Grand Teton National Park

Grand Teton National Park protects about 40 miles of the Teton Range, along with the broad valley called Jackson Hole that runs below it. The Tetons are a young range in geologic terms, still rising along a fault, a long crack in the earth, that drops the valley on one side and lifts the mountains on the other. That fault is why they have no foothills to soften the view: the range climbs straight from the valley floor, topping out at the Grand Teton at 13,775 feet. Snow and small glaciers cling to the high notches into summer, and the sharp granite has long made the range a magnet for climbers and photographers.

At the foot of the peaks runs a line of glacial lakes, left behind by the ice that carved the canyons above them. Jenny Lake is the heart of the park for many visitors, a deep, clear lake that mirrors the peaks, with a boat shuttle across to trails climbing to Hidden Falls and Inspiration Point. Larger Jackson Lake spreads to the north, and String and Leigh Lakes offer quieter shores. The Snake River threads through the valley below, so calm in places that it is some of the finest flat-water canoeing in the West, and photographers still chase the famous river bend that Ansel Adams made unforgettable.

The valley itself is alive. Jackson Hole is one of the best places in the country to see large wildlife, with moose in the willow flats, elk and bison on the open sagebrush, pronghorn racing the plains, and both grizzly and black bears roaming the park. In fall the valley echoes with the bugling of elk, and just to the south the National Elk Refuge shelters thousands through winter. Grand Teton is part of the larger Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, a wild web of land that reaches north into Yellowstone, so it is not only a scenic park but a living one.

• South Entrance at Moose, off US-26/89/191 near Jackson, is open year-round and leads to the Craig Thomas Discovery and Visitor Center, Menor's Ferry, and the Teton Park Road along the base of the range.
• Moran Entrance, off US-26/287 coming from Dubois to the east, is open year-round and puts you near Jackson Lake and the northern reaches of the park on the way toward Yellowstone.
• Granite Canyon Entrance, off the narrow Moose-Wilson Road near Teton Village, is seasonal and closes in winter. It offers a quieter, tree-lined back way into the southern end of the park.
• Most visitors arrive through the town of Jackson, reached on US-191 from the south or over Teton Pass on WY-22 from Idaho. From Yellowstone, the John D. Rockefeller Jr. Memorial Parkway drops straight south into the park, linking the two parks in under an hour of driving.

• Jenny Lake is the most visited lake in the park, with kayaking, an easy shoreline path, and a boat shuttle across to the short climb up to Hidden Falls and Inspiration Point.
• Schwabacher Landing is a favorite sunrise spot on a quiet side channel of the Snake River, where the Tetons often mirror perfectly in the still water.
• Signal Mountain has a paved road climbing to a summit with 360-degree views over the whole valley, the lakes, and the wall of peaks.
• The Jackson Lake Lodge, built in 1955, is worth a stop for its enormous floor-to-ceiling windows framing the Tetons across the valley, one of the most famous mountain views from indoors in America.

Long before it was a park, this valley was home to Native peoples for thousands of years. The Eastern Shoshone hunted and traveled here, and the mountains and Jackson Hole hold deep meaning for them and for other associated tribes, among them the Bannock, the Crow, the Gros Ventre, and Blackfeet peoples, who moved through the high country with the seasons. Their long presence is part of the living story of this land, not a chapter that ended when the first mapmakers arrived.

Fur trappers gave the peaks their odd French name in the early 1800s, and homesteaders later dug irrigation ditches by hand to farm the dry sagebrush flats, leaving behind the weathered barns of Mormon Row that still stand against the peaks today. The original Grand Teton National Park was created in 1929, but it protected only the range and the lakes at its base, not the valley floor. Ranchers and locals fought hard against adding the valley, worried about losing land and grazing.

The turning point came from a quiet source. On a visit in the 1920s, John D. Rockefeller Jr. was troubled by the billboards and clutter creeping across the valley, so he began buying up ranch land through a company that did not carry his name, planning to give it to the public. After a long and bitter fight, that land and a national monument were folded into the park in 1950, roughly doubling its size and bringing the whole sweep of Jackson Hole under protection. The John D. Rockefeller Jr. Memorial Parkway between here and Yellowstone still carries his name in thanks.

The Civilian Conservation Corps, a Depression-era work program, also left its mark here in the 1930s, building trails and facilities across the young park. Over the decades the two goals that had once been at war, working ranches and wild scenery, settled into an uneasy balance, and today a handful of historic ranches still operate inside the park boundary, a reminder of the valley's hard-won past.

• The Grand Teton stands 13,775 feet tall, but what makes it look so dramatic is the lack of foothills. The peaks rise almost 7,000 feet straight off the valley floor, one of the sharpest vertical jumps of any range in the country.
• The T.A. Moulton Barn on Mormon Row, backed by the peaks, is often called the most photographed barn in America. It was built by homesteaders who farmed this sagebrush plain more than a century ago.
• The bend of the Snake River below the peaks is world-famous because of one photograph. Ansel Adams captured it in 1942, and his image later traveled to deep space aboard the Voyager spacecraft as a picture of Earth.
• The valley's name, Jackson Hole, comes from the old trapper word 'hole' for a high mountain valley ringed by peaks, named for the trapper Davey Jackson who wintered here.
• The park was nearly twice as small at first. When it was established in 1929 it covered only the mountains and lakes; the entire valley floor was not added until 1950 after a decades-long fight.
• Much of that valley land was quietly bought up by John D. Rockefeller Jr. through a front company, the Snake River Land Company, so sellers would not raise their prices or refuse on principle.
• The little Chapel of the Transfiguration near Moose has held services since 1925, and a plate-glass window behind its altar frames the Cathedral Group of peaks like a living painting.
• Grand Teton and Yellowstone are joined by a strip of protected land, the John D. Rockefeller Jr. Memorial Parkway, so you can drive from one park into the other without ever leaving federal wildland.

• An entrance fee applies (per vehicle, good for seven days); check the park website for current rates, and note that interagency annual passes are accepted.
• A combined pass with Yellowstone is valid for seven days and covers both parks, which is handy since most visitors pair the two.
• The Craig Thomas Discovery and Visitor Center at Moose is open year-round and is the best first stop for maps, exhibits, and current conditions.
• The Jenny Lake Scenic Drive is a short one-way loop of about four miles with some of the finest lake-and-mountain views in the park.
• A boat shuttle crosses Jenny Lake in the warmer months, a short ride that drops you at the Hidden Falls trailhead and saves a couple of miles of walking each way.

Yes, Grand Teton charges a per-vehicle entrance fee that is good for seven days, and interagency annual passes are accepted. Because most people pair the two parks, there is also a combined pass that covers both Grand Teton and Yellowstone for seven days. Check the National Park Service website for the current rates before you go.

Many people do, and it is easy. The two parks sit right next to each other, joined by the John D. Rockefeller Jr. Memorial Parkway, so you can drive from the south end of Yellowstone into Grand Teton in under an hour without leaving protected land. If you have the time, seeing both on one trip is one of the classic road trips in the American West.

The main year-round entrances at Moose and Moran stay open, but the high country and some park roads change with the seasons. The interior Teton Park Road and the Moose-Wilson Road close under snow through winter and reopen once crews clear them in spring, and services like the Jenny Lake boat shuttle run only in the warmer months. If you want full access to trails, lakes, and drives, plan for summer through early fall.

Summer, roughly June through September, is the prime season, when roads and facilities are open, the weather is mildest, and wildflowers bloom, though it is also the busiest. Fall brings golden aspens, the elk rut, and thinner crowds, making September and early October especially beautiful. Winter is quiet and stunning for snow sports but with limited access. For hiking and boating, aim for summer; for color and wildlife with fewer people, come in early fall.

You can take in the main overlooks and drive the base of the range in a half day. To walk a trail or two, ride the Jenny Lake shuttle, and not feel rushed, give it a full day. If you are pairing it with Yellowstone or want to hike into the canyons, plan for two or three days in the area.

Jenny Lake sits right at the foot of the peaks and is the busiest spot in the park. In the warmer months a boat shuttle crosses the lake from the east shore to a west-side dock, a short ride that saves a couple of miles of walking each way. From the dock, a popular short hike climbs to Hidden Falls and then up to Inspiration Point, with a big view over the lake and the range. Arrive early, since parking and the shuttle line fill up fast.

Jackson Hole is one of the best places in the country to see moose, elk, bison, pronghorn, and both grizzly and black bears. All of these animals can be dangerous, so keep a large distance, never approach or feed them, and give moose and bison plenty of room, as they injure more people than bears do. Carry bear spray on trails and know how to use it, make noise as you hike so you do not surprise an animal, and store food properly. Follow the park's posted wildlife guidance for the current rules.

This is high country, so weather changes fast and afternoon thunderstorms with lightning are common; carry warm layers even on hot days and start hikes early. The Snake River and the lakes are very cold and the river has strong currents, so wear a life jacket on the water and be cautious near fast-moving stretches. Take it easy at first if you are not used to the elevation, drink plenty of water, and turn back if conditions turn.

Pets are allowed in developed areas, campgrounds, parking lots, and along roads, but not on trails, in the backcountry, or on the lakeshores away from those areas. That means they cannot join you on the Jenny Lake hikes. Keep pets leashed, bring water, never leave one in a vehicle, and check the park website for the current pet rules before you arrive.

Both are possible. Grand Teton has several campgrounds and a few historic lodges inside the park, including the Jackson Lake Lodge with its famous window wall of peaks, and these fill up early in summer, so book well ahead. The town of Jackson, about ten miles south, offers more lodging and dining and makes a lively base for exploring both Grand Teton and the wider Jackson Hole area.