The Snake River Gateways campaign is protecting natural resources and improving the visitor experience at three high-use destinations in Grand Teton National Park: Pacific Creek Landing, Jackson Lake Dam, and Moose Landing. The new designs blend access, safety, and education to foster a sense of stewardship and appreciation for the river, its associated landscapes, and the incredible fish, wildlife, and scenic resources they support. Project work in 2022 focused on phase two at Jackson Lake Dam.
Many of the elements at Jackson Lake Dam are consistent with the design of previous project locations. The dry stacked masonry wall reflects the style developed by the park and Foundation for the popular Jenny Lake renewal effort. Overarching design themes developed for Snake River Gateways were first installed at Pacific Creek Landing in 2021 and then adapted for use at Jackson Lake Dam. The Foundation and the park work collaboratively to deliver these projects, and the partnership continues to evolve for the benefit of each location.
At the river’s edge, planners used universal trail design principles to build a pathway that leads to two accessible fishing platforms. Improving accessibility to allow visitors of all abilities to experience the Snake River is a focus for each project site. Since the Dam is a popular fishing area, creating platforms so that people in wheel chairs can cast a line on the water was an obvious addition to the site plan.
Construction crews made excellent progress this summer, as they also repaved the entire parking lot and rebuilt the access area for the boat ramp. Interpretive panels, wayfinding, and benches will be installed in spring 2023. There are no anticipated future construction closures for Jackson Lake Dam.
Thank you to all of our generous supporters who have made this important work possible. We look forward to visitors using this site next summer!
