SEARCH JACKSON HOLE AND SURROUNDING AREAS

As the summer progresses, Jackson Hole is home to numerous biking events. Fat tire enthusiasts look forward to the Cache Creek to Game Creek Mountain Bike Race in June. The 12-mile race begins at Mike Yokel Park in downtown Jackson before climbing to the Cache-Game Divide.

In September, often there is a celebration in Teton Village noting there is only 69 days until the lifts of Jackson Hole Mountain Resort open for the winter season. Opening days for Snow King and Grand Targhee Resort also are anticipated, but they are somehow not as official as The Big One.

In the summer, Snow King Mountain hosts a running race to the 7,808-foot summit. Beginning at the Town Square, runners and hikers take on the 2.1-mile course with top finishers finishing in less than 25 minutes.

Jackson Hole also provides excellent bear habitat, with resident populations of black bears as well as the only significant amount of grizzly bears south of Canada. Grizzly bears, perhaps more appropriately known as brown bears, can weigh as much as 600 pounds and often find themselves in conflict with humans.

The social calendar had few dates to look forward to. Today, however, an ever-growing, year-round population and increasing numbers of visitors enjoy a wide variety of outdoor and indoor events.

Nowadays, the summer throngs are replaced by a steady series of organized events that both draw large numbers of visitors and involve the growing Jackson Hole community.

Also included in the list of top Jackson Hole hotels would be Teton Village properties such as Hotel Terra, Teton Club, Alpenhof and Crystal Springs. Town of Jackson hotels catering to the higher end include White Buffalo Club, Rustic Inn and Lexington at Jackson Hole Hotel & Suites.

Teton Village far and away offers the most resort lodging options with a wide variety of condos, townhouses, hotel rooms and single-family residences.

In Rocky IV, Jackson Hole doubles for Siberia, where Rocky Balboa trains in deep snow beneath the jagged peaks of the Cathedral Group for his battle to the near death with the Russian boxer Drago. In Any Which Way You Can, which starred Clint Eastwood and an orangutan, the Jackson Hole Town Square is the scene of much of the action.

Most resort destinations specialize in at least one activity not easily found elsewhere. Hawaii and Florida are a draw for beach enthusiasts, golfers make their pilgrimages to South Carolina and skiers know that Jackson Hole is one of the finest destinations for their chosen passion.