At the corner of Highway 390 and the valley pathways, a building with a steep slanted roof now stands a few steps from the old restroom shack at Stilson. Inside are a high-ceilinged waiting room, a public art display, and covered bike parking. EV chargers sit just outside. START buses picked up their first riders there the week of August 11, 2026. Opening day at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort is November 27, 2026, which makes this the building's first ski season.
How skiers use it this winter carries real weight. The Teton Village Association has been asked to loosen its carpool rule, and it has said it wants to see first whether the new Stilson center changes how skiers reach the mountain. At the same time, START, which carries skiers between Stilson and the Village, is working through a $1.5 million funding gap that could add a fare to that ride. So this season works as a trial run, and the people running it are still adjusting the conditions.
The Ranch Lot's New Priority Zone
The visible change for drivers is at the Ranch Lot. This season the lot will have a roped-off priority area for cars carrying four or more people, the Jackson Hole News&Guide reported in September. "We're trying to further incentivize carpooling," Matt Larson, the association's director of resort transportation, told the paper.
The Ranch Lot sits farthest out of the Village lots, and it is the only one with free parking for carpoolers. It holds about 800 cars. The size of the carpool zone isn't final yet and may change with snowfall and crowds. Here is what the same lot costs depending on how many people are in the car, according to the News&Guide's figures for this season:
Occupants | Weekends and holidays | Non-peak days |
|---|---|---|
One or two | $25 | $18 |
Three | $10 | $5 |
Four or more | Free, with access to the priority zone | Free, with access to the priority zone |
The check-in works much as it did last year. An attendant counts heads. Cars with four or more get sent to the priority area, and cars with three get a discount card. Larson told the News&Guide the zone should cut down on the number of cards attendants hand out, because counting occupants and passing out cards takes time.
A three-person car still pays $10 on a Saturday. That price is the reason the zone exists.
The Rule That Depends on Stilson
The association raised the free-parking minimum at the Ranch Lot from three people to four ahead of the 2023-24 season. Teton County officials said last year that the change discouraged carpooling. In February, the county decided not to make the association change its carpool rules. At that same February meeting, commissioners told staff to work with the association and the resort on a report about safety improvements and congestion on Highway 390.
The association calls four people an industry standard. It has said it doesn't want to go back to the old rule before it sees whether, and how, the county's new Stilson center changes skier behavior. Put plainly, the future of the Ranch Lot rule now depends on what happens at Stilson this winter.
The county built a lot to match that role. KHOL reported that five acres of gravel the resort used to own are now paved, with about 400 spaces. The remaining gravel holds another 700 cars. The Kemmerer family, who owned Jackson Hole Mountain Resort until 2023, donated the land. The project took six years and cost more than $14 million. About $7.2 million came from a federal grant, and local special purpose excise tax revenue covered nearly all of the rest. A bike locker room is still in the works.
The building is meant to make waiting for a bus easier. "If you have a place where you can come in, use the restroom, stay warm until your bus arrives, that is going to incentivize people to utilize transit," Heather Overholser, Teton County's director of public works, told KHOL. Come January, on a morning when the gravel lot is filling up, that warm room will be the main improvement over past seasons.
The Free Bus Ride That May Get a Fare
Stilson only works if the bus ride from there to the Village is quick and easy. Up to now it has been free. START has charged a fare between town and the Village but not between Stilson and the Village, so drivers could park and ride at no cost. The News&Guide reported that START is slated to add a $2 fare on that leg.
The cause is federal money. Reduced federal operating support for fiscal 2027 left START with the $1.5 million gap, according to The Teton Scroll. Here is how the fall has gone so far:
- September 14. At a joint meeting, the Town Council and County Commission adopted $633,638 in START service reductions and moved $750,000 in FY27 funds to the system. The split was 48 percent county, 32 percent town, and 20 percent from partners. Buckrail reported that the $150,000 partner share was not yet committed.
- The service plan. Staff proposed ending Teton Village route service after 8 p.m., running full express service only at peak times, and starting the reductions around October 12.
- October 1. The START Board held a public hearing on fare changes. The proposal would charge $4 one-way or $8 for a day on Teton Village routes, up from $3 one-way, and $2 one-way on the Town Shuttle and On-Demand.
- October 22. The START Board voted 5-2 to ask the Town and County to cover the full $1.5 million from their General Funds. The board called that its primary recommendation, aimed at keeping current service in place.
The fare start date is still open. Buckrail reported that an approved increase would take effect in November. The Teton Scroll reported that the change was aimed at January 2027, after a federal Title VI review. Either way, the fare could change in the middle of the season the association is using to judge Stilson. Some of the skiers who try the park-and-ride in December may pay a different fare by February. For JHMR passholders, the resort's funding agreement with START includes free Teton Village rides for Premium, Grand, Seven-Day and Ten-Day passes this winter, but only if the resort opted in by May 31. The resort is the place to ask whether that applies to your pass.
The Weeks That Will Test the System Hardest
The Park 'N Pass blackout calendar from Village Park shows which weeks will put the most pressure on Stilson and the Ranch Lot. Restricted passes can't be used on these dates:
- December 26 through 31, 2026
- January 16 and 17, 2027
- February 12 through 15, 2027
The season passes went on sale September 22 and were expected to sell out fast. This year they are fully digital and tied to a license plate. Each account can hold two plates, but only one can be active at a time. Prices are $2,400 for All Lot Unrestricted, $1,570 for All Lot Restricted, $1,190 for Ranch Lot Unrestricted, and $760 for Ranch Lot Restricted. Sales are final, and refunds are given only for injuries with a doctor's note. The $830 difference between the two All Lot tiers buys access on just those blackout dates, which shows how much the busiest days are worth.
The same days are also when ticket limits matter most. JHMR is continuing to cap daily ticket sales and requires Ikon and Mountain Collective passholders to make reservations in advance. On those dates, drivers with restricted passes will be looking for somewhere else to park, and the Ranch Lot carpool zone and the Stilson lot will both be under pressure. If the Stilson-to-Village fare has started by then, it will be part of the test too.
Who Covers the Remaining Gap
The $150,000 partner share is where the Village side of this connects with the county side. In September, Teton Village Association executive director Meghan Quinn told elected officials she hadn't had a board meeting yet and couldn't commit. She described the issue as broader than the resort road. "This is a community thing," she said, according to the News&Guide, adding that it was "also getting people off of [Highway] 22, downtown." The resort had not committed either, its spokesperson said. Jackson Mayor Arne Jorgensen suggested that if partners didn't contribute, officials could propose cuts to Teton Village or other routes this winter.
That decision and the General Fund request from the START Board's October 22 vote are what will set the bus schedule and fares for the rest of the season. Those in turn will help determine whether the Stilson experiment gets a fair test. The Town Council and County Commission will decide the request.
If you're weighing a property where the distance to the Ranch Lot, the Stilson center, or a START stop matters to you, Tom Evans Real Estate can go through the details with you. Request a Confidential Consultation.
