Gros Ventre River, Wyoming: Autumn Views, Slide Lake and Trout Fishing

The Gros Ventre River (pronounced "GROW-vont") drains a quiet corner of northwest Wyoming just east of Grand Teton National Park. It flows for about 75 miles from the Gros Ventre Wilderness to the Snake River in Jackson Hole, and in autumn its cottonwood-lined bends, gravel bars and Teton skyline make it a favourite subject for landscape photographers around Jackson.

Where the Gros Ventre River flows

The river rises in the Gros Ventre Range, a block of the Central Rocky Mountains southeast of Jackson Hole. The range sits largely inside the Gros Ventre Wilderness of Bridger-Teton National Forest, and its highest summit is Doubletop Peak at 11,720 ft (3,570 m). From its headwaters the river loops east, north and west before turning southwest through the small community of Kelly and across the valley floor to meet the Snake River.

Its lower miles run through the southern part of Grand Teton National Park, where the views open up: sagebrush flats, cottonwood groves and the jagged Teton Range rising across the valley. The river has been designated a National Wild and Scenic River.

Autumn colour along the river

Late September and early October bring the river's best colour, when cottonwoods and aspens along the banks turn yellow and gold. Low water at that time of year exposes gravel bars and shallow braided channels, which give photographers a strong foreground leading towards the mountains.

Cloudy days work well here. A break in the cloud that lights one bend or one line of trees can be more striking than a clear sky, and it is a classic Jackson Hole scene in the shoulder season.

The Gros Ventre Slide and Lower Slide Lake

The river is also famous for a huge landslide. On 23 June 1925, about 50 million cubic yards of rock slid off the north face of Sheep Mountain and blocked the valley. The natural dam stood more than 200 ft (61 m) high and around 400 yards wide, and the river backed up behind it to form Lower Slide Lake.

Two years later, on 18 May 1927, part of the dam gave way. A flood up to six feet deep swept at least 25 miles downstream and destroyed the town of Kelly, six miles below the slide. Six people died. The scar on Sheep Mountain is still clearly visible, and the Gros Ventre Slide Geological Area along Gros Ventre Road lets visitors see it up close.

Fishing the Gros Ventre River

The Gros Ventre is known for trout fishing, especially for the native Snake River fine-spotted cutthroat trout, which typically measure 12 to 16 inches and occasionally reach 20. Key rules inside the park, according to Grand Teton's fishing regulations:

• A Wyoming fishing licence is required; it is sold online, in nearby towns and at Flagg Ranch, Colter Bay Marina and Signal Mountain Lodge.
• The Gros Ventre is exempt from the park's 1 December to 31 July stream closure and from the artificial-flies-and-lures-only rule that applies to some streams.
• On park streams the limit is three trout per day, no more than one over 16 inches and only one cutthroat over 12 inches.

Outside the park boundary, Wyoming Game and Fish regulations apply. Check both before your trip, as limits are reviewed regularly.

Visiting: Gros Ventre Road and campground

Gros Ventre Road branches off the main highway north of Jackson and follows the river east past Kelly towards Lower Slide Lake. Inside the park, Gros Ventre Campground is the closest park campground to the town of Jackson. It is open from late April to early October, with more than 270 sites among cottonwoods a short walk from the river and views of Blacktail Butte and the Tetons. Bison and moose are often seen nearby, so keep a safe distance and store food properly.

Below Lower Slide Lake, the stretch down towards Kelly is a demanding Class III–IV whitewater run for experienced paddlers, and the park prohibits paddling on the lower half from the park boundary.

Related reading

• Grand Teton’s landscape and geology
• Azure Lake in Wells Gray Park, British Columbia
• Alex Honnold and Half Dome: Understanding Yosemite’s Climbing Images
• Peyto Lake in Banff: Turquoise Water, Mountain Views and Seasonal Change
• Mount Robson Provincial Park: A Mountain, a Lake and Different Journeys
• Columbia Icefield Skywalk: A Glass View over the Valley
• Banff Avenue: Mountain Views at Street Level

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