Wyoming or MT in early October?

Jackson is still open that first week or two in October. But its area will be transitioning to off season.

Restaurants will begin to close and activities will become more limited, due to colder weather and snow. Staffing is the other issue, seasonal workers will begin to depart.

Off season shrinks every year though. It’s becoming more of a ten month a year destination.

I do like October though, it’s pretty, the weather is nice, and it’s less crowded. From walking around town on Wednesday, it feels like a normal year, but I have to assume overall business levels will be down.

I wouldn’t worry about bears so much. I’ve seen one black bear up close, and he ran away immediately.

That time of year they will be about to den for the winter. But it’s just not something you need to worry a lot about.

Just bring spray.

Alaska is very different, that’s a place where you need to travel in groups, and where bringing a firearm is prudent. Black bears up there are aggressive.

If you’re hunting in the lower 48, it’s a little different, because the bears may follow you to steal your kill. But short of that, just be reasonable.

I lived in Montana.

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And fear mongering is useful? You’re acting like a helicopter parent. There are what, around five fatalities a year from bear attacks?

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It's not fear mongering. The OP specifically expressed being concerned with bear attacks. Giving them information that makes them feel more comfortable in the case of a bear encounter a) puts their mind at ease so they can enjoy the hike, b) protects the bear from being euthanized due to an aggressive encounter with an uneducated pedestrian, and c) protects the pedestrian.

You need to check park closures for the year OP as already said. October is a fantastic time of year especially for locals, but many of the parks and activities start to close or have limited hours. As long as you are flexible you should have a great time, just know what’s going to be open going in. The ski resorts all close sometimes in October until Thanksgiving for ski season.

October can also be chilly, but generally very nice weather. Great time to see the fall colors and wildlife.

I did a trip in early October 2017 Glacier NP, Yellowstone, Tetons, and stayed in Jackson Hole at the end. It snowed in Wyoming for two of the days we were there and it snowed the day before we arrived. On our way to glacier from CO, wind gusts were incredible in Wyoming 60+.

From my research early October is just before the bears go into hibernation at least grizzlies anyway. We did see a grizzly in Glacier on one of our hikes. There were berry bushes near the trail and we decided to turn around after about an hour of it not moving. I have also read since there have been less people because of COVID the bears are in areas where they usually stay away from.

As for bear spray we had some, but it would have been useless in the windy conditions we were in. That being said, I would bring the bear spray just in case as a pure act of desperation and not to be relied upon. We had a couple of bells we wore on our packs. A big danger is sneaking up on a bear so making noise is a good preventive measure.

I will say I was much closer to the grizzly in Alaska than Montana. The bear was used to humans as it was a popular fishing spot on the Kenai. Usually they go after people’s packs on the shore of the river. We wore our packs and slowly walked away yelling the slogan of, “Hey Bear!”

I think there are a few people on this board that live near there or can speak from experience. Can’t hurt to ask and as I do take message board suggestions with a grain of salt. Certainly, he will do other research as well.

If I had to choose a time to visit again, I would choose Mid September.