Togwotee Pass

Template:Short descriptionTemplate:Infobox mountain pass Togwotee Pass (pronounced TOH-guh-tee)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> is a high mountain pass in the western United States, at an elevation of Template:Convert above sea level. On the Continental Divide in the Absaroka Range of northwestern Wyoming in Teton County, it is between Dubois and Moran Junction in the Jackson Hole valley.<ref name=gnis>Template:Cite gnis</ref>

U.S. Highways 287 and 26 traverse the pass, which is approximately Template:Convert east of Moran Junction. The pass provides the most direct access to Grand Teton National Park from eastern Wyoming. Located between Two Ocean Mountain<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and Breccia Peak,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> sweeping vistas of the Teton Range are visible from the western slopes of the pass. A ski run (mainly a traverse) at the Jackson Hole ski resort is also named Togwotee Pass. [1]

File:Togwotee Pass WY1.jpg

The view of the Teton Range, looking west from Togwotee Pass

Located in the Bridger-Teton National Forest and adjacent to Shoshone National Forest, the pass receives heavy winter snowfall and is a top destination for snowmobiling, backcountry skiing and cross-country skiing. Annual snowfall at the pass often exceeds Template:Convert (reports of over Template:Convert of snow are also known) in any given winter and the road can be shut down for days at a time during blizzards. The Continental Divide Snowmobile Trail passes through the immediate area.

History

The pass is named for Togwotee, a subchief under Chief Washakie of the Sheepeater tribe, a branch of the Shoshones. Togwotee led The Jones Expedition over this pass in 1873.<ref name=nwyo/><ref name=sanborn/> Before the expedition, the pass was reported to be an important trade route for native tribes.<ref name=sanborn2/>

Climate

According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Togwotee Pass has a dry-summer subarctic climate, abbreviated "Dsc" on climate maps. The hottest temperature recorded at Togwotee Pass was Template:Convert on June 24, 1988 and July 13, 2002, while the coldest temperature recorded was Template:Convert on December 23, 1983.<ref name=NOWData></ref>