Jackson versus Pinedale
Both fields are VFR
KPNA ovc, 10+ SM. KJAC ovc, 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 9°F cooler than town
Pine Street is 61°F. KPNA is 52°F. The town chip is not the takeoff number.
KPNA
VFRRalph Wenz Field
52°F
OVC · DZ · 10+ SM · 6 kt @ 210° · 30.39 inHg
Fri, Sep 18, 12:15 PM
KJAC
MVFRJackson Hole
50°F
OVC · -RA · 10+ SM · 6 kt @ 150° · 30.33 inHg
Fri, Sep 18, 12:07 PM
- Density altitude
- 7,704ft
- Altimeter
- 30.39inHg
- Dewpoint
- 46°F
- Humidity
- 82%
- Preferred runway
- 11end
- Headwind
- 0kt
- Crosswind
- 6kt
KPNA observation is 27 min old.
Density altitude is 619 feet above the published 7,085-foot field. Estimate only. Temperature-dewpoint spread is 5°F. Relative humidity is about 82 percent from the Magnus formula — estimate only.
METAR KPNA 181815Z AUTO 21006KT 10SM DZ SCT021 BKN050 OVC060 11/08 A3039 RMK AO2 LTG DSNT N SE AND NW
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
Fri, Sep 18, 12:00 PM – Sat, Sep 19, 12:00 PM Mountain
TAF KPNA 181738Z 1818/1918 05004KT P6SM VCTS BKN050CB TEMPO 1818/1822 VRB20G30KT -TSRA OVC050CB FM190300 35010KT P6SM OVC100 FM190600 29007KT P6SM OVC080 PROB30 1906/1910 P6SM -SHRA BKN090
KJAC
Jackson Hole
Fri, Sep 18, 12:00 PM – Sat, Sep 19, 12:00 PM Mountain
TAF KJAC 181738Z 1818/1918 20010KT P6SM VCTS BKN045CB TEMPO 1818/1821 VRB15G25KT -TSRA OVC045CB FM182100 21011KT P6SM VCSH BKN045 PROB30 1821/1903 VRB15G25KT -TSRA OVC045CB FM190300 VRB05KT P6SM SCT050 FM190900 02006KT P6SM SCT040 FM191300 VRB05KT P6SM VCSH SCT030 OVC040 FM191700 04010KT P6SM VCSH SCT040
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 MVFR, DA ~7,704 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. Last METAR: KPNA VFR, KJAC MVFR, DA ~7,704 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 7,182 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, daily 11–9. 24-hour desks: Hampton 307-367-6700, Best Western 307-367-6869. Town forecast Saturday, September 19, 2026: high 60°F, low 33°F. KPNA is VFR; KJAC is MVFR on the last METAR we fetched. Density altitude at the field is about 7,704 feet. That is an estimate, not a takeoff card. KPNA altimeter 30.39 inHg. Relative humidity about 82 percent — Magnus estimate only. Sunset at town coordinates tonight is 7:24 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
This Saturday is Race to Raise. 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 taxi is 307-360-3660. River Rat runs trailhead 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 daily 11–9. Hampton, Best Western, High Country Suites, and Pinedale Hotel list 24-hour desks. The first night is for sleep, not a long hike. Town sunset tonight is 7:24 PM Mountain. The field is six miles off. This is not a lighting card.
- 05
Saturday
Race to Raise, or Fremont Lake
Packets Friday 5:00–7:00 p.m. and Saturday 7:00–8:30 a.m. at Rendezvous Pointe, 425 E Magnolia. Half at 8:30. If you are not racing, Fremont Lake is the other Saturday. 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 7,704 feet.
JAC
MVFRJackson 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.
Last KJAC METAR is MVFR.
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.
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.
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
7,704ft DA
6,200Field 7,0858,600
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
Great Outdoor Transportation Company taxi and shuttle
307-360-3660
River Rat Shuttles
River and trailhead 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
18 days
Tuesday, October 6, 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 airport shuttle.
Map inset
Ralph Wenz Field
KPNA