Teton Pass Road — Jackson to Victor via Wyoming’s Steepest Highway

Teton Pass is not subtle. Wyoming Highway 22 pitches up from Jackson at grades hitting 10% on the Wyoming side, and the view from the 8,431-foot summit puts the entire Teton Range in your mirrors and the Snake River Plain ahead. This route has been a crossing point since Shoshone people used it, and fur traders like Jedediah Smith pushed through here in the 1820s. The gravel spur roads off the main corridor — particularly the Coal Creek Road and the Phillips Pass area — take you into Bridger-Teton National Forest backcountry where dispersed camping is free and elk traffic in September is heavy. The real teeth come in winter, when the pass averages over 400 inches of snowfall and avalanche control is a regular operation.

In dry summer conditions the paved highway itself is manageable by most vehicles, but the gravel spurs accessing dispersed camping and backcountry trailheads require genuine high clearance and a confident driver. Early-season mud can close the forest roads through June. Carry water — sources are present but must be filtered. Fuel up in Jackson before you climb; Victor, Idaho on the west side is small but has a station. Cell service drops off once you leave town. Best season for the backcountry spurs is July through September.