Fall Creek Road

Review

Intro

Behing the paved pathway from Jackson up to Moose and then on to Jenny Lake in Grand Teton National Park, Fall Creek Road, which heads south from Wilson, is the next-best option for cyclists looking for little vehicular traffic. The ride is 36 miles round-trip from Jackson's Town Square to the top of a two-mile hill called Red Top Meadows. A mile after that, the road turns to dirt. If you start in Wilson, it's 21 miles roundtrip to Red Top Meadows and back.

What Makes It Great

For its first six miles heading south from Wilson, Fall Creek Road has a decent shoulder, as far as shoulders in this valley are concerned. It’s maybe three feet wide and fairly clean. Six miles down the road, the shoulder quietly gets smaller and smaller until—poof!, like a ninja into the shadows, it has completely vanished. At this point though, there’s so little traffic the lack of a shoulder isn’t much of an issue.

Fall Creek Road also happens to be a nice little workout for the legs. Since it’s an out-and-back ride, you can turn around at any point. Going to the “end” gives you a couple of fun little hills. You reach the top of each at just about the time your legs, lungs, and heart are starting to realize they’re being made to work hard and might want to start hurting. But then the hill is over before your body can firmly decide to punish you. The final hill is a different story though: it’s a very difficult two-mile climb from Butler Creek up to the top of Red Top. It’s not steep per se, but it's sustained.

There’s a short section about halfway up that flattens for a couple of hundred meters. But that’s the only reprieve you get until the top. While road runners aren't quite as common a sight on this road, Fall Creek does make for a lovely run as well. I'd park my car at the Mosquito Creek Road and run south from there.

Who is Going to Love It

Fall Creek Road is a great option for cyclists looking for little vehicular traffic.

Directions, Parking, & Regulations

Turn south onto Fall Creek Road from Wilson, Wyoming.