Jackson, WyomingJackson lies at the end of the great valley, known as
Jackson Hole, which runs the length of the Teton mountain range.
Grand Teton National Park lies in the center of Jackson Hole with
Yellowstone National Park just further north. The town is the main gateway to both national parks.
The town is a unique blend of fashionable resort and the Old West, with designer boutiques and art galleries lining the cowboy-style boardwalks. Tourism is the most important industry in the area and spread across the valley are a sprinkling of million-dollar houses between the remaining
cattle ranches, which offer guest facilities to supplement their farming income. During the summer, vacationers swarm the shopping malls and fancy restaurants, and the town square becomes the stage for a performed shoot-out every evening.
Jackson Hole is primarily a winter and summer playground for outdoor enthusiasts, with hiking, mountaineering, biking and kayaking in summer. In winter it becomes a premier ski destination, home to two of the state's best ski areas. Jackson Hole Mountain Resort has a massive vertical drop and skiing suitable for extremists, while
Snow King resort offers family-orientated skiing and snowboarding.
Climate: On the whole Jackson is pretty chilly, particularly in the freezing winter months, but the dryness of the air often belies the plunging mercury and it feels warmer than it really is; thus the area's popularity with winter sports enthusiasts. The winter snow conditions are among the best to be found in
North America, with an average annual snowfall of 150 inches (381cm). Springtime brings cool, bright sunny days, interspersed with rain showers. In summer the days are fairly warm, the chill returning in fall.
CodyCody is entertainer William '
Buffalo Bill' Cody's hometown, and was founded by him in 1887. During summer it rivals Jackson as Wyoming's number one tourist town, at the same time retaining more of the bona fide appeal of a pastoral Western community than the resort sophistication of its contender.
Every summer the town turns up its Western charm for the thousands of visitors en route to the east gate of Yellowstone National Park with rodeos, the annual
Cody Stampede, Buffalo Bill attractions and paraphernalia, and a cowtown circus. Cody's main attraction is the world-class
Buffalo Bill Historical Center, encompassing five different museums detailing the history of the West.
The dusty main road is lined with souvenir and ranch-wear shops, and its reassembled Old Trail Town is a collection of ghost town shop fronts and cabins gathered from the surrounding region, housing artifacts and archaeological finds. From Cody, the 52 miles (84km) to Yellowstone National Park takes travelers through the superbly scenic landscape of the Wapiti Valley.
Climate: Because of its altitude, Cody, like much of the state of
Wyoming, has an essentially cold and dry climate, with plenty of winter snowfall. The weather is highly seasonal: summer days can be pleasantly warm. Despite the average of low temperatures there is no shortage of sunshine, with an estimated 300 sunny days a year. Cody's weather, though, is known to be highly unpredictable.
