Unit 16

The Teton Range itself is the dominant landmark system. Key peaks for navigation and glassing include Treasure Mountain, Mount Meek, and Mount Jedediah Smith. The Sheep Steps cliffs provide a visible reference in the southern portion.

Multiple high passes—Hurricane, Phillips, Teton, Mount Meek, and Fox Creek—offer saddle routes between drainages. Ricks Basin, Granite Basin, and Taylor Basin are major alpine features useful for understanding terrain structure. These landmarks serve as navigation anchors in steep country where visibility can shift quickly with elevation and weather.

Elevations span from 6,200 feet in lower valleys to over 11,000 feet at high peaks, with the median around 8,250 feet. The landscape transitions from dense subalpine forest in drainages and lower slopes to open alpine terrain above 10,000 feet. Scattered meadows like Moose Meadows and Willow Flats break the forest cover in valley bottoms, creating patches of open forage.

Most of the unit sits in the subalpine and alpine zones, with limited transition forest at lower elevations. This vertical relief creates distinct hunting zones and seasonal movement corridors.

Connected road access via 267 miles of maintained roads provides good valley access, with Highway 22 running the unit's western boundary. However, road density and terrain suggest most access concentrates in lower valleys and drainages rather than upper alpine. This creates natural pressure concentration in accessible meadows and lower creek bottoms where vehicles reach.

Upper terrain requires foot access, which limits pressure to more committed hunters. The steep topography means the accessible country can feel crowded while adjacent high basins see lighter use.

Unit 16 occupies the western slope of the Teton Range, bounded by Wyoming Highway 22 on the south and west, the Wyoming-Idaho state line to the west and north, and the Caribou-Targhee/Bridger-Teton Forest boundary to the east. South Fork Badger Creek defines the northern limit. The unit encompasses classic Teton terrain—a moderate-sized area dominated by the high peaks and cirques characteristic of this mountain range.

The town of Alta sits on the unit's western edge, providing a reference point for the region's geography.

Water is limited in most of the unit, particularly above meadow elevations. Major drainages include South Fork Teton Creek, South Fork Game Creek, Game Creek, and Darby Creek—these are critical moose corridors as water typically concentrates in creek bottoms and valley meadows. Nelson Spring and scattered high-country lakes (Granite Basin Lakes, Sunset Lake, Green Lake) provide some reliable sources, but much of the alpine terrain is dry.

The canyons—Teton, Darby, Nordwall, Bear, and Sherman—funnel water downslope and naturally concentrate movement patterns.

Unit 16 is moose country in high alpine terrain. Moose use valley meadows, willows in flats, and lower creek bottoms year-round, with movement driven by seasonal forage and snow depth. Early season hunting focuses on willow flats and meadows (Moose Meadows, Willow Flats) where bulls respond to calls during rut.

Water sources in creek drainages concentrate animals, especially in dry upper terrain. Later season pushes moose to lower elevations as snow accumulates. The steep topography and vertical relief mean glassing high basins is productive but reaching them requires solid legs.

Success here demands conditioning and patience in steep country.