At the corner of WY-22 and WY-390, the Stilson lot now has a building. Its entrance faces northeast. Inside are benches, large windows and two monitors that show bus times and the Teton Pass shuttles run by the Teton Backcountry Alliance. Next to the building are covered bike racks and e-bike charging stations, and the parking lot has EV chargers. START moved its official stop into the new Stilson Transit Center on August 11, 2026, so the first ski season with the building open begins when Jackson Hole Mountain Resort opens on November 27.
That gives Village skiers about three weeks to rethink a habit. For a decade, since paid parking began when the resort opened on December 1, 2016, Teton Village has charged for parking to get drivers out of their cars before they reach the tram. The free option was always Stilson. The difference this season is that the lot seven miles down the road has a heated room to wait in.
A Decade of Pricing Toward One Corner
The Teton Village Association, which manages parking in the Village's commercial core, says why it charges. Paid winter parking is part of a Travel Demand Management program meant to reduce traffic on Highway 390 "to protect wildlife, the environment, and our community character." The program pairs that charge with free, frequent buses from the Stilson Transit Center and free carpool parking in the Ranch lot. The association says these measures have shifted how people travel and limited traffic growth in and out of the Village, and the wider program has run long enough for the association to publish a 20-year summary.
The pricing has always pushed people toward Stilson. What held some drivers back was the wait itself. It was easy to put up with a cold bus stop before a weekday tram ride and harder with kids, a dog in the car, or ski boots on at 4 p.m. The new building answers that problem.
What the Building at Stilson Cost, and Who Paid
The construction contract was a guaranteed maximum price of $14,674,000. In a May 5, 2026 staff report, Teton County put the total project cost at $15,175,171. Of the $25 million federal BUILD grant behind the Teton Mobility Corridor Improvements project, $7.2 million went to Stilson. About $1 million of the Stilson grant allocation had gone to professional services, so local money was needed to cover that much of the construction budget. The staff report said this was not a construction overrun. In May, both the Jackson Town Council and the Teton County Board of County Commissioners unanimously approved an additional $1 million in SPET funds, as Buckrail reported.
At the August ribbon cutting, Senator John Barrasso and Congresswoman Harriet Hageman cut the ribbon. County Commission Chairman Mark Newcomb told Buckrail the center was "under budget, on time, and it's absolutely magnificent." KHOL reported roughly 400 paved spaces in the rebuilt area, a gravel area with room for about 700 more cars, and several bike pathways around the site.
The Stilson lot is free. START service from the transit center to the Village is complimentary. The winter Stilson Employee Shuttle, run by Mountain Resort Services, also carries the general public to and from the Village for free.
What the Village Lots Charge in Winter 2026-27
Here are this season's daily rates from Village Park. Each transaction also carries a $0.79 convenience fee.
| Where you park | Standard day | Peak day | After 1:00 p.m. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base, Mid or Upper Village Lot | $35 | $45 | $10 |
| Ranch Parking Lot | $18 | $25 | Free |
| Ranch lot, carpool of 4+ | Free | Free | Free |
| Ranch lot, carpool of 3 | $5 | $10 | Free |
| Stilson Transit Center | Free | Free | Free |
Peak pricing applies on these dates:
- December 26 through 31, 2026
- January 16 and 17, 2027
- February 12 through 15, 2027
- Every weekend from January 2 through March 21, 2027
The weekend stretch is where costs add up. January 2, 2027 is a Saturday and March 21 is a Sunday, so that window covers 12 full weekends, or 24 peak days. Someone who parks in a close-in lot every Saturday and Sunday of that stretch will pay $1,080 in daily rates, plus about $19 in convenience fees. The same weekends in the Ranch lot cost $600. Parking at Stilson costs nothing on all 24 days. The Park N Pass season option went on sale September 22.
The Afternoon Rates Change the Calculation
The rates after 1 p.m. are the main exception to the case for Stilson. The Ranch lot is free after 1 p.m., and the Village Park site says so plainly: "Arriving after 1:00 pm? Park at the Ranch Parking Lot for free!" The close-in lots drop to $10 after 1 p.m., but they don't all stay open the same hours. The Mid Village Lot keeps its afternoon rate from 1 to 5 p.m. all season, while the Base and Upper Village Lots offer it only from 1 to 3 p.m.
These rates separate morning skiers from afternoon visitors. A first-chair skier on a peak Saturday is choosing between $45 and a bus ride from Stilson. Someone driving in after work for a few late laps, or picking up a skier at the end of the day, can park free at the Ranch lot. Stilson helps most with the full, early, crowded day, which is the day the association's pricing was designed for.
Paying Without a Kiosk Line
The Village lots use Tap 'N Ski. You park, scan the QR code posted in that lot, add a promo code if you have one, and pay with Apple Pay, a card or PayPal. Village Park asks drivers to pay only after parking and to use the QR code for the lot they're actually in, and it notes that paying does not guarantee a space if the lot is full. Solar-powered kiosks at every pay lot take your license plate number and a credit or debit card, and you don't need to display a receipt.
That holds on peak days too. On a December 27 morning, paying doesn't guarantee a spot, and the bus from Stilson leaves whether the lots are full or not.
Hosting Guests in the Village This Winter
Owners in the Village's residential areas have their own rules to plan around. Their guests are bound by them too, and the bus from Stilson makes some of them easier to follow.
The Teton Village Improvement and Service District manages roads and parking in the residential areas, and its rules are strict. There is no overnight parking on any road in Teton Village, residential or commercial. Residents and their guests must use the parking that comes with their house or condo. The four commercial-core lots, Base, Upper, Mid and Ranch, are for hotel guests and day visitors and can't be used as overflow parking for residences. Vehicles without a permit can be ticketed or towed at the owner's expense.
For daytime gatherings, property owners can request a one-day street parking permit for a special occasion. The application has to be completed and approved at least five days before the event. Parking on both sides of a residential road is never allowed in Teton Village or Granite Ridge. The district's road and parking permit page has the application. This is general information, not legal advice, so owners should confirm their own property's rules with the district at 307.733.5457 before guests arrive.
For a holiday week with family visiting, a few details on the association's parking and transportation page help. Day guests can leave a second car at Stilson for free and ride in, so they don't need a space at the house. Guests staying along Michael Drive and Rachel Way can use the Winter Condominium Shuttle, run by Mountain Resort Services. It runs frequently between 7:30 a.m. and 11 p.m. daily in winter and goes directly to the base of the tram. Teton Village Association and the condominium owners fund it. START buses stop in front of the tram building. The START schedule page has current times before opening day.
Where the Summer Program Fits
The Stilson building is one part of a corridor plan that keeps working in the Village beyond ski season. Walk Festival Hall is still under renovation, and Buckrail reported in August that it is on pace to reopen for the Grand Teton Music Festival in summer 2027. The plans include an enclosed multi-level lobby, the hall's first elevator, better accessibility, a redesigned covered deck and a snowmelt system. Seating will drop from 680 to 630. A finished Stilson center will be in place for the first concert season in the renovated hall, so the free lot will serve summer evenings in the Village as well as ski days.
Opening day is Friday, November 27, 2026. Base, Mid and Upper Village lots cost $35 that day, and Stilson is free.
If you're deciding whether a Village condo, a home along Moose-Wilson Road or a place near the Stilson corridor fits how you'll actually spend the winter, Budge Kelley Realty Group can walk through how parking, shuttles and daily logistics differ from one property to the next.
