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Grand Teton National Park
IUCN Category II (National Park)
Location	Teton County, Wyoming, USA
Nearest city	JacksonNearest city: Jackson
Coordinates	43°44′0″N 110°48′12″W / 43.733333°N 110.80333°W / 43.733333; -110.80333Coordinates: 43°44′0″N 110°48′12″W / 43.733333°N 110.80333°W / 43.733333; -110.80333
Area	309,995 acres (1,254.51 km2)
Established	February 26, 1929 Established: February 26, 1929
Visitors	2,588,574 (in 2007)
Governing body	National Park Service

Grand Teton National Park is a United States National Park located in northwestern Wyoming, south of Yellowstone National Park. The park is named after the Grand Teton, which, at 13,770 feet (4,197 m), is the tallest mountain in the Teton Range.

The name "Tetons" originally was intended to describe several hills near the town of Arco, Idaho. They were named by a French trapper who thought that they resembled the female body. (Ergo tétons, the French word for "nipples" or "teats".) Many years later the name was mistakenly applied to the mountains of present day Grand Teton National Park due to the poor map-making and map-reading standards of the time.

Grand Teton National Park was established on February 26, 1929. The park covers 484 square miles (1,250 km²) of land and water.

There are nearly 200 miles (320 km) of trails for hikers to enjoy in Grand Teton National Park.

Geography

The John Moulton Barn at the base of the Grand Tetons in Moose.

Part of the Rocky Mountains, the north-south-trending Teton Range rises from the floor of Jackson Hole without any foothills along a 40 miles (64 km) long by 7 to 9 miles (11 to 14 km) wide active fault-block mountain front system. In addition to 13,770 ft (4,197 m) high Grand Teton, another eight peaks are over 12,000 ft (3,658 m) above sea level. Seven of these peaks between Avalanche and Cascade canyons make up the often-photographed Cathedral Group.

Map of Grand Teton park

Jackson Hole is a 55 miles (89 km) long by 6 to 13 miles (9.7 to 21 km) wide graben valley that has an average elevation of 6,800 ft (2,100 m) with its lowest point near the south park boundary at 6,350 ft (1,940 m). The valley sits east of the Teton Range and is vertically displaced downward 30,000 ft (9,100 m) from corresponding rock layers in it, making the Teton Fault and its parallel twin on the east side of the valley normal faults with the Jackson Hole block being the hanging wall and the Teton Mountain block being the footwall. Grand Teton National Park contains the major part of both blocks. A great deal of erosion of the range and sediment filling the graben, however, yields a topographic relief of only up to 7,700 ft (2,300 m).

The glaciated range is composed of a series of horns and arêtes separated by U-shaped valleys headed by cirques and ended by moraines, making the Tetons a textbook example of alpine topography. Rubble piles left by ice age alpine glaciers impounded a series of interconnected lakes at the foot of the range (Jackson, Leigh, String, Jenny, Bradley, Taggart, and Phelps). The largest lake in the valley, Jackson Lake, was impounded by a recessional moraine left by a very large valley glacier as it retreated north out of Jackson Hole. Jackson Lake covers 25,540 acres (103.4 km²) and has a maximum depth of 438 feet (134 m). There are also over 100 alpine and backcountry lakes.

Map of Wyoming National Parks and landmarks, showing Grand-Teton south of Yellowstone(upper left), across the state from Cheyenne.

Just to the south is Burned Ridge, the same glacier's terminal or end moraine, which runs down the center of Jackson Hole roughly perpendicular to the range and cut in two by the Snake River. After exiting its dammed outlet at the southeast corner of Jackson Lake, the Snake runs down the valley and through the 10 miles (16 km) long glacial outwash plain south of Burned Ridge. The river's headwaters are in a part of the Teton Wilderness a short distance north in Yellowstone National Park and its destination is the Columbia River far to the west, which in turn empties into the Pacific Ocean. Terraces have been cut by the river into the moraines and outwash plain in the valley. About 50 miles (80 km) of the 1,056-mile (1,699 km) long Snake River winds through the park where it is fed by three major tributaries; Pacific Creek, Buffalo Fork, and the Gros Ventre River.

The local climate is a semi-arid mountain one with a yearly extreme high of 93 °F (34 °C) and extreme low of −46 °F (−43.3 °C). Average annual snowfall is 191 inches (490 cm) and average rainfall is 10 inches (250 mm). The coldest temperature ever recorded in Grand Teton National Park was −63 °F (−52.8 °C), and snow often blankets the landscape from early November to late April.

Human history

Pre-history

Native American hunting parties from the northern Rocky Mountains camped along the shore of Jackson Lake around 12,000 years ago while following game. For thousands of years Jackson Hole was used as a neutral crossroads for trade and travel routes in the area. One route followed the Snake River to its source in the Yellowstone area where abundant obsidian could be found. Another major route traversed the Teton Pass at the southern end of the range, providing a shortcut to the Pacific Northwest region of what is now the United States. Also, a southern route led to the Colorado Plateaus region and the Great Basin.

White exploration and settlement

The Tetons were named by French explorers who called the three highest peaks of the range Les Trois Tetons (the three breasts). In the 18th and 19th centuries, Caucasian fur trappers and fur traders called deep valleys rimmed by high mountains "holes." One such fur trapper was named David Jackson and his favorite place to 'hole-up' was named after him in 1829.

John Colter, a member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, is the first white American known to have visited the area now know as Jackson Hole as early as 1805-1806. Geologist F.V. Hayden visited the area in 1860 as part of the Raynolds expedition. In the summer of 1871 he led the first government-sponsored scientific survey of the Yellowstone area just to the north. One part of that survey, led by geologist James Stevenson, traveled into Jackson Hole via the Teton Pass before meeting up with the other half of the expedition in Yellowstone. While passing through, the team, which included Yellowstone's first superintendent N.P. Longford, photographer William Henry Jackson, and artist William Henry Holmes, among others, mapped the area and surveyed its geology and biology. These data were later included in the Hayden Survey set of reports.

Homesteaders moved into Jackson Hole after the reports were published but the short growing season along with weeks of being snowed-in each winter kept all but the hardiest individuals away. One of those settlers, a rancher named Pierce Cunningham, circulated a petition to have Jackson Hole saved for the "education and enjoyment of the Nation as a whole."

Fight for preservation

In 1897 acting Yellowstone superintendent Colonel S.B.M. Young proposed expanding that park's borders south to encompass the northern extent of Jackson Hole in order to protect migrating herds of elk. Next year, United States Geological Survey head Charles D. Walcott suggested that the Teton Range should be included as well. Stephen Mather, director of the newly-created National Park Service and his assistant Horace Albright sent a report to Secretary of the Interior Franklin Lane in 1917 stating much the same. Wyoming Representative Frank Mondell sponsored a bill that unanimously passed the United States House of Representatives in 1918 but was killed in the United States Senate when Idaho Senator John Nugent feared that the expansion of Park Service jurisdiction would threaten sheep grazing permits. Public opposition to park expansion also mounted in and around Jackson Hole. Albright, in fact, was practically run out of Jackson, Wyoming, by angry townspeople in 1919 when he traveled there to speak in favor of park expansion.

The Rockefellers in Grand Teton area

Local attitudes started to change that same year when proposals to dam Jenny, Emma Matilda, and Two Ocean lakes surfaced. Then on July 26, 1923, local and Park Service representatives including Albright met in Maud Noble's cabin to work on a plan to buy private lands to create a recreation area to preserve the "Old West" character of the valley. Albright was the only person who supported Park Service management; the others wanted traditional hunting, grazing, and dude-ranching activities to continue. In 1927 philanthropist John D. Rockefeller, Jr. founded the Snake River Land Company so he and others could buy land in the area incognito and have it held until the National Park Service could administer it. The company launched a campaign to purchase more than 35,000 acres (140 km²) for $1.4 million but faced 15 years of opposition by ranchers and a refusal by the Park Service to take the land.

Park Dedication in 1929

In 1928, a Coordinating Commission on National Parks and Forests met with valley residents and reached an agreement for the establishment of a park. Wyoming Senator John Kendrick then introduced a bill to establish Grand Teton National Park. It was passed by both houses of the U.S. Congress and signed into law by U.S. President Calvin Coolidge on February 26, 1929. The 96,000 acres (390 km²) park was carved from Teton National Forest and included the Teton Range and six glacial lakes at its foot in Jackson Hole. Lobbying by cattlemen, however, meant that the original park borders did not include most of Jackson Hole (whose floor was used for grazing). Meanwhile the Park Service refused to accept the 35,000 acres (140 km²) held by the Snake River Company.

Discouraged by the stalemate, Rockefeller sent a letter to then U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt telling him that if the federal government did not accept the land that he intended to make some other disposition of it or to sell it in the market to any satisfactory buyers. Soon afterward on March 15, 1943 the president declared 221,000 acres (890 km²) of public land as Jackson Hole National Monument. Continued controversy over the Rockefeller gift still made it impossible for the monument to officially include that land, however.

1942 photo by Ansel Adams titled The Tetons and the Snake River.

Opposition to the monument by local residents immediately followed with criticism that the declaration was a violation of states' rights and that it would destroy the local economy and tax base. Ranchers drove 500 cattle across the newly created monument in a demonstration designed to provoke conflict. The Park Service did not respond to the stunt but the event brought national attention to the issue nonetheless. Wyoming Representative Frank A. Barrett introduced a bill to abolish the monument that passed both houses of Congress but was pocket vetoed by Roosevelt. U.S. Forest Service officials did not want to cede another large part of the Teton National Forest to the Park Service so they fought against transfer. One final act was to order forest rangers to gut the Jackson Lake Ranger Station before handing it over to park rangers. Residents in the area who supported the park and the monument were boycotted and harassed.

Other bills to abolish the monument were introduced between 1945 and 1947 but none passed. Increases in tourism money following the end of World War II has been cited as a cause of the change in local attitudes. A move to merge the monument into an enlarged park gained steam and by April, 1949, interested parties gathered in the Senate Appropriation Committee chambers to finalize a compromise. The Rockefeller lands were finally transferred from private to public ownership on December 16, 1949, when they were added to the monument. A bill merging most of Jackson Hole National Monument (except for its southern extent, which was added to the National Elk Refuge) into Grand Teton National Park was signed into law by President Harry S. Truman on September 14, 1950. One concession in the law modified the Antiquities Act, limiting the future power of a president to proclaim National Monuments in Wyoming. The scenic highway that extends from the northern border of Grand Teton National Park to the southern entrance of Yellowstone National Park was named the John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Memorial Parkway to recognize Rockefeller's contribution to protecting the area. In 2001, the Rockefellers donated their Jackson Hole retreat, the JY Ranch, to the national park for the establishment of the Laurance S. Rockefeller Preserve, dedicated on June 21, 2008.

1972 Fireball

A meteor on a path over the Rocky Mountains from the U.S. Southwest to Canada passed above the park area on August 10, 1972, and was filmed by a tourist with an 8-millimeter color film camera. The object was in the range of size from a car to a house and should have ended its life in a Hiroshima-sized blast, but there was never any explosion, much less a crater. Analysis of the trajectory indicated that it never came much lower than 58 kilometers (36 mi) off the ground, and the conclusion was that it had grazed Earth's atmosphere for about 100 seconds, then skipped back out of the atmosphere to return to its orbit around the Sun.

Geology

Cascade Canyon

The rock units that make up the east face of the Teton Range are around 2500 million years old and made of metamorphosed sandstones, limestones, various shales, and interbeded volcanic deposits. Buried deep under Tertiary volcanic, sedimentary, and glacial deposits in Jackson Hole, these same Precambrian rocks are overlain by Paleozoic and Mesozoic formations that have long since been eroded away from atop the Tetons.

The Paleozoic-aged sediments were deposited in warm shallow seas and resulted in various carbonate rocks along with sandstones and shales. Mesozoic deposition transitioned back and forth from marine to non-marine sediments. In later Mesozoic, the Cretaceous Seaway periodically covered the region and the Sierran Arc to the west provided volcanic sediments.

A moose with reflection

A mountain-building episode called the Laramide orogeny started to uplift western North America 70 million years ago and eventually formed the Rocky Mountains. This erased the seaway and created fault systems along which highlands rose. Sediment eroded from uplifted areas filled-in subsiding basins such as Jackson Hole while reverse faults created the first part of the Teton Range in the Eocene epoch. Large Eocene-aged volcanic eruptions from the north in the Yellowstone-Absaroka area along with later Pleistocene-aged Yellowstone Caldera eruptions, left thick volcanic deposits in basins.

The Teton Range started to grow along a north-south trending fault system next to Jackson Hole some 9 million years ago in the Miocene epoch. Then starting in the Pliocene, Lake Teewinot periodically filled Jackson Hole and left thick lakebed sediments. The lake was dry by the time a series of glaciations in the Pleistocene epoch saw the introduction of large glaciers in the Teton and surrounding ranges. During the Last Glacial Maximum, these glaciers melded together to become part of the Wisconsin glaciation, which carried away all soil from Jackson Hole and surrounding basins. Later and less severe ice ages created enough locally-deposited dirt in the form of moraines and till to repair much of this damage. Since then, mass wasting events such as the 1925 Gros Ventre landslide, along with slower forms of erosion, have continued to modify the area. On the floor of the Jackson Hole valley rise several landforms, one of the most conspicuous being Blacktail Butte.

Biology

Moose in Grand Teton NP near Leigh Lake

Grand Teton National Park and areas adjacent to it host over 1000 species of vascular plants. Whitebark Pine, Limber Pine, Subalpine fir, and Engelmann Spruce survive in Tetons' alpine zone up to around 10,000 feet (3,000 m). Lodgepole Pine, Douglas Fir, and Blue Spruce are found on the valley floor, while the aspens, cottonwoods, alders, and willows commonly inhabit the moist soils along rivers and lakeshores.

Coyote

Forests in the Teton area generally consist of two to three different tree species that grow together in a specific habitat. Edge habitat for various wildlife species is created where these different forest types merge in zones called ecotones. Some animals, such as the Red squirrel, pine marten, and black bear spend a majority of their life in forests. Other animal species, such as moose, elk (or wapiti), and wolves, use the forest for shade and shelter in the day and move to sagebrush dominated areas or meadows to feed in the early mornings and evenings.

Soil conditions, the amount of water, slope, aspect, and elevation all help determine where different plant communities grow. Biologists divide the plants of Grand Teton National Park into these communities: forests, sagebrush flats, riparian corridors and wetlands, and alpine areas.

Evergreen forests in the area are composed of seven species of coniferous tree while over 900 flowering plant species dominate the Teton Range below the tree line down to the top of Jackson Hole's moraines. These moraines are composed of compact piles of unsorted rubble that have good clay content and retain moisture better than the quartzite-rich outwash plain, which allows them to support large stands of Lodgepole Pines and many other plants.

Indian Paintbrush

Outwash plain areas are covered in a loose soil that doesn't hold moisture well and is therefore only able to support sparse vegetation such as sagebrush and coarse grasses. Numerous aspens, cottonwoods, and willows grow along in riparian zones outside of the outwash plain. Grasses, sedges, and wildflowers dominate in wet meadows.

Coyotes and badgers dig burrows into the loesses, which were blown into the valley between ice ages. High alpine areas of the park support plants that are specially adapted to the harsh conditions. These hardy plants cope with wind, snow, a lack of soil, increased ultraviolet radiation, rapid and dramatic temperature shifts, and a short growing season. Growing close to the ground in mats like the Alpine Forget-me-not is a common adaptation.

Selected wildlife

Trumpeter Swans

Grand Teton National Park is located in the heart of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, one of the largest intact temperate zone ecosystems remaining on the planet. This means that many of the animals in the Teton area travel between the two parks and the numerous adjacent National Forests.

American Bison graze the bottomlands.

• 5 species of Amphibians: Spotted Frog, Boreal Chorus Frog, Boreal Toad, Tiger Salamander, Northern Leopard Frog (believed to be locally extinct), and Bullfrog (introduced just outside the park).
• 6 species of bats
• 300+ species of birds: including Bald Eagle, Calliope Hummingbird, Golden Eagle, Osprey, Sage Grouse, Trumpeter Swan, Western Tanager
• 17 species of carnivores: including Grizzly and Black Bear, Mountain Lion, Wolf and Coyote.
• 16 species of fishes: including Yellowstone cutthroat trout, Snake River fine-spotted cutthroat trout, Mountain sucker, Utah chub, and Mountain whitefish
• 6 species of hoofed mammals: including American Bison, Moose, Pronghorn, elk, and Mule Deer
• Numerous invertebrates (no poisonous spiders)
• 3 species of rabbits/hares
• 4 species of reptiles (none poisonous): Wandering Garter Snake, Valley Garter Snake, Rubber Boa, and Northern Sagebrush Lizard
• 22 species of rodents: including Yellow-Bellied Marmot, Least Chipmunk, Muskrat, Red Squirrel, and Uinta Ground Squirrel

Panoramic view from Jackson Hole.

Panoramic view of the Grand Teton National Park as seen from the Signal Mountain Road.

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the National Park Service.

• Geology of National Parks: Fifth Edition, Ann G. Harris, Esther Tuttle, Sherwood D., Tuttle (Iowa, Kendall/Hunt Publishing; 1997) ISBN 0-7872-5353-7
• National Park Service: Grand Teton National Park (this article includes some public domain text from these NPS webpages) [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]
• National Park Service Publication: Creation of Grand Teton National Park by Jackie Skaggs
• Daugherty, John (2002-09-01) [1999]. A Place Called Jackson Hole. Crockett, Stephanie; Goetzmann, William H.; Jackson Reynold G.. Moose, Wyoming: Grand Teton Natural History Association. ISBN 0931895561. http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/grte2/hrs.htm. Retrieved 2007-03-13.  

External links

• Grand Teton National Park Official Website
• Grand Teton National Park at the Open Directory Project

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From Wikitravel

Grand Teton National Park [1] is a United States National Park that is located in the Rocky Mountains, in Northwest Wyoming. The park is south of Yellowstone National Park and just north of the town of Jackson. Grand Teton National Park is noted for its stunning mountain vistas, its shimmering alpine lakes and its abundant wildlife.

Mormon row barn, Grand Teton National Park

Understand

History

In the late 1800s, Colonel S.B.M. Young, the acting Superintendent of Yellowstone National Park, suggested the expansion of Yellowstone's park boundaries towards the south. During the following years, various officials introduced a series of proposals to include the Teton mountain range and Jackson Lake in an enlarged Yellowstone. These proposals were met with fierce opposition by local ranchers, who feared that an expanded park would lead to cuts in their grazing areas.

Around this same time, farmers in the region suggested the damming of Two Ocean, Emma Matilda and Jenny Lakes for irrigation purposes. Ranchers became concerned that if the lakes were dammed, it could lead to the destruction of natural resources by way of increased commercial development. This concern led to a key meeting in 1923, when Yellowstone Superintendent Horace Albright and some local residents decided that they could pool private funds to buy up land. This way, they could lock the land away from developers and preserve the natural character of the Jackson Hole region.

Albright was the only person at the meeting who openly supported a national park. The other attendees wanted to make sure that they could continue to use the land for hunting and ranching. As time went by, public support for a national park grew. This support wasn't unanimous, and there were still many holdouts who would not sell their land to the government. Nonetheless, on February 26, 1929, Grand Teton National Park was signed into law by President Calvin Coolidge.

John D. Rockefeller, Jr. became enamored of the Jackson Hole area and decided to help with Superintendent Albright's plan. Rockefeller created a private company as a front to buy land, using the company to hide both his personal involvement and any links to the federal government. That way, local residents would sell their land to the company, not knowing that it was in fact going to be donated to the National Park Service.

When the true nature of Rockefeller's front company became publicly known, it caused outrage in the area. After many legal battles, this controversy was put to rest with a compromise that allowed limited hunting and grazing within the park, as well as the existence of some privately run guest ranches.

Landscape

The Wyoming landscape in Grand Teton National Park is stunningly beautiful. This range often represents the entire Rocky Mountain range in countless photographs, postcards, and imaginations. This section of the Rockies is a wondrous playground for climbers, hikers, skiers, and nearly all other outdoor enthusiasts.

Unmatched beauty of the Tetons

Flora and fauna

Grand Teton National Park has abundant wildlife, but it is most famous for its populations of elk, bison (buffalo), moose and bald eagles.

Climate

Jackson Hole hardly seems the same place when one contrasts the winter and summer seasons. The southern end of the valley averages 15 feet of snow in the winter and often reaches balmy 80 degree temperatures in the summer. Temperatures in higher elevations average four degrees Fahrenheit cooler every 1,000 feet in rise. Raingear is recommended during spring, summer and fall. Sub-zero temperatures are common throughout winter and demand multi-layered clothing, hats, mittens and cold weather boots. Vehicles with four-wheel drive or all-weather tires are recommended for winter travel, roads may be closed during blizzards. Drive at or below posted speed limits at all times; moose and other wildlife are often seen crossing roads during the winter.

Winter doesn’t officially set in until December 21, but the first heavy snows may fall by November 1. Between winter storms the days are sunny and the nights are frigid. Average temperatures range from a daily maximum of 29°F to a minimum of 6°F. Ask at the Moose Visitor Center for road closures during blizzards.

During spring mild days and cool nights frequently come with rain or snow. The spring months average 11 days with measurable precipitation. Temperatures typically range from 22°F to 49° F. Valley trails remain snow-covered until late May.

Between the months of June through August the average daily temperature is 76°F, but high-elevation hiking trails don’t melt out until mid-July. Nighttime temperatures can reach the lower 40s. Most of the year’s precipitation falls during the summer months; afternoon thunderstorms are common.

Sun and occasional rain and snow fill the short fall days. The average daily maximum is 54°F while the minimum average is a cool 25°F. The fall months average 23 days that drop below freezing. For a comfortable trip, bring plenty of layered clothing.

Grand Teton overview map

By air

Jackson Hole Airport (IATA: JAC) [2] lies within the park boundaries, on the west side of the Wyoming Centennial Scenic Byway, which carries four US Route designations: 26, 89, 189, and 191. American, Continental, Delta, Frontier, Northwest, Skywest, and United serve the airport. Some service is seasonal.

By car

From the north, U.S. Highways 89, 191 and 287 share the same road into the park via Yellowstone National Park. This route is closed from November to April due to snow.

From the south, U.S. Highways 26, 89 and 191 share a road from Jackson.

From the east, U.S. 26 connects to Dubois.

From the west, Grassy Lake Road, a gravel road, connects Ashton, Idaho, to U.S. 89 near the north end of the park. This route is closed during the winter.

Fees/Permits

All vehicles and individuals entering the park must pay an entrance fee that is valid for seven days. The entrance fee provides entry to both Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks. Fees are $25 for non-commercial vehicles, $12 for hikers and cyclists, and $20 for motorcycles. A National Parks Pass ($80 and valid for one year) provides free entrance to all national parks and monuments. From December through mid-April a winter day use pass is also available for $5 per person (Grand Teton National Park only).

Grand Teton National Park is a bit curious in that the ranger stations where you pay the entry fees lie fairly deep within the park. This essentially means that sections of the park can be accessed for free, including Jackson Hole Airport.

Get around

Most visitors to the park drive around, because of the distances involved. Some hardy souls bike or hike.

See

There are turnouts and scenic overlooks throughout the park which offer a good view of Grand Teton's many mountains. Here are just a few highlights:

• Oxbow Bend About a mile east of Jackson Lake Junction. Besides the view of Mt. Moran, many types of birds can be seen here.
• Cathedral Group turnout This turnout offers a great view of the three highest peaks in the Teton range: Teewinot, the Grand Teton and Mt. Owen.
• Teton Glacier turnout About 4 miles north of Moose Junction on Teton Park Road, this turnout highlights the largest glacier in the park.
• Snake River Overlook This overlook is along U.S. 26/89/191. Ansel Adams took a famous photograph of the Tetons from this site.
• Schwabacher's Landing This dirt road, off U.S. 26/89/191, forks into two branches, one labeled for cars, the other for boats. Both branches have parking, and they lead to nice views of the Tetons and their reflections in the Snake River.
• Signal Mountain Turn off the park road south of Jackson Lake Junction. A fairly narrow paved spur road climbs to a parking area, then a very short walk to the summit gives an excellent 360 degree view of Jackson Hole.

Besides the mountains, there are other attractions worth seeing:

• Colter Bay Indian Arts Museum Many Native American artifacts are on display here. Video presentations about the park are frequently shown. Gift store. Free admission.
• Menor's Ferry This is a reconstruction of an 1890s ferry that crossed the Snake River.

Recronstruction of Menor's Ferry. Ranger led program

• Chapel of the Transfiguration This Epicopalian log cabin chapel, in a meadow near Moose Junction on Teton Park Road, has a view of the mountains through an altar window. There are also stained glass windows that depict the mountainous landscape.
• Chapel of the Sacred Heart This Catholic chapel, near Jackson Lake Junction, has a rustic feel with its log cabin construction.

Do

A worthwhile and fun activity is to see Hidden Falls by Jenny Lake. You can hike 2.5 miles to the falls and take a boat ride back ($7 one way, $10 round trip). The falls and whitewater is spectacular as it makes its mad dash down to Jenny Lake. Be sure to be on the lookout for rock climbers near the falls.

Beyond Hidden Falls the hiking trail continues with a climb up to Inspiration Point which affords a spectacular view over Jenny Lake and Jackson Hole. After another climb the trail flattens out and heads west along highly scenic Cascade Canyon. Eventually the trail reaches Lake Solitude.

Eat

Colter Bay Village

• The John Colter Cafe Court has Mexican and American fare. It's quick and decent.
• Chuckwagon Restaurant — nice sit down dinner type of restaurant. They have breakfast buffet (7.95 for cold 11.95 for cold and hot). Drinks ordered charge extra (e.g. orange juice $2.5, Latte $3.65ish)

Jackson Lake Lodge

• The Pioneer Grill offers counter service with light meals, snacks and soda fountain treats for breakfast, lunch and dinner, open daily 6AM-10:30PM. Service is not very quick and the food is not great, but it's open all the time.

Sleep

Due to the political deals which made Grand Teton National Park a reality, a mix of concessioner lodging, private guest ranches and camping is available within the park. Apart from the in-park accommodations, Jackson is the closest town with many lodging options.

• Colter Bay Village, just off U.S. 89/287, +1 307 543-2811 or +1 800 628-9988, [3]. Open late May to late September. Facilities range from basic tent cabins to cabins with private baths. Budget to midrange prices. The tents have 4 bunk beds outfitted with decent sleeping pads, but you'll need to provide your own sleeping bag.

• Jackson Lake Lodge, just off U.S. 89/287, +1 307 543-2811 or +1 800 628-9988, [4]. Open from late May to early October. Large hotel with on-site restaurants and heated outdoor pool. Many mountain views. Midrange to pricey for this area.

• Jenny Lake Lodge, accessible via North Jenny Lake Junction off of Teton Park Road, +1 307 733-4647 or +1 800 628-9988, [5]. Open early June to early October. Upscale to luxurious cabins and suites with on-site restaurant. Expensive.

• Teton Mountain Lodge, 3385 West Village Drive, PO Box 564, Teton Village, +1 800 801-6615, [6]. A slope-side mountain resort in Jackson Hole, Wyoming that offers rustic lodge rooms and suites. This luxury resort features a luxury spa, extensive meeting facilities, a variety of ski services and fine dining at Cascade Grill House & Spirits.

• Flagg Ranch Campground — Located just south of Yellowstone and 5 miles north of Grand Teton National Park on U.S. 89/191/287. +1 800 443-2311. Open May-Sept, call for exact dates. 175 sites in the spruce-fir forest. Call for reservations for both trailer sites and tent sites at this concession-operated campground.

• Lizard Creek Campground — 32 miles north of Moose, at the north end of the park, +1 800 672-6012. Open May-Sept, call for exact dates. 60 sites, usually fills by about 2PM. Vehicle size limited to 30 feet. A less heavily developed campground with sites in the spruce and fir forest. One side of the campground is adjacent to and slightly above Jackson Lake.

• Colter Bay Campground — 25 miles north of Moose, near Jackson Lake, +1 800 628-9988 or [7]. Open May-Sept, call for exact dates. 350 sites, 11 group sites, easier access for campers, trailers & RVs. Trailer dump station, showers, and laundry nearby. Usually fills by about noon.

• Signal Mountain Campground — 16 miles north of Jenny Lake, +1 800 672-6012. Open May-Sept, call for exact dates. 81 sites, and a trailer dump station. Usually fills by about 10AM. Signal Mountain offers a mix of spruce and fir trees, hillsides, and lake and mountain views. Adjacent to Signal Mountain Lodge and marina with a camp store and amenities close by. Sites are generally small and intimate. Vehicles size limited to 30 feet.

• Jenny Lake Campground — 8 miles north of Moose, +1 800 628-9988. Open May-Sept, call for exact dates. 51 sites, tents only. This is the park's most popular campground and is generally full by 8AM. Sites are in among the evergreens and glacial boulders a short distance from Jenny Lake. Only one vehicle, less than 14 feet long, is permitted per site. Trailers are prohibited.

• Gros Ventre Campground 11.5 miles south and east of Moose. +1 800 628-9988. Open May-Sept, call for exact dates. 360 sites, 5 group sites, and a trailer dump station. Generally fills in the evening, if at all. The campground lies along the Gros Ventre River with a mix of sites in sagebrush, beneath cottonwoods and adjacent to but a short distance from the river. If you are arriving in the afternoon of a busy day, just pull in. Seek a better site the next morning.

Backcountry

All backcountry camping requires a permit. These permits are free when applied for in person, on a first-come, first-serve basis. Permits can be obtained at the Moose and Colter Bay visitor centers, and at the Jenny Lake Ranger Station. People who wish to climb mountains must apply at the Jenny Lake Ranger Station.

Requests for advance reservations are accepted from January 1st to May 15th. Send the request by regular mail, fax, or in person. Include your name, address, phone number, number of people, and preferred campsites and dates. Be sure to include alternatives. Requests are processed in the order received. Requests may be faxed to +1 307 739-3438 or mailed to:

Grand Teton National Park

Backcountry Permits

PO Box 170

Moose, Wyoming 83012

A non-refundable service fee of $15 will be charged for each reservation (fee is per trip, not per person). Put credit card information directly on the fax, or mail a check made payable to the National Park Service. If no payment is received with your request, you will be billed. Only one-third of the sites are reserved in advance, leaving two-thirds available for walk-in reservations.

Stay safe

The weather can change rapidly in this mountainous region. Temperatures can plummet with little advance warning. Lightning is a real danger. Watch the skies, and if you hear thunder, take shelter within a structure or lower your profile to the sky.

• Yellowstone National Park — The world's largest concentration of geysers, hot springs and other geothermal features is a short drive to the north from Grand Teton National Park on U.S. 89/191/287. Yellowstone also has bison, elk, antelope and bears. Admission to Grand Teton also allows entry into Yellowstone, but be prepared to show your pass at the entrance gate.