Pool swim season in Jackson, WY
When can you swim in an outdoor pool in Jackson, WY?
An unheated pool in Jackson never reaches 78°F in a normal year. It peaks around 63°F in Aug. The air allows up to 2 swimmable months with a heater (Jul to Aug).
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Heater options for a Jackson pool, side by side
| Option | Months | Swimmable | Energy/yr | All-in/yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No heater | 0 | no month | $0 | $0 |
| Solar cover only | 0 | no month | $0 | $50 |
| Solar panels + cover | 2 | Jul to Aug | $0 | $283 |
| Heat pump + cover | 2 | Jul to Aug | $208 | $758 |
| Gas heater + cover | 2 | Jul to Aug | $324 | $749 |
For a 450 sq ft pool held at 80°F, at WY prices of 14.0¢/kWh electricity and $12/Mcf gas. All-in spreads the purchase over the equipment's life.
The cheapest way to the full season in Jackson
Solar panels + cover: 2 of 2 possible months for about $283 a year all-in, which works out near $142 for each month it adds.
A solar cover alone adds no swim months here, so if you want a longer season you need a heater (why); still use one at night to hold the heat you pay for. If you get quotes, ask for gas as well as a heat pump: once the purchase price is counted, gas comes out cheaper all-in here (heat pump or gas).
Weather station: Jackson, 1.2 mi away (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). Water temperature is estimated from air and sunshine, not measured.
Jackson month by month: air, sun and pool water
| Month | Air high | Air avg | Sun kWh/m²/day | Water, unheated | Water, covered | Heat pump $ | Gas $ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 26° | 16° | 2.0 | 15° | 21° | – | – |
| Feb | 30° | 20° | 2.9 | 18° | 24° | – | – |
| Mar | 40° | 29° | 4.2 | 26° | 32° | – | – |
| Apr | 50° | 38° | 5.4 | 36° | 42° | – | – |
| May | 60° | 46° | 5.9 | 45° | 51° | – | – |
| Jun | 70° | 54° | 7.0 | 54° | 60° | – | – |
| Jul | 79° | 60° | 7.4 | 61° | 67° | $109 | $172 |
| Aug | 78° | 59° | 6.3 | 63° | 69° | $99 | $152 |
| Sep | 68° | 51° | 4.8 | 57° | 63° | – | – |
| Oct | 55° | 40° | 3.1 | 45° | 51° | – | – |
| Nov | 38° | 27° | 2.0 | 32° | 38° | – | – |
| Dec | 26° | 17° | 1.5 | 20° | 26° | – | – |
Heating costs most in Jul (about $109 with a heat pump, $172 with gas). Sunshine peaks in Jul at 7.4 kWh/m²/day (NASA satellite data, 22.4 km grid cell). Highlighted months are swimmable with no heater.
How Jackson compares with nearby cities
Jackson ranks 11 of 11 Wyoming cities for unheated swim months, and no nearby city gets a longer unheated season.
| City | Distance | Unheated months | Heat pump months | Heat pump $/yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rexburg, ID | 56 mi | 0 | 4 | $229 |
| Ammon, ID | 59 mi | 0 | 4 | $165 |
| Idaho Falls, ID | 63 mi | 0 | 4 | $162 |
| Blackfoot, ID | 81 mi | 0 | 4 | $145 |
| Chubbuck, ID | 93 mi | 0 | 4 | $119 |
| Pocatello, ID | 95 mi | 0 | 5 | $232 |