PROJECT SUMMARY

Chelsea Carson, Conservation Program Director, Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance 

Grand Targhee Resort has proposed a major expansion onto National Forest lands and significant development within the existing resort footprint.The Caribou-Targhee National Forest (CTNF) is evaluating the proposal through an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).

Located on the west slope of the Teton Range, Grand Targhee Resort is approximately 45 miles northwest of Jackson, WY, and accessed via Driggs, ID and Alta, WY. Grand Targhee is in the jurisdiction of Teton County, WY and the Teton Basin Ranger District of the CTNF. Of the ski area’s 2,414 acres, 2,294 acres are located within the CTNF and 120 acres at the base area are privately owned, as a result of a land exchange in 2004. Grand Targhee submitted master development plans (MDPs) beginning in 1991 through 2018 per its special-use permit with the Forest Service. 

The Proposed Action would expand the ski area’s current boundaries into two areas known as “Mono Trees” (Mill Creek) and “South Bowl” (Teton Canyon). The boundary expansion would nearly touch the Jedediah Smith Wilderness, and includes areas that are identified as critical habitat for Teton bighorn sheep, as well as for grizzly bears, which are federally listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. The area is also designated as suitable habitat for the federally listed Canada lynx and provides habitat for wolverines, a species under consideration for federal listing. The proposal includes building additional lifts; enhancing terrain and “improving” roads; developing on-mountain restaurants and amenities such as warming huts, yurts, and restrooms; and significantly increasing lodging and base services. According to Grand Targhee, the resort’s current Comfortable Carrying Capacity (CCC) is approximately 3,000 guests per day. The proposed expansion would more than double its capacity to approximately 6,200 guests per day.

After the scoping period and before the DEIS, changes were made to the Proposed Action. The changes were made due to “internal and external feedback provided during the scoping period, fieldwork and analysis completed during the summer of 2021, and operational details that were uncovered during a holistic review of the entire proposal.”* Key changes to the proposal include reducing the South Bowl expansion from three lifts to one and reducing the proposed expansion area from 600 acres to 266. With these changes, Grand Targhee is requesting approximately 900 additional acres of National Forest Land within their Special Use Permit boundary. Changes also include a new gondola/chairlift on Dreamcatcher to accommodate non-skiers wanting to dine in the proposed restaurant on top of Fred’s Mountain.  

 A range of alternative actions will be analyzed in the forthcoming Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS): 

  1. A No Action Alternative. 

  2. A modified Proposed Action, as described in the Scoping Notice, including projects within the existing Special Use Permit (SUP) area and proposed expansion in ‘Mono Trees’ and ‘South Bowl’

  3. Proposed actions within the existing boundary only 

  4. Proposed actions within the existing boundary and an expansion in ‘South Bowl’

  5. Proposed actions within the existing boundary and an expansion in ‘Mono Trees’