Jackson Hole Gravel Adventure

I have always wanted to do some sort of epic ride but never found anything that I felt comfortable enough with.  That is until my father offered up his condo in Jackson Hole in early May to me and my brother-in-law, Will, to stay at and do some riding. After buying our airline tickets I did some digging for Gravel Routes in the area and poured over satellite imagery looking for dirt roads. I found some in Jackson Hole but in neighboring Teton County, Idaho, there were tons.

I met Will in Dallas and we flew to Jackson together. Getting off the plane we got a great view of the Tetons, only the Grand Teton (or the as the locals refer to the The Grand) was hidden by clouds. Still, with sunny skies and a slight chill in the air I was excited to start riding.

Will rented a big Dodge Ram pick up truck that was perfect for hauling around our bikes. The bed was perfect for two bikes. It was the first time Will had ever driven a pick up truck and he was amazed at the size of the vehicle both inside and out.  It did the trick through and got us comfortably to the Condo.

At the condo we started assembling our bikes.  Mine took longer because I stripped more from the bike so that it would be under the 50 lb baggage cutoff. If it was more than 50 lbs I would have to pay $150. The problem was my bike box.  It was super sturdy but weight 29 lbs, meaning I only had 21 lbs to play with and ended up taking everything off except the cranks, chain, bars, brakes, forks, frame and wheels.  Everything else either went into my suitcase or carry on.

Once the bikes were assembled and we changed into our kit we rode over to Fitzgerald Cycles. This was the shop where I rented a fat bike from last year and had a great time with it. At the bike shop we bought CO2 cartridges and I bought another piece of Fitzigear - a really nice jersey.  The bike shop looked over the routes that I planned and gave some really good advice about where we could find gravel, as well as where we shouldn't be riding.

Here is a summary of our rides with links to the detailed pages:

May 4th:  National Elk Refuge Gravel Grinder

Type:  Out and Back

Distance: 20 miles of gravel

May 5th:  Hoback Roubaix

Type: Loop

Distance:  49 miles, 7 miles of gravel

May 6th: The Dirty Grand Loop

Type: Loop

Distance:  82 miles, 9 miles of gravel

May 7th:  Susie's Nipple Gravel Grinder

Type: Loop

Distance:  80 miles, est 65 miles of gravel

May 8th:  I could really use some pavement right about now

Type: Loop

Distance: 60 miles, 52 miles of gravel

May 9th:  Gros Ventre Gravel Grinder

Type: Out and Back

Distance: 41 miles, 35 miles of gravel