The property was originally homesteaded by William Smith in 1910, and he was granted water rights the following year. In 1915, Mr. Smith received the deed to the property. The property was later sold to William Woodward in 1920, and then to John Barnes of Washington DC in 1932. Barnes used the property as a hunting camp.

 

In 1944, Claude Wham, a cowboy working for the Chambers family on their ranch on Mormon Row, won the property from Barnes in a card game. Wham disassembled 4 small log cabins and 1 log house from the Bar B C (one of the original guest ranches in Jackson) and reassembled them at their current location. He sold the property to his employers, the Chambers brothers, Roy and Reese, in 1959 due to his divorce.

 

The Chambers used the property to access their Turpin and Ditch creek grazing allotments. In the early 1960s, the road into the Gros Ventre area was improved and phone lines were constructed, allowing the Chambers to begin operating a dude ranch they called the Flying V.

 

The property was purchased by the current owners in 1986, who began running the Grand View River Ranch the following year. In the first year, they moved a road, built three guest lodges, and a barn. The following year, they built the main lodge. The owners lived in one of the lodges for three years before building their home and guest home (known as the Crazy 8 Guest Home).

 

Over the years, they have added a new maintenance building, a steel bridge over the Gros Ventre River, and an arena. The daughter and her husband met on the ranch in 1997 and began managing operations in 2000. They were known for having ridden horses to the elementary school in Kelly to pick up his girls from school, and they raised their three daughters on the ranch.

 

The main lodge is spacious and atmospheric, offering willow-framed views of the Tetons from the outside decks and living room sofas. Private Western-style log cabins dot the expansive property, with hammocks, picnic tables and fire pits nestled throughout its meadows. Across the property lies the horse corral and a quintessential Wyoming barn filled with the scent of leather and fresh cut hay. This unique property provides an opportunity to escape into wild Western landscapes, enjoying stunning hikes and world-class backcountry (and resort) skiing from your beautiful basecamp. With convenient access to Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, Grand Targhee and Snow King Mountain, the Teton Valley is a true skier’s paradise. In the summertime, you’ll find yourself among an array of blue ribbon designated fisheries boasting over 600 pounds of trout per mile. If hiking is more your pleasure, you’ll find Grand Teton National Park and some of the country’s most breathtaking hikes accessible right from your own backyard.

 

Grand View River Ranch is not only a veritable guest-ready paradise as it stands, it represents boundless potential for an intrepid new owner to re-envision its purpose and potential. Whether you aim to create a stunning private compound for your family, continue the growth of a wildly successful dude ranch, or simply contribute to a noble conservation effort, GVRR represents a chance to own a storied piece of Jackson’s history and truly make your mark on its future.