 18 per cent beginner, a steep mix for a town-adjacent hill. Average annual snowfall reaches roughly 132 inches, well below the totals at nearby Jackson Hole and Grand Targhee. The resort operates on the Indy Pass.
Snow King earned its nickname 'the Town Hill' from its location directly at the edge of downtown Jackson, close enough that locals can walk from town to the base. The 40 per cent advanced and 18 per cent expert terrain share makes it steeper than its small size suggests, a legacy of its original informal ski routes from the 1920s. Night skiing extends access into evening hours, a feature not offered at Jackson Hole. The mountain also hosts an alpine slide and, since 2024, an observatory and planetarium at the summit.
Wyoming's first ski area, Snow King traces its skiing history to informal use in the 1920s, when locals hiked up for runs down what was then called Kelly's Hill. The Civilian Conservation Corps built a switchback trail to the summit in 1936, and the area was officially renamed Snow King in 1938. A 4,000-foot rope tow installed in 1939 became Wyoming's first lift-served skiing. The mountain underwent a significant renovation completed in the 2020s, adding a gondola and new summit facilities.
Indy Pass holders receive access to Snow King alongside dozens of other independent resorts across North America. Adult day tickets run from 75 to 95 US dollars depending on date, with a season pass priced at 599 dollars. The resort suits locals and value-focused visitors seeking a steep, town-adjacent alternative to Jackson Hole's larger and pricier terrain. Its position inside Jackson itself, rather than a separate base village, makes it the most accessible ski area in the valley without a car.
1,572ft
Vertical
34
Runs
400 acres
Skiable
11ft
Annual snow
Indy
Pass
The Terrain
34 runs across 400 acres skiable
Snow King Mountain spreads 34 runs across 400 acres skiable of terrain. It leans advanced at 40%, with 6 beginner runs to find your feet and 20 advanced or expert runs when you want to push.
Terrain split
34
runs
34 runs across 4 grades
Beginner6 runs · 18%
Intermediate8 runs · 24%
Advanced14 runs · 40%
Expert6 runs · 18%
Time it right
When to visit Snow King Mountain
The 2025-26 season at Snow King ran from 6 December 2025 to 5 April 2026, a roughly seventeen-week window shorter than nearby Jackson Hole's season despite similar opening timing. The mountain's lower base elevation of 6,237 feet, relative to Jackson Hole's 6,310 feet, and lower snowfall contribute to a slightly earlier close. Night skiing extends the useful hours of the season without extending its calendar length. Season dates shift year to year based on snowpack and grooming capacity.
Average annual snowfall of roughly 132 inches is markedly lower than Jackson Hole or Grand Targhee, both of which sit higher and catch more direct storm exposure. This lower natural snowfall makes snowmaking and grooming comparatively more important to Snow King's season-long conditions, though specific snowmaking coverage is not confirmed in available resort information. Base depth typically builds more slowly than at the valley's higher-elevation resorts. The mountain's south and east-facing exposure toward town can affect snow retention compared with more sheltered aspects.
Midwinter, from January through February, offers the most reliable conditions once early-season snowpack and any snowmaking coverage have built up. Night skiing sessions run through the core of the season, giving Jackson locals an after-work skiing option not available at Jackson Hole. Late-season visits in March and early April can be more variable given the mountain's lower base elevation and snowfall. Weekday and evening visits typically carry lighter crowds than weekend daytime sessions.
Night skiing is Snow King's signature seasonal feature, distinguishing it from Jackson Hole and Grand Targhee, neither of which lights runs for evening skiing. The Snow King Observatory and Planetarium, opened at the summit in 2024, adds a non-skiing draw through the winter season. The mountain also operates an alpine slide and other activities outside the core ski season. As Jackson's historic town hill, the calendar leans toward local, after-hours use alongside standard daytime skiing.
Season 2025 - 2026
6 Dec 2025
Opens
5 Apr 2026
Closes
120
Days open
11 ft
Annual snow
Getting there
Getting to Snow King Mountain, and where to stay
Snow King Mountain sits on the southeast edge of Jackson, Wyoming, close enough to downtown that it is known locally as 'the Town Hill.' Base elevation is 6,237 feet, with the summit reaching 7,808 feet across a 1,571-foot vertical drop. Unlike Jackson Hole's purpose-built Teton Village, Snow King's base sits within walking distance of Jackson's town square. The mountain looks directly down over the streets of Jackson below.
Jackson itself is the nearest town, effectively adjoining the ski area rather than requiring a separate drive. The town retains its Western character, with a historic square and elk antler arches, alongside its ski-tourism economy. Teton Village and Jackson Hole Mountain Resort sit roughly 12 miles northwest, a separate destination from Snow King within the same valley. Grand Teton National Park lies further north again, beyond both ski areas.
Local Jackson streets and Highway 89 provide direct access to Snow King's base, with no separate mountain access road required given its in-town location. This makes Snow King the most walkable ski area in the Jackson Hole valley, reachable on foot from many in-town lodging options. Winter driving within Jackson is generally well-managed given the volume of ski season traffic. No separate shuttle service is needed to reach Snow King from central Jackson, unlike the START bus required for Teton Village.
Jackson Hole Airport (JAC) is the nearest airport, roughly 10 miles from Snow King and inside Grand Teton National Park, closer to Snow King than to Teton Village given Snow King's in-town position. The airport offers seasonal service to roughly 20 cities during ski season. Idaho Falls Regional Airport offers an alternative around two hours away by road. No rail service reaches Jackson, and most visitors combine a Snow King visit with a stay in town rather than a separate airport transfer.
Where to stay
Search all stays →Hotels and lodges near Snow King Mountain, powered by Stay22.
Latest News
From the SnowStash desk
Aspen Snowmass Marks 80th Anniversary With $3.75 Throwback Lift Tickets
Aspen Snowmass turns 80 this December, and it's marking the milestone with $3.75 lift tickets on the anniversary itself - the original 1946 price. A discounted long weekend, $19.46 dining specials, lodging deals up to 46 percent off, and a season of anniversary programming round out the celebration across all four mountains.
17 Sept 2026
Doppelmayr Group Posts 9.1% Revenue Growth in 2025/26, Passing 1.3 Billion Euros
Doppelmayr closed its 2025/26 business year with revenue up 9.1 percent to 1.3 billion euros, driven by projects including the Big Sky Explorer Gondola, Deer Valley's Mayflower East Village Gondola, and the first TRI-Line installation at Hoch-Ybrig. Headcount grew too, with the ropeway manufacturer now employing almost 4,000 people worldwide.
16 Sept 2026
Hintertux Glacier Replaces 40-Year-Old Gondola to Tuxer Fernerhaus
Hintertux Glacier is retiring its 40-year-old gondola to the Tuxer Fernerhaus. The replacement carries 10 people per cabin instead of four, with seat heating and nearly 40 percent more hourly capacity. Doppelmayr's new line opens at the end of October 2026, right as the glacier's high-altitude terrain becomes accessible again for the new season.
16 Sept 2026
FIS Weighs Holding World Championships in Almost Every Winter, Starting 2032
The International Ski and Snowboard Federation is looking at a major shake-up to its title events calendar. From 2032, World Championships could run not just in odd-numbered years but in every non-Olympic winter too, effectively putting a global title event on the calendar almost every season. The FIS Council has approved the concept following a feasibility study, though an accelerated rollout as early as 2028 is also under consideration.
4 Sept 2026
Mount Buller Becomes Latest Australian Resort to Call Time Early on 2026
Mount Buller closes out its 2026 season this Sunday, joining Falls Creek, Hotham and Charlotte Pass in a cluster of closures landing almost simultaneously and roughly a month ahead of schedule. The culprit is stark: Spencers Creek's benchmark snow depth hit 31.2cm on 3 September, just 18% of the 73-year average and an all-time low for this point in the season. Six of Victoria and NSW's best-known resorts will have shut their lifts early within a span of about two and a half weeks.
4 Sept 2026
Tremblant to Add New Timber Summit Ski Sector for 2027/28 Season
Tremblant has confirmed a major expansion of its Quebec ski area, with a new Timber Summit sector adding 62 acres of terrain, eight trails and a high-speed quad chairlift for winter 2027/28. It's part of a CAD 42.5 million investment that also includes a new beginner learning zone at Versant Soleil opening this coming season. The project has grown considerably since it was first announced back in 2020, when it carried a far smaller budget and an opening date that never eventuated.
2 Sept 2026
Mount Hotham to Close for the 2026 Season on Sunday, September 6
We knew when the Bird Bath Pond Skim showed up on Hotham's Instagram that the season was on its way out. It's been a rough one - I only managed two days on snow all year, at Falls Creek - and now Baw Baw, Selwyn and Hotham have all called it, possibly the worst Australian season I've seen in a decade. Hotham's last day of lift operations is Sunday, 6 September, with a Retro Day, Father's Day après and closing sales before the lifts stop turning for good.
1 Sept 2026
Thredbo to Replace Ageing Gunbarrel Quad With New Six-Seat Chairlift for 2028
Thredbo Alpine Resort has confirmed plans to replace its 37-year-old Gunbarrel quad chairlift with a new six-seat Doppelmayr D-Line, targeting winter 2028. The AUD 35 million project will keep travel time roughly the same but lift capacity from 2,800 to 3,000 skiers per hour. It's part of a broader investment push that also includes doubled snowmaking capacity at Friday Flat for 2027, with the ageing Kosciuszko Express now flagged as the resort's next major lift replacement after Gunbarrel.
31 Aug 2026
Snow King Mountain Snow Report
Snow Report
Updated 20 Sept 2026
7,808ft
summit
+0in
new snow · last 24 hours
Clear39°F / 62°F · N 6mph
Snowfall
24 hours
0in
48 hours
0in
7 days
0in
Base depth
20in
Season total
0in
Total lifts7
Live open status isn’t available right now.
6 Dec 2025 - 5 Apr 2026
Hour by Hour
Next 44 hours· Updated Sep 20, 2026 at 6:02 AM
Scroll for the full outlook · Open-Meteo
7-Day Outlook
7,808 ftUpdated Sep 20, 2026 at 6:02 AMOpen-Meteo
Days 1–7
0.0"
Days 8–14
0.0"
Sun, Sept 20
Overcast
Temp62° / 39°°F
Snow0.0"(7%)
Wind6 mph N
Live snow from the resort feed; forecast from Open-Meteo, via Supabase.
Understanding the Snow King Mountain snow report
Snow King Mountain snow conditions, updated regularly: current snowfall, snow depth, temperatures, and the outlook for this Wyoming resort on the Indy.
Snow measurements
Base depth, summit depth, and recent snowfall are the core numbers to watch. At Snow King Mountain, summit conditions (2380m) can differ noticeably from the base, so we break both out separately rather than showing a single average.
Weather conditions
Wind and temperature swings matter as much as fresh snowfall. Cold, calm conditions hold snow quality well, while wind-loading or a warm-up can change things quickly — especially given the elevation spread between Snow King Mountain's base and summit.
Data sources
We pull Snow King Mountain's conditions from on-the-ground mountain reporting, then layer in forecast data so you get a fuller picture than either source alone. The mountain is served by 7 lifts, including a quad chairlift and a gondola.
When to check
Conditions can change overnight, so mornings and late afternoons are the best times to check back on Snow King Mountain.