Climbing out of the sagebrush-covered flats of Jackson Hole, Wyoming, the snowcapped, saw-toothed Grand Tetons are the quintessential mountain range. Topped by the 13,770 foot Grand Teton, these mountains are a magnet for the world’s top alpinists.
All of them find the Tetons’ extreme terrain an endless tablet on which to invent hair-raising ways to gain and lose elevation. Twelve Teton peaks reach above 12,000 feet and at 13,770 feet the Grand Teton towers more than a mile above Jackson Hole.
Alpine Lakes are part of the Grand Tetons
These twelve peaks are high enough to support a dozen glaciers. In contrast to the abrupt eastern face, the west side of the range slopes gently, showing the tilt of the Earth’s crust.
Youngest of the Rocky Mountain system, the Teton Range displays some of North America’s oldest rocks. The rise of the Teton Range as well as eons of glacial erosion have created conditions allowing several plant communities to thrive. The wide range of plant communities create habitat for a wide variety of animals, from the tiniest insects, to fish, birds and large and small mammals.
Buffalo at Sunset
For approximately 11,000 years, humans have taken advantage of the mountain setting and its abundant resources. Early residents occupied the valley during the short spring, summer and fall seasons. During the other months of the year, they moved to lower and warmer winter climates. Beginning in the late 1800’s, homesteaders and ranchers moved into the valley, bringing the technologies of irrigation and insulation, allowing them to stay through the long, harsh winter.
With the establishment of Grand Teton National Park in 1929 and expansion in 1950, a wide variety of resources are protected for future generations and to enjoy throughout the entire year.
Today, tourism is the cornerstone of the local economy. Visitors come to enjoy breathtaking scenery, wildlife and other natural features of Grand Teton National Park and the John D. Rockefeller, Jr., Memorial Parkway.
History & Culture
Human occupation of Jackson Hole has lasted for at least 11,000 years. Early Shoshoni, Gros Ventre, Flathead and Blackfeet occupied the valley during the short spring, summer and fall seasons. During winter, they traveled to lower and warmer climates but crossed the passes into Jackson Hole en route to seasonal hunting grounds. The splendor of the Teton Mountains first dazzled fur traders and by the 1820’s, mountain men followed wildlife and Indian trails through Jackson Hole and trapped beaver in the icy waters of the valley. The term “hole” was coined by fur trappers in the 1820’s to describe the high altitude plateau ringed by mountains. Jackson Hole is the entire valley, 8 to 15 miles wide and 40 miles long. The valley was named for David E. Jackson, a trapper who reputedly spent the winter of 1829 along the shore of Jackson Lake.
after the decline of the fur trade in the late 1830’s, Jackson Hole was effectively forgotten until the military and civilian surveys of the 1860’s and 1870’s. Members of the Hayden Survey named many of the area’s features. Because of its remote location, Jackson Hole remained unsettled until late in the 19th century. The first permanent homesteaders, settled north of the present town of Jackson. The soils and climate made ranching and farming risky. Ranching was the chief occupation; settlers grazed cattle on the public domain in the mountains while cultivating hay in the valley to provide winter feed.
Incorporated in 1914, Jackson became the seat of Teton County and the commercial center of the valley. Much of the recorded history of Jackson Hole centers around Grand Teton National Park. The emergence of the conservation movement in the United States prevented the transfer of public lands to private ownership. Through the Forest Reserve Act of 1891, President Grover Cleveland established the Teton Forest Reserve in 1897. Teton National Forest was created in 1908. These reserves included much of the land of Jackson Hole. Congress established Grand Teton National Park in 1929. The 96,000 acre Park included the main portion of the Teton Range and most of the glacial lakes at the base of the mountains.
after touring the area in 1926, John D. Rockefeller, Jr., decided to buy private lands in Jackson Hole for Park use. Rockefeller’s agents formed the Snake River Land Company purchasing over 35,000 acres during the next 20 years. Political controversy defeated attempts to add the valley to the Park in the 1920’s and 1930’s. In 1943, President Roosevelt issued a proclamation establishing Jackson Hole National Monument by authority of the Antiquities Act of 1906. The 210,000 acre monument included most federal land in Jackson Hole. In 1949 the Rockefellers donated nearly 33,000 acres to the federal government and in 1950, Congress passed legislation merging the Park and National Monument.
Nature & Science
The Grand Tetons are the youngest of the mountains in the Rocky Mountain system and continue to rise today. Although it is geologically new, the Teton Range displays some of the North America’s oldest rocks. The formation of the rocks that make up the mountains are older than the mountains themselves, dating back 2.5 billion years. At the time, a shallow sea covered most of the North American continent. Deposition of volcanic ash and other sediments settled to the bottom of this shallow ocean, depressing the layers into the earth’s crust. Heat and pressure caused the minerals to segregate and transform the sediments. Death Canyon is a perfect example of layers of light and dark gneiss, colored due to their different mineral compositions. Exposed granite is especially noticeable on the Middle and Grand Tetons. Diabase, a darker igneous rock, is prominent as intrusions across the faces of Mount Moran and Middle Teton.
Compression of the earth’s crust caused the uplift of the Rocky Mountain chain the result of movement along the Teton fault between 5-9 millions years ago. 2 million to 600 thousand years ago gaseous molten rock from the Yellowstone area flowed south covering both sides of the Tetons.
Glaciers gave the mountain range a face starting about 150,000 years ago, flowing through the area of Jackson Hole and pausing just south of where the little mountain town is now located. As the glacier melted it deposited vast quantities of rock ranging in size from boulders to fine sediments. Various sheets of ice continued to advance and retreat over the next 50,000 years or so, with the final glacier retreating about 10,000 years ago.
Jackson Lake is now located in a basin gouged by the last of these glacial movements. Ice flowed from canyons into Jackson Hole, then melted to form the basins that small lakes occupy today, including Jenny Lake and Taggart Lake.
Attractions
Jackson Lake
Jackson Lake has a shoreline of about 81 miles and covers close to 26,000 acres. At an elevation is 6,770 feet and it reaches depths of 445 feet deep, filling a depression, which was made by the great glaciers of the last Ice Age. The mountains rise from the west shore and top out at 7,000 feet above the lake.
Jenny Lake
Jenny Lake is the second largest lake in the Park and is at an elevation of 6,783 feet and is as deep as 256 feet it some places. The lake got its name from a Shoshone Indian woman who was married to an early trapper and guide, Richard Leigh. Leigh Lake, also in the park is named after Leigh.
Moose-Wilson Road
The trip along the Moose-Wilson Road features exhilarating scenery and leads to several of the famous dude ranches in the area. The road passes Teton Village and goes on to join WYO 22. The road is closed to through-traffic during winter months.
Chapel of Transfiguration
This little log chapel was completed in 1925, mostly through donations from a California family who summered on the dude ranches near Moose. Above the altar, a large window frames the Teton Range an altarpiece unsurpassed by any of the world’s great cathedrals.
Bill Menor Cabin and Ferry
The cabin now houses collections of furniture and personal belongings of early Jackson Hole settlers. Bill Menor moved to the area in 1892 and was the first settler west of the Snake River. He soon established the ferry, which for more than a quarter of a century, was the only dry way to cross the river for several miles.
Jackson National Fish Hatchery
Children especially enjoy the aquariums with beautiful specimens of trout and the tanks that teem with fingerlings. These trout will be planted in the lakes, streams and rivers of Wyoming.
Recreation
Backpacking
As a starting point for longer hikes, you might want to check out the Paintbrush-Cascade Loop, a nice 3-day trip. Also, you can hike up Paintbrush Divide through the middle of the Tetons and come down Granite Creek by Teton Village. This should be a 4-5 day trip.
Camping
Five National Park Service campgrounds are available on a first-come first-served basis within the park. A concessionaire-operated campground is available at Flagg Ranch in the John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Memorial Parkway, just south of Yellowstone National Park. Concessionaire operated trailer villages are available at Colter Bay and Flagg Ranch. Reservations may be made for all three. Other commercial campgrounds and trailer villages are available in Jackson.
Climbing
Guide’s wall is a good place to start. It doesn’t get above a 5.6. Climbing the Grand is an awesome rock climb. Ascending the Teewinot, you’ll only have to negotiate a substantially easier rock-climbing portion. The Jenny Lake Ranger Station is the center for climbing information from June to mid-September. Climbing rangers on duty provide current information on the nature and condition of climbing routes, equipment and experience considerations and time factors and can assist you in planning climbs.
Hiking
There are approximately 100 miles of park roads and 200 miles of trails throughout the park. For a nice day hike that will be a bit of a challenge you can take on the 11 miles up to the base camp of the Grand. It’s not too hard; you’ll see families walking up it, enjoying the beautiful scenery. Most park trails are rough rock or dirt and are not accessible to visitors with disabilities. There are many asphalt trails in the Jenny Lake area, some of which are accessible. Some trails may begin as asphalt and change to dirt or gravel shortly thereafter.
Mountain Biking
Bikes are not allowed on any trails in Grand Teton National Park, but you and your fat tires can make use of any unpaved road where cars are legally allowed. There are several recommended routes for mountain bikers, including one that follows the Snake River for 15 miles, so do bring the bike along.
Rail Fence with Mountains in Background
Mountaineering
The mountains in Grand Teton National Park offer some of the most accessible and diverse climbing in the country. A wide array of rock, snow and ice and mixed routes are available that range from easy outings to very difficult undertakings.
Paddling
The Snake River is a good place for mellow whitewater paddling and the excitement ratchets up a notch in the Snake Canyon. Only human-powered rubber rafts, canoes, dories and kayaks are allowed on the Snake River within the park and parkway. The Gros Ventre River provides stretches of flatwater and class III-IV whitewater offering boaters a challenging, boulder-garden strewn paddle at times, though watercraft are prohibited on the Gros Ventre within the Park boundaries.
Road Cycling
Within the Park and the John D. Rockefeller, Jr., Memorial Parkway, there are approximately 100 miles of paved roads awaiting the bicyclist. Numerous scenic turnouts provide spectacular views of the impressive Teton Range. To enter or leave the valley, bicyclists may need to cross one or more mountain passes. Some roads in the park predate today’s bicycling popularity. Most roads have a paved marked shoulder, providing limited space for safe bicycling. Some roads have only a very narrow shoulder, or lack one altogether. Use extreme caution.
Winter Sports
There is great snowshoeing, crosscountry skiing and backcountry skiing/boarding in the Grand Teton National Park. When going on an overnight trip, registration at park headquarters in Moose is required; permits are free. All backcountry travelers should use good route selection and avoid known avalanche paths, steep canyons and gullies. Four good starting points for a satisfying trip are Taggart Lake Parking Area, Colter Bay Area, Signal Mountain Area and the Flagg Ranch Area.
In The Area
National Elk Refuge
The National Elk Refuge, on the southern border of Grand Teton National Park, provides a winter home to nearly 7,500 elk. Late in October and early in November when snow comes to the high country, elk begin their traditional migration from their summer range in the Tetons and Yellowstone to the winter range in the valley. The heavy snows forcing the animals to lower elevations in search of food. Elk stay on the Refuge for about six months. In winter, horse-drawn sleigh rides are available to take visitors for a close-up look at the elk herd.
Twin Calves
John D. Rockefeller Jr. Parkway
Linking West Thumb in Yellowstone with the South Entrance of Grand Teton National Park, this scenic 82 mile corridor commemorates Rockefeller’s role in aiding establishment of many parks, including Grand Teton National Park.
Yellowstone National Park
The geological features that initially attracted interest led to the preservation of Yellowstone as a national park. The geothermal phenomena there are more geysers and hot springs here than in the rest of the world combined along with the colorful Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River, fossil forests and the size and elevation of Yellowstone Lake led the United States to make this the first and oldest national park in the world.
When To Go
Something happens all year in the Tetons. Most people visit during July and August, when it’s sunny and warm, after the snow has melted in the high country. In September and October, the days are pleasant, nights are brisk, the park is less crowded and the animals are still active. You have a better chance of seeing elk than in summer. Winter, although spectacular, can be very demanding; snowshoeing and cross-country skiing are popular. The main park road, US 26/89/191, remains open all year, but snow closes Teton Park Road (the “inner road”) north of Cottonwood Creek from November through April. The Moose-Wilson Road inside the park is also closed. At Teton Village, just south of the park, you’ll find excellent downhill skiing.
Traveler Facts
Contact Information
Grand Teton National Park
P. O. Box 170
Moose, WY 83012
Phone: 307-739-3300
Operating Hours & Seasons
Grand Teton National Park is open every day; visitor centers are closed on Christmas Day.
Visitor Centers
Grand Teton National Park’s Visitor Center seasons and approximate hours of operation:
Moose Visitor Center
Open 8:00 - 5:00 winter, spring and fall; 8:00 - 7:00 summer. Moose Visitor Center features the Greater Yellowstone Area and a rare and endangered species exhibitory, video room and an extensive bookstore.
Jenny Lake Visitor Center
Open 8:00 - 7:00 June to Labor Day. Jenny Lake Visitor Center features Geology exhibitory, a relief model and book sales.
Colter Bay Visitor Center
Open 8:00 - 5:00 Mid-May to June, 8:00-8:00 June to Labor Day, 8:00-5:00 Labor Day to October 1. Colter Bay Visitor Center features an Indian Arts Museum, an auditorium and a large bookstore.
Flagg Ranch Information Station
Open 9:00-6:00 June to Labor Day. Flagg Ranch Information Station features information about John D. Rockefeller and the Greater Yellowstone area and book sales.
Miscellaneous
An enjoyable visit to this heavily visited park requires some measure of planning and timing. Some basic services such as rental cars, rental equipment and lodging are sold-out every day. Reservations should be considered essential for main season visits.
