Where does the Moose-Wilson Road start this year? For decades you could pick an end. Drive in from Moose, park at Death Canyon, or come up from the Granite Canyon entrance a few minutes from The Aspens. Through the rest of 2026 and into 2027, one of those still works. The corridor now opens from the south, and anyone living along WY 390 holds the shortest commute to the only gate that's open.
The North Half Is Closed to Everyone, Walkers Included
Grand Teton National Park closed the Moose-Wilson Road between Moose and the Laurance S. Rockefeller Preserve at the end of the day on September 7. The closure is scheduled to last through November 15. The park's August 20 announcement covered motor vehicles and bicycles. The current NPS road construction page, updated October 9, now lists that segment as "Closed to all use." That means walking the closed pavement up to Sawmill Ponds is off the table too.
The south half is a different story. The park's current conditions alert warns only of "occasional short delays between Granite Entrance and LSR Preserve." The drive from the Granite Canyon side to the Preserve stays open.
Here's the calendar as it stands from the south gate:
| Date | What changes |
|---|---|
| September 21 | LSR Preserve Center closed for the season, reopens June 1 |
| Through October 31 | LSR Preserve parking lot open 24 hours |
| November 1 | Preserve lot closes; Moose-Wilson Road begins its seasonal vehicle closure |
| November 15 | Scheduled end of the construction closure north of the Preserve |
| June 2027 | Scheduled completion of the new Death Canyon Trailhead |
About Three Weeks Left at the Preserve Lot
From today, October 11, the Laurance S. Rockefeller Preserve lot has about three weeks left in its season. It's a 50-car gravel lot. The NPS parking page lists it as open 24 hours from September 15 through October 31, then closed from November 1 to April 30. The lot stays open 24 hours on Columbus Day, October 12. In peak summer, the park says waits for a space can run up to two hours.
The Preserve Center itself has been closed since September 21, so this is a trails-only visit with no building to start from. The park still lists the Phelps Lake Loop and the other Preserve hikes as spring, summer and fall routes. It also advises checking trail conditions before setting out.
The lot has gotten more crowded because one of the corridor's other trailheads isn't there anymore.
Where Death Canyon Went
Death Canyon Road and the Death Canyon Trailhead have been closed to all use for the entire 2026 season, pedestrians included. The park is sending hikers to Granite Canyon and the LSR Preserve instead.
The old trailhead isn't coming back. According to the park's construction page, the new Death Canyon Trailhead will sit about a mile from the old one, with restrooms, a hiker staging area and about 90 paved parking spaces. Death Canyon Road will be paved, shortened by a mile, and end at the new lot. The retired stretch of road will become an extension of the Valley Trail toward Phelps Lake Overlook and Death Canyon, and the park says hikes into Death Canyon and beyond "will be longer as a result." Work is scheduled from May 2026 to June 2027. As of August 20, crews were installing the first vault toilets.
Until then, the park's own guidance names Granite Canyon Trailhead and Jackson Hole Mountain Resort as alternate starting points for Phelps Lake and Death Canyon. It also warns of limited parking and long waits at the Preserve. Both alternates are on the south end.
The trailhead work is tied to Phase II of the Moose-Wilson rehabilitation, which realigns the road north of Sawmill Ponds to meet a new roundabout on the Teton Park Road just north of the Moose Entrance Station. Once the roundabout is built, northbound Moose-Wilson traffic will be able to continue onto the Teton Park Road "without passing through another entrance station." Both projects run into 2027. In February 2026, Oftedal Construction received a $21,830,562.80 federal task order. That figure covers Moose-Wilson Phase II together with a separate Teton Park Road segment from Moose to Taggart Lake, so it isn't a Moose-Wilson-only price. The park describes all of this as preparation for Grand Teton's centennial in 2029.
After November 1, the Road Becomes the Trail
The NPS roads page says the Moose-Wilson Road closes to vehicles from November 1 until mid-May, depending on conditions. It stays unplowed between Death Canyon Road and Granite Canyon Trailhead and is open to skiing, snowshoeing and hiking. The park's winter guide describes about 3 miles of walking, skiing and snowshoeing between the two gates. From Teton Village, you drive north from the resort, enter the park, go about a mile, and park at the Granite Canyon Trailhead.
The same guide describes north-side parking at the gate on Death Canyon Road. This year that gate sits inside the construction zone, which is scheduled to stay closed through November 15. After that, the park says the corridor will move to winter recreation "as conditions allow." Until the park confirms otherwise, the Granite Canyon lot is the dependable winter start.
The winter rules on the unplowed road are short:
- Leashed pets are allowed, on a leash no longer than six feet and within 30 feet of the roadway.
- Pets are still prohibited on park trails, so the road is the dog route and the trail to Phelps Lake isn't.
- Bicycles aren't allowed on park roads closed to vehicles unless signs specifically permit them.
- The park warns that not everything underfoot is frozen and thin ice can be dangerous.
For general wildlife spacing, the park's guidance is at least 100 yards from bears and 25 yards from other animals, moose included.
The Decision That Could Reshape the Corridor Next
A bigger question about the road is back in front of local officials this month. On August 14, 2026, Acting Intermountain Regional Director Bert Frost signed an amendment to the Moose-Wilson Corridor's 2016 Record of Decision. It adds two elements the park had analyzed back then but not adopted: a separated multiuse pathway along the corridor, and a realignment of the road between Sawmill Ponds and Death Canyon Road. According to the NPS release, next steps are a project timeline and topographic surveys. Nothing has been built yet. WyoFile describes the pathway as running roughly 7 miles along the Moose-Wilson Road inside the park.
On Monday, October 5, Teton County commissioners approved a letter to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum. WyoFile reported that it reads:
"We ask the Department to reconsider the corridor-length pathway decision and include Teton County's input as a cooperating agency before proceeding."
Positions in the valley are split. Friends of Pathways welcomed the amendment as a safety connection for a missing link. It also said detailed design is still ahead and asked for routing close to the road with protections for wildlife, wetlands and cultural resources. The Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance opposes the pathway. Per WyoFile's August coverage, the National Parks Conservation Association said it was "disappointed." In its October story, WyoFile quoted Joan Anzelmo of the reformed Friends of the Moose-Wilson Corridor hoping the park "will be allowed to press pause." The same story quoted transportation advocate Tim Young calling the decision "outstanding." The Jackson Hole News&Guide covered supporters and opponents speaking at a commissioners' discussion of the pathway.
The town may weigh in next. KHOL reported on October 8 that Mayor Arne Jorgensen was considering a resolution that could go on the October 19 Town Council agenda. That date hadn't been confirmed.
Back on the WY 390 Side
A Granite Canyon outing ends where it started, close to home. Aspens Market is open 365 days a year and has been operating for about 15 years, according to an August 2026 profile in Dishing Jackson Hole. For dinner, Sudachi lists Summer/Fall 2026 service Tuesday through Saturday from 5 p.m. The restaurant hadn't posted winter hours yet.
The road through the corridor will look different by the time Grand Teton turns 100 in 2029, and some of those changes are still being decided. If you own along the Moose-Wilson Road and want to know how the trailhead work, the new roundabout or the pathway decision could affect your property, Budge Kelley Realty Group is glad to walk through it with you.
