Unit 20

Key features for orientation include the Red Hills and Gros Ventre Range forming the eastern boundary, with major summits like Jackson Peak, Nowlin Peak, and Steamboat Peak serving as visual references. The Six Lakes and Chateau Lake provide notable water landmarks in the upper basins. Hoback Basin and Coyote Basin anchor major drainage systems offering natural travel corridors.

Granite Falls and associated hot springs mark distinctive terrain transitions. These landmarks help break the complex country into recognizable sections for navigation and glassing vantage points.

Terrain spans from lower sagebrush valleys near 6,000 feet to high alpine summits exceeding 11,600 feet, with the bulk of hunting country occupying the 8,000-to-10,000-foot band. Lower elevations feature sagebrush parks and scattered conifers opening into meadow complexes; mid-elevations transition to dense spruce-fir and lodgepole forest punctuated by natural clearings; higher slopes become sparse and windswept with stunted timber giving way to talus fields and rock. The moderate forest cover creates a mosaic of cover and openings ideal for bear movement between feeding areas.

Nearly 750 miles of roads exist, primarily Forest Service roads radiating from Bondurant and Jackson via Highway 22. Darwin Ranch Road (FS 620) penetrates the northern drainages toward Kinky Creek, while the Hoback River corridor provides vehicle access. However, road density is moderate to low across this vast terrain, meaning developed access corridors concentrate pressure near trailheads and lower elevations. Most of the unit remains roadless, requiring foot traffic and horse packing.

Early season sees concentrated pressure near highways; mid-to-late season rewards hunters willing to penetrate the backcountry.

Unit 20 sprawls across the eastern Jackson Hole ecosystem, bounded by the National Elk Refuge and Snake River to the west, Highway 191 to the south near Hoback Rim, and the Gros Ventre River drainage to the north. The unit encompasses the Gros Ventre Range proper along with the ridgeline dividing the Green River and Hoback River drainages. Bondurant and Hoback Junction provide the primary staging points, with Jackson serving as the major supply hub.

The terrain comprises a vast landscape of interconnected peaks, basins, and drainages across public land.

Water is limited and concentrated in drainages. The Gros Ventre River forms the northern boundary with reliable flow; the Hoback River drains the southern terrain. Within the unit, spring-fed creeks including Spring Creek, Willow Creek, and North Fork Horse Creek provide seasonal water, supplemented by thermal springs at Granite Falls and Boyles Hill.

Higher basins contain alpine lakes—The Six Lakes, Lower Slide Lake, Turquoise Lake—but many smaller drainages run dry by mid-to-late season. Water source locations are critical planning factors for extended backcountry access.

Unit 20 is grizzly bear country, with black bears also present in the lower timber. The vast, complex terrain and moderate elevation variation create diverse feeding opportunities—berry patches in mid-elevation clearings, spring-fed vegetation in creek bottoms, and alpine vegetation in high basins. Early season hunting focuses on lower transition zones where bears concentrate on emerging vegetation.

As season progresses, bears move higher into alpine basins and meadows, particularly around The Six Lakes drainage and Coyote Basin. Success requires patience, solid mountain skills, and willingness to cover significant vertical terrain in search of feeding areas.