Jackson versus Pinedale
Both fields are VFR
KPNA clr, 10+ SM. KJAC clr, 10+ SM. Still check the raw METAR and the road.
KPNA · PNA
No airline. A long town-owned runway.
Ralph Wenz Field sits 6 miles southeast of town on US-191. Town-owned. 8,900 by 100 feet. 7,085 feet. TOP Flight answers the phone. Great Lakes' Denver flights ended years ago.
- Elev. 7,085 ft
- Rwy 11/29
- 8,900 × 100
- 6 mi SE
- 0 airline departures
KPNA AWOS-3 · 118.325
Field weather
Aviation Weather Center METARs, refetched about every five minutes. This is not a takeoff card. Call 307-367-6425 for the recording.
Town versus the field
The field is 4°F cooler than town
Pine Street is 45°F. KPNA is 41°F. The town chip is not the takeoff number.
KPNA
VFRRalph Wenz Field
41°F
CLR · 10+ SM · 5 kt @ 110° · 30.45 inHg
Wed, Nov 11, 10:00 AM
KJAC
VFRJackson Hole
36°F
CLR · 10+ SM · 0 kt @ 0° · 30.47 inHg
Wed, Nov 11, 10:00 AM
- Density altitude
- 6,911ft
- Altimeter
- 30.45inHg
- Dewpoint
- 28°F
- Humidity
- 61%
- Preferred runway
- 11end
- Headwind
- 5kt
- Crosswind
- 1kt
KPNA observation is 7 min old.
Density altitude is 174 feet below the published 7,085-foot field. Estimate only. Temperature-dewpoint spread is 13°F. Relative humidity is about 61 percent from the Magnus formula — estimate only.
METAR KPNA 111655Z AUTO 11005KT 10SM CLR 05/M02 A3045 RMK AO2
Terminal forecast
KPNA publishes a TAF
This is the forecast string, not a takeoff card. PROB30 is a probability, not a promise.
KPNA
Ralph Wenz Field
Wed, Nov 11, 5:00 AM – Thu, Nov 12, 5:00 AM Mountain
TAF KPNA 111143Z 1112/1212 30008KT P6SM SKC FM120400 33006KT P6SM SCT200
KJAC
Jackson Hole
Wed, Nov 11, 5:00 AM – Thu, Nov 12, 5:00 AM Mountain
TAF KJAC 111143Z 1112/1212 02004KT P6SM SKC FM111800 25005KT P6SM SKC FM120100 04005KT P6SM SCT200
Should I land in Pinedale?
Jackson is 78 miles. This field is six.
There is no scheduled airline at Ralph Wenz Field. Tell the page how you are traveling. It will recommend Jackson, Rock Springs, Salt Lake, or this field. Last METAR: KPNA VFR, KJAC VFR, DA ~6,911 ft.
JAC or RKS, then a scarce motel
There is no airline here. Pick a hub, then a car.
September through November fills the ramp and the rooms. Fly commercial into Jackson or Rock Springs, book the bed first, and do not expect a seat on a scheduled flight to PNA. That flight ended years ago. GOTCo books Jackson, Rock Springs, and PNA shuttles if you do not want a rental. Last METAR: KPNA VFR, KJAC VFR, DA ~6,911 ft.
Guest arrival brief
One page a lodge can text.
No airline gate. Use the FBO, a car, and extra water. Fill this in and send it. Print hides the rest of the site.
Three extra glasses
Your guests land at a desk, not a gate
Ralph Wenz Field (PNA / KPNA), 9357 US-191. No airline. No baggage claim. Untowered. CTAF 122.8. FBO: TOP Flight, 307-367-2290. AWOS: 307-367-6425 or 118.325. A lodge or outfitter is meeting the plane. Confirm the tail number and the FBO: TOP Flight, 307-367-2290. If the pickup is late, the passenger lobby is the hold. They woke up at the ocean. Pinedale is 7,175 feet. The field is 7,085. The first night can feel like a mild flu. Drink water before alcohol. First grocery: Ridley's on Pine Street. First kitchen that stays open: Wind River Brewing, 11–9 Wednesday through Sunday. 24-hour desks: Hampton 307-367-6700, Best Western 307-367-6869. Town forecast Thursday, November 12, 2026: high 55°F, low 30°F. KPNA is VFR; KJAC is VFR on the last METAR we fetched. Density altitude at the field is about 6,911 feet. That is an estimate, not a takeoff card. KPNA altimeter 30.45 inHg. Relative humidity about 61 percent — Magnus estimate only. Sunset at town coordinates tonight is 4:59 PM Mountain. The field is six miles southeast. This is not a lighting card. A TAF is published for KPNA on pinedaily.com/airport. Read the raw string. PROB30 is a probability, not a promise. This is not medical advice. It is a phone list and a water reminder.
Untowered
Radio, AWOS, and after-hours phones.
KPNA is Town of Pinedale property. There is no airline and no ground control. These are the published frequencies and the after-hours phones.
- CTAF
- 122.8
- Approaches
- RNAV (GPS) both ends
No tower. Announce on the common frequency.
Published for both ends. Still your own minimums.
Phones
Who answers
Published phones. Hours move; the numbers do not.
TOP Flight Aviation
Fixed-base operator
307-367-2290
- Address
- 9357 US-191, Pinedale, WY 82941
- Hours
- FBO lists seven days a week. FAA attendance is seasonal; after hours call 307-367-2290 or 307-413-7888.
- Note
- Self-serve 100LL around the clock. Jet A by full service. Type I and Type IV deice. Courtesy car and rental cars. Same phone as Emblem Rentals on this site.
Riley Wilson, Airport Manager
Town of Pinedale
307-360-9025
- Address
- 9357 US-191, Pinedale, WY 82941
- Hours
- Weekdays through Town Hall, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
KPNA AWOS-3
Field weather, not town weather
307-367-6425
- Note
- Listen on 118.325 MHz. This is the observation a pilot uses. Town forecast is six miles and a hundred feet off.
Wheels down
From the ramp to a trailhead
A Saturday plan from the ramp. Rest a night before a long hike.
- 01
Wheels down
The FBO, not a gate
TOP Flight is the desk. There is no baggage claim. Call 307-367-2290 before you launch if you need a hangar, deice, or a car waiting.
- 02
0:15
A car, or a ride
Courtesy car and Emblem Rentals share 307-367-2290 with the FBO. GOTCo books airport and trailhead shuttles at 307-360-3660. River Rat runs river shuttles at 307-260-7342.
- 03
0:30
Six miles of 191
Left toward town. You are still at about 7,085 feet. Drink water. Wyoming 511 if US-191 is icy or closed.
- 04
Evening
Pine Street, then a bed
Wind River Brewing is open 11–9, Wednesday through Sunday. Hampton, Best Western, Quality Inn, and Pinedale Hotel list 24-hour desks. The first night is for sleep, not a long hike. Town sunset tonight is 4:59 PM Mountain. The field is six miles off. This is not a lighting card.
- 05
Next morning
A map, then a trailhead
Great Outdoor Shop on Pine Street. Ranger district 307-367-4326 before Elkhart or Green River Lakes. Photographers Point is the usual day hike. Titcomb is not a first-day hike.
Arrival doors
Pinedale, Jackson, Rock Springs, Salt Lake
Most people hear about Jackson first. The chooser above is the short version. This is the comparison.
PNA
VFRRalph Wenz Field
Six miles on US-191 · No airline. Private, charter, air ambulance.
Use this field if you have a plane that can use a high, long runway, or a charter.
Last KPNA METAR is VFR. Density altitude about 6,911 feet.
JAC
VFRJackson Hole
78 miles · Scheduled airline. Weather and cost are the tax.
The usual commercial door. Fine if you are going to Jackson first. A long drive if you are not. GOTCo books that run into town.
Last KJAC METAR is VFR.
RKS
Southwest Wyoming Regional
About two hours · Scheduled airline in Rock Springs.
A commercial backup when Jackson is full or socked in and you are not chartering. GOTCo publishes this run too.
SLC
Salt Lake City
Five to six hours · The real hub.
Often cheaper than JAC once you add the rental car. Still a five-to-six-hour drive.
A commercial ticket still needs a car or a booked shuttle. GOTCo publishes Jackson, Rock Springs, and PNA runs. Rates move; their site is the list. Salt Lake is usually a rental.
7,085 feet
Why the runway is that long
Thin air cuts takeoff performance. The 2008 extension exists so a jet can leave with fuel on a July afternoon.
Runway 11/29
Density versus the field
6,911ft DA
6,100Field 7,0857,900
July and August
Density altitude is the reason the runway is 8,900 feet. Afternoon launches with a full cabin are a performance problem, not a scenery problem.
September through November
Hunting fills the ramp and the motels. Call the FBO and the front desk before you treat a same-day arrival as a plan.
Winter
Type I and Type IV deice are on the field. 191 still ices. After-hours is a phone call, not a ticket counter.
Density altitude on the instrument strip is an estimate from the last KPNA METAR and the published field elevation. It is not a takeoff-performance card. Pilots use their own book.
Ground
Cars, shuttles, and an eight-hour layover
GOTCo is the published private ride from Jackson, Rock Springs, and this ramp, and out to Wind River trailheads. Book it. There is no scheduled bus from the field. Courtesy and rental cars still sit at TOP Flight.
GOTCo
Airport and Wind River trailhead shuttles
307-360-3660
- Note
- Private rides you book ahead: from Jackson, Rock Springs, or Pinedale's airport into town, and out to Elkhart Park, Green River Lakes, and Big Sandy. For fishing shuttles, call River Rat.
River Rat Shuttles
River and fishing shuttles
307-260-7342
Emblem Rentals
Local vehicle rentals
307-367-2290
Crew layover
Eight hours in Pinedale
Late kitchen: Wind River Brewing until 9. Quiet rooms with 24-hour desks on the west end of Pine. Crew-car range is town, not Elkhart. Coffee exists. Density altitude still exists at 6 a.m.
Town business
The Airport Board is a public meeting
First Tuesday, 4:30 p.m., Town Hall conference room. Same building as council. Special sessions stay on the town calendar.
Next regular meeting
20 days
Tuesday, December 1, 2026
4:30 p.m. · Town Hall conference room, 205 Entertainment Lane
Regular meetings are 4:30 p.m. on the first Tuesday of each month. Ralph Wenz Field is town-owned. Confirm special meetings with Town Hall.
- Chad KuhnChairman
- Bill MechamMember
- John HartMember
- Sage PriceMember
- Dean LoftusTown Council representative
Ralph Wenz
Grass strip to 8,900 feet
Local businessmen paid to lengthen it in 1968. The town still owns it.
Published length
1950s · First pavement
4,400ft
1968 · Local money lengthens it
6,600ft
1985 · New 7,100-foot runway
7,100ft
2008 · 8,900 feet
8,900ft
1947
Ralph Wenz
Named for a local navigator who tested cold-weather gear in the Army Air Corps and died in an Alaska crash that year.
Late 1940s
Grass strip
The field began as a grass landing strip southeast of town.
1950s
First pavement
A 60-by-4,400-foot paved runway replaced the grass.
1968
Local money lengthens it
Businessmen raised funds to stretch the runway to 6,600 feet.
1985
New 7,100-foot runway
A 100-foot-wide runway was built south of the old one. The old pavement became a taxiway.
2008
8,900 feet
An 1,800-foot extension finished in August. Jets can leave with more fuel on a July afternoon when density altitude steals lift.
On the map
The pin is the runway. Town is six miles northwest.
US-191 is the only published road between them. There is no scheduled shuttle from the ramp.
Map inset
Ralph Wenz Field
KPNA