With its 3.4 million acres, the Bridger-Teton National Forest in western Wyoming is the second largest National Forest outside Alaska. Included are more than 1.2 million acres of the National Wilderness Preservation System in the Teton, Gros Ventre, and Bridger Wildernesses. It is a land of varied recreational opportunities, microclimates, and abundant wildlife. Its spacious skies are punctuated by awesome mountain ranges south of Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks which include the Teton, Gros Ventre, Wind, and Wyoming ranges; they rise vertically from 5,900 to 13,785 feet. From these ranges, spring the headwaters of the Green, Snake and Yellowstone Rivers. The Forest is part of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, the largest remaining area of undeveloped lands in the conterminous United States.

The flora of the Bridger-Teton, which includes over 1000 species of plants, are complex due to the orientation of the mountain ranges that run north-south creating a barrier to the prevailing westerly air flow; this results in low rainfall along the eastern flanks. Their microclimates form conditions for three major vegetation groups. In the drier Great Basin zone of the southern and southwest portion of the Forest you will find mountain mahogany, big-sage brush, saltbrush, bitterbrush, and aspen. In the moister Southern Rocky Mountain zone of the central portion of the Forest look for blue spruce, limber pine, saltbrush, big-sagebrush, and rabbit brush. And in Northern Rocky Mountain zone in the northern end of the Forest look for whitebark pine, common juniper, menziesia, pine grass, and hair grass. Other common woody species of the area include lodgepole pine, subalpine fir, douglas-fir, and Englemann spruce in the montane areas and cottonwood, willow, alder, and dogwood in the riparian areas.

Primary wildflower months are June and July in the Jackson area and one to two months earlier on the southern end of the Forest. The Forest can be alive with hundreds of species displaying various hues of yellows, blues, reds, and whites. Species commonly seen in the grasslands and sage areas are asters, goldenrod, various lupines, larkspur, sand lily, locoweed, buckwheat, indian paintbrush, scarlet gilia, and evening primrose. Moving into the forested lands you will see columbines, pinedrops, Rocky Mountain lilies, heart-leafed arnica, spring beauty, and fairy slipper orchids. In the marshes and wet meadows you will find elephanthead, glacier lilies, marsh marigolds, and various species of monkey flower. Mountain meadows offer shooting stars, figworts, fireweed, wild sweet William, wild geraniums, bitterroot, mule's ears, and mountain blue bells.

Due to the variable microclimates, a multitude of habitats are present on the Bridger-Teton, supporting one of the richest fauna of the National Forest System. The Forest is home to all big-game species found in the intermountain west including elk, deer, bighorn sheep, mountain goats, pronghorn antelope, and black bear. Other wildlife species of note include grizzly bear (threatened), North American lynx, wolverine, fisher, pine martin, Kendall Warm Springs dace (endangered), and native populations of Colorado River, Snake River fine spotted, and Bonneville cutthroat trout.