What to Wear in Jackson Hole in November
Jackson Hole in November: 3°C / 37°F afternoons, -9°C / 16°F nights, an 11-inch snow month, and the Teton Park Road handed to walkers and cyclists.
- Bright red hooded shell — the park asks for bright colours while its elk reduction program runs
- Dark brown down jacket — -9°C / 16°F at the Taggart Lake Trailhead at first light
- Charcoal and forest-green wool flannel overshirt — the afternoon jacket once the down comes off
- Oat Aran crew — Thanksgiving dinner in town on 26 November, after dark at five
- Black insulated snow boots — the park expects the first heavy snows by 1 November
- Blaze-orange beanie — Wyoming Game & Fish says fluorescent orange shows hikers to hunters
- Head-to-toe grey, black or brown on park trails — hard to see during the elk reduction
- Mesh trail runners — 11 inches of snow, and no grooming on the closed road until mid-December
- A cotton hoodie under the shell — it holds sweat from the ride and stays cold at -9°C / 16°F
- Ski kit for a trip that ends before the 27th — Jackson Hole Mountain Resort opens that day
Pack to stay warm and to be seen. NOAA's figures for the Jackson town station, at about 6,200 ft, put November at 3.1°C by early afternoon and -9°C / 16°F at dawn, with 11 inches of snow over about 10 days. The National Park Service says "the first heavy snows fall by November 1 and continue through April". That same day the Teton Park Road closes to cars and opens to walkers and cyclists until snow covers it. Campgrounds and most park facilities close with it, and Jackson Hole Mountain Resort waits until 27 November. From early November the park runs its elk reduction program east of US-89 and asks you to wear bright colours. So: a red shell, down under it, wool throughout, snow boots and a blaze-orange hat.
In November the Teton Park Road gives up its cars and the ski resort has not opened. The road is yours on foot or on a bike, and the park asks one thing back: wear something it can see.
The capsule
01Bright red hooded packable shellWear red on the trails this month. From early November the park runs its elk reduction program east of US-89 and recommends bright colours so that participants see you, and a bright red hooded shell is the biggest patch of colour in your bag. Keep it on even at 3°C / 37°F in afternoon sun: worn open it still shows, and it keeps wet snow off the down beneath.
02Dark brown down jacket, stand collar, hip lengthDown under a shell, not a parka on its own. At -9°C / 16°F at first light in the Taggart Lake Trailhead car park, a hip-length dark brown down jacket does the warming and the red shell does the weather. Hip length clears a bike saddle on the closed road, and because it has no hood, the shell's hood pulls straight over your beanie.
03Charcoal and forest-green check wool flannel overshirtOn the walk back to the car at two, with sun on the road and the air at 3°C / 37°F, the down goes in the pack and the overshirt takes its place under the open red shell. Charcoal and forest-green check wool flannel stays warm when snowmelt reaches the cuffs, which it will on one of the month's 10 wet days, and its collar turns up under the hood.
04Lightweight oat Aran cable crewThanksgiving falls on Thursday 26 November, and dinner in town is the one evening this capsule dresses up for. A lightweight oat Aran cable crew over the merino is the whole outfit once the shell and down come off at the door, and by that week the sun has set at about ten to five. Oat also breaks up the charcoal, brown and black.
05Pale sage merino long-sleeve base layerPut it on first and leave it on. A pale sage merino long-sleeve sits against your skin from a -9°C / 16°F start to a 3°C / 37°F afternoon, and wool keeps you warm when a ride on the closed road leaves you sweating under the shell. Keep it thin: warmth is the down jacket's job, and a heavy base overheats you in the car.
06Tan canvas work trousers, utility pocketsSkip ski pants until the resort opens on 27 November. Tan canvas work trousers brush off dry snow, hold up on a bike saddle, and their utility pockets take a phone and a park map so the shell stays zipped. Tan also sits between the brown down and the black boots, and it walks into a restaurant in town without a change.
07Black waterproof insulated snow boots, shearling cuff, lug soleNPS expects the first heavy snows by 1 November, and nobody grooms the Teton Park Road for skiing until mid-December, so you walk on whatever fell overnight. Pack black waterproof insulated boots with a shearling cuff and a lug sole. The cuff keeps snow out of the top at the trailhead, and the lugs grip packed snow on town sidewalks after dark.
08Blaze-orange knit beanieBlaze orange is the colour Wyoming Game & Fish points hikers and cyclists to: fluorescent orange or pink makes you more visible to hunters during hunting seasons. A ribbed beanie puts it on your head, where it still shows when a daypack covers the back of your shell. Its fold-up cuff gives your ears two layers of knit at -9°C / 16°F.
Day to night
Red shell open over the zipped brown down jacket · flannel overshirt · merino base · tan canvas trousers · black snow boots · blaze-orange beanie. Park at Taggart Lake Trailhead at nine, still below freezing, and walk or ride north on the car-free Teton Park Road.
Oat Aran over the merino · tan canvas trousers · snow boots · down jacket and red shell for the walk · beanie in a pocket. Back in Jackson before sunset at about 5pm, dinner in town after dark; on Thursday 26 November, Thanksgiving.
A suggested look — bright red hooded shell over a dark brown down jacket, charcoal and forest flannel overshirt, tan canvas trousers, black snow boots, blaze orange beanie.
What to avoid
- Head-to-toe grey, black or brown on park trails — the park asks for bright colours
- Mesh trail runners — 11 inches of snow and an ungroomed road until mid-December
- A cotton hoodie under the shell — damp and cold at -9°C / 16°F
- Counting on the park for lunch or a warm room — most visitor facilities are closed
- Ski kit before 27 November — the resort opens that day
Frequently asked questions
NOAA's figures for the Jackson town station, at about 6,200 ft, give a November average high of 3.1°C and an average low of 15.8°F (-9.0°C), so most days span about 12°C from dawn to early afternoon. Precipitation is 1.37in (35mm) over about 10 days, only about 5 of them wetter than a tenth of an inch, and an average November brings 11 inches of snow to town. The clocks go back on 1 November, so sunset falls from about quarter past six to about quarter past five overnight, and to about ten to five by the 30th.
A bright red hooded shell, a dark brown down jacket with a stand collar, a charcoal and forest-green wool flannel overshirt, a lightweight oat Aran crew, a pale sage merino base, tan canvas work trousers, black insulated snow boots and a blaze-orange beanie. That covers a -9°C / 16°F start at a trailhead, a 3°C / 37°F afternoon on the closed Teton Park Road and a walk to dinner after dark at five. Add insulated gloves and wool socks. Leave ski gear at home unless you arrive for the resort's opening on 27 November.
Yes, mostly on foot. The National Park Service puts it plainly: "From November through April, some roads, all campgrounds, and most visitor facilities are closed or have reduced hours." The Teton Park Road closes to cars on 1 November between Taggart Lake Trailhead and Signal Mountain Lodge and stays open to bikes until snow covers it, and NPS adds, "You can hike, run, rollerblade, or walk your dog too." The Moose-Wilson Road closes the same day. Wear the red shell and orange beanie, since the elk reduction program starts in early November, and snow boots once it snows.
Early November, unless you came to ski. From the 1st the Teton Park Road is closed to cars and open to walkers and cyclists until snow covers it, so the first week or two give you the best odds of riding it bare, with about 10 hours of daylight. The elk reduction program also starts in early November, so wear bright colours on the trails. Late November brings Thanksgiving on the 26th and Jackson Hole Mountain Resort's opening day on the 27th, but sunset falls to about ten to five and daylight to 9h 15m.
December is full winter. Our December guide gives -3°C afternoons and -14°C / 7°F nights, against November's 3°C / 37°F and -9°C / 16°F on NOAA's figures, and by then the snow is deep and the ski season is fully under way. November is the shoulder between October's closing park and December's resort. Its reward is the Teton Park Road without cars, before grooming for skiing starts in mid-December. Sleigh rides on the National Elk Refuge begin on 19 December, not in November, so if they are the reason for your trip, book December.
Work clothes, and gloves built for cold. Give'r, a Jackson brand whose story begins in 2012 with Bubba Albrecht and friends, makes the 4-Season Glove: a cowhide shell over a waterproof membrane, with 260 g or 360 g of insulation. The Jackson Hole Hat Company, established in 1983, makes custom fur-felt hats in Alpine, Wyoming, and keeps no retail store. In town, leather work gloves and a felt hat read local. On a park trail in November, keep the gloves and swap the felt for blaze orange.
Sources
- NOAA — 1991–2020 climate normals, Jackson, WY stationAt roughly 1,890 m / 6,200 ft. Among the coldest towns in the lower 48 in winter, with a warm but short summer.
- National Park Service — Grand Teton park roads — accessed 2026-09-26
- National Park Service — Grand Teton operating hours and seasons — accessed 2026-09-26
- National Park Service — Grand Teton weather — accessed 2026-09-26
- National Park Service — Grand Teton elk reduction program (early November – early December) — accessed 2026-09-26
- Wyoming Game & Fish Department — Who should wear fluorescent orange or pink — accessed 2026-09-26
- Jackson Hole Mountain Resort — Winter 2026–27 opening day, 27 November 2026 — accessed 2026-09-26
- NIST — Daylight saving time rules (2026: ends 1 November, 2 a.m.) — accessed 2026-09-26
- Give'r — About: Jackson, Wyoming — accessed 2026-09-26
- Jackson Hole Hat Company — About us (established 1983; Alpine, Wyoming) — accessed 2026-09-26
