Togwotee Pass

Togwotee Pass carries US-26 and US-287 together over the Continental Divide in northwestern Wyoming, at roughly 9,658 feet (Deseret News; Wikipedia lists 9,655). The summit sits in the Absaroka Range in Teton County, between Two Ocean Mountain and Breccia Peak, inside Bridger-Teton National Forest. It is the most direct way into Grand Teton National Park from eastern Wyoming, linking Dubois on the Wind River side to Moran Junction and the Jackson Hole valley. The summit is about 25 miles east of Moran Junction.

For a driver, this is a high winter crossing first and a scenic drive second. Annual snowfall at the pass often tops 25 feet, and heavy winters have brought more than 50 feet (Wikipedia; Wyoming Highway Patrol). Blizzards, blowing snow, fog, high wind and ice all close the road, sometimes for days at a time. The highway also runs through avalanche-prone country, and wildlife is a year-round hazard. The Wyoming Highway Patrol commercial-carrier page lists steep grades, drop-offs and wildlife among the primary concerns here.

The whole stretch is part of the Wyoming Centennial Scenic Byway, a 163-mile route connecting Dubois, Jackson and Pinedale. The byway follows US-26/287 over the pass between Dubois and Moran Junction and crosses the Divide at the summit. The Forest Service designated it in 1989 and named it for Wyoming's statehood centennial. Plan the crossing around the weather, check Wyoming 511 before you commit, and treat the descent on either side with respect.

• Summit elevation is roughly 9,658 ft (Deseret News); Wikipedia and the Wyoming Highway Patrol carrier page list 9,655 ft. It crosses the Continental Divide.
• US-26 and US-287 run concurrently over the pass; the summit is about 25 miles east of Moran Junction (Wikipedia).
• Annual snowfall often exceeds 25 ft, with over 50 ft reported in heavy winters (Wikipedia; Wyoming Highway Patrol).
• The road is part of the 163-mile Wyoming Centennial Scenic Byway connecting Dubois, Jackson and Pinedale (Wikipedia; windriver.org).
• Wyoming chain-law violations cost $250, or $750 if the violation causes a highway closure (WYDOT chain_law page).
• The 2005 to roughly 2013 reconstruction of the 38-mile highway cost more than $146 million, widened lanes to 12 ft, added eight-foot shoulders, and lowered the speed limit from 65 to 55 mph (Deseret News).
• No official grade percentage or climb length for Togwotee was located in DOT sources, and there are no named chain-up areas, brake-check areas or runaway ramps documented for this pass.

Wyoming's chain law is administered by WYDOT, and activations post on Wyoming 511 (wyoroad.info). WYDOT does not publish fixed start and end dates for the chain law, so there is no official season on the books. Industry summaries describe the law as typically in effect from about October through April, sometimes triggered as early as late September or as late as late April, but that window comes from a non-DOT source and should be treated as a rough guide rather than a calendar you can count on. The honest version: the chain law turns on when conditions get hazardous, not on a date.

There are two levels. Level 1 applies when conditions are hazardous and restricts travel to vehicles with chains, adequate snow tires, or all-wheel drive. Level 2 applies when conditions are extremely hazardous; under Level 2 a commercial vehicle must run chains on at least two drive wheels at opposite ends of the same drive axle. WYDOT also posts "No Unnecessary Travel" advisories, where the road stays open but travel is discouraged and oversized loads are prohibited. As for closures, the pass shuts when the weather forces it: blizzards, blowing snow, fog, high wind and ice can close it for hours or for days at a time. WYDOT does not publish a single annual closure-day figure for Togwotee that could be verified, so check 511 rather than the calendar.

The pass takes its name from Togwotee, a subchief under Chief Washakie and a member of the Sheepeater people. In 1873 he led the Jones Expedition over the pass, which was already an important native trade route (Wikipedia). The first road over Togwotee opened in 1921, roughly following a centuries-old Indian trail, and the road was first paved in 1950 (Deseret News). That 1950 pavement carried traffic for more than half a century.

The big rebuild ran from May 2005 through the early 2010s. Deseret News reported the final phase completed around September 2012 after roughly seven years; a separate WYDOT awards summary frames the full project as finished in July 2013. Either way, the 38-mile reconstruction cost more than $146 million in state and Federal Highway Administration funds. Crews widened the lanes from 10 to 12 feet, added eight-foot shoulders and 16 parking areas, improved or created seven wildlife underpasses, stabilized landslides, and lowered the speed limit from 65 to 55 mph. About a quarter-million tons of asphalt went down. The work traded a rough, narrow road with huge drop-offs for a wider, slower, safer crossing.