Construction of what’s anticipated to be Teton County’s most expensive stretch of pathway is officially underway.
Proponents of the 3.5-mile stretch celebrated at a groundbreaking ceremony Wednesday morning on the west side of Teton Pass .
Wilson resident Jeff Kloppenburg was one of about 50 supporters who showed up for the new pavement. He’s looking forward to the day he can skip the highway while riding the Mail Cabin to Mike Harris loop, a popular mountain bike ride just north of the Wyoming-Idaho state line.
“I don’t like being that close to cars going that fast with such a small shoulder. There’s really very little room for error with a driver,” Kloppenburg said. “And I don’t want to die.”
But the county doesn’t have all the funds for what’s shaping up to be a roughly $13.5 million project.
At a May 11 meeting, the Board of County Commissioners approved $800,000 for the first phase of the project. Just over $1 million has come from private donations to Save Teton Pass Trail, a group that had hoped to fundraise at least $5 million by the end of 2025.
Elected officials had almost ditched the project altogether, due to funding concerns. But the grassroots fundraising is filling the gap where steep terrain means tough engineering and higher costs.
With previous deadlines come and gone, the plan is to break ground and hope the funds follow. But that’s typical, said Teton County Pathways Coordinator Brian Schilling.
“That’s what we see with every pathway project we’ve ever worked on in the history of the pathways program,” he said. “Not just here, but everywhere.”
Schilling said the pathway will go as far as funds allow. For the first phase, the goal is to connect Trail Creek trailhead to Coal Creek.
For longer riders, the path will make for safer pedaling on the Greater Yellowstone loop, the 180-mile route from West Yellowstone, Montana, to Grand Teton National Park.
Schilling would love to see a path to the summit, but that may be too ambitious for the near future, he said.
Expanding trail systems is always top of mind for Mountain Bike the Tetons, a nonprofit that fundraises for new trails and runs volunteer trail crews on both sides of the pass. Executive Director Chris Brule is pleased by the more than 400 donors who have rallied behind the pathway.
“To see the shovels in the dirt and soon a pathway on the ground,” Brule said. “It’s huge.”
