Crews are making use of Jackson’s brief off-season to hose down patios, apply fresh coats of paint and screw down beams of Douglas Fir.
The boards on Town Square will soon weather scores of cowboy boots from the summer rush.
Visit Jackson Hole forecasts a 10% surge in June visitors compared to last year. May bookings are up 5%.
Tourists are already making use of the spring road openings in Grand Teton and Yellowstone and told KHOL they intentionally came during the off-season to beat the masses.
“We always travel on off-seasons, we prefer that because normally we get good weather and not the crowds,” said Bret Zetter of Australia.
He and his wife Deb booked a cruise to Seattle 18 months ago and rented a car there for the drive to Jackson. They were eager to see bison herds and said gas prices were cheaper in the U.S. compared to Australia.
Heather Kiger and her partner David flew round trip from Minnesota for around $300. They wanted to avoid the traffic and congestion of warmer months. A few hiking trails were closed as well as Yellowstone’s South Entrance, set to open this Friday, but their hotel was cheaper and they saw “tons of wildlife.”
Visit Jackson Hole Executive Director Christa Valentino said high gas prices — which averaged $4.39 this week in Wyoming, up a dollar from before the war in Iran — aren’t the travel deterrent some might expect. Tourists book their trips months in advance and are fetching cheaper prices in the off-season, the organization’s data show. She said the spread-out visitation stabilizes the region’s economy.
The Jackson Hole Travel and Tourism Board has intentionally worked for years to achieve a smoother stream of visitation. That helps the environment and locals, Valentino said.
“In the past, businesses would open later and would really have to make a lot of their money during a very short period of time. Then at the end of the season, they would have to lay people off,” she said. “Now with a shorter off-season, they can often keep many of their staff on.
“It’s actually helping them,” she added. “They feel a little less strained.” 
For the past decade, Bear Hofmann has spent his off-seasons on his hands and knees, replacing the boardwalks around the antler arches that have “become a symbol of Jackson.”
During winters he grooms ski slopes and summers run the gamut of driving, fishing or ranch work. In between, he said he does what he can to help people.
Summer visitation is up too, but not by as much, data show.
At burger and shake staple Jackson Drug, general manager Jimena Flores said she is still hiring summer staff to work the patio.
“I’m trying to get everyone trained and settle everyone down. But I feel like mid-May, that’s where we all just start to get really busy,” she said.
From that point on, she’s hoping for long lines of ice cream patrons under the summer sun.
