Grand Teton National Park
Sights to See
Grand Teton's road system conveniently carries you by most of the park's famous scenery. Avoid possible traffic congestion (and see more wildlife) by making your road trips in the early morning or late afternoon.
Most visitors enter the park just a few miles north of the town of Jackson on U.S. 26-89-191. Your first views of the Teton peaks appear to the west shortly after you pass the Jackson National Fish Hatchery.
Once you enter the park (about three miles south of Gros Ventre Junction), U.S. 26-89-191 becomes Jackson Hole Highway, which has many turn-outs along its shoulders. Please use them to safely observe or photograph the scenery.
The 43-mile Scenic Loop Drive can be accessed from three points: Moose Junction to the south, Moran Junction to the east and Jackson Lake Junction to the north.
The following highlights are described as if you were traveling in a counterclockwise direction along the loop, starting at the Moose Visitor Center, driving northeast on Jackson Hole Highway to Moran Junction, passing through Jackson Lake Junction and returning south via Teton Park Road to Moose.
Moose Village is 12 miles north of Jackson. Check at the visitor center for directions to Menors Ferry and the Chapel of the Transfiguration. Bill Menor built the first commercial ferry service across the Snake River just before the 20th century, allowing travelers—on foot and horseback—safe passage across its dangerous currents. You can ride a replica of the ferry during peak season (check at a visitor center for schedules). Nearby is Maud Noble Cabin where, in 1923, a group of citizens met with Yellowstone National Park Superintendent Horace Albright and laid the foundation for the creation of Grand Teton National Park. The historic Chapel of the Transfiguration, built in 1925, frames one of the nicest views of the Tetons. Episcopalian services are held there during summer.
Blacktail Ponds Overlook, an excellent place for spotting osprey, moose and other park wildlife, is just 1.3 miles north of Moose Junction.
You may see several private residences on your right (east) as you travel north. These are the homes of inholders; permanent residents who established property rights before the national park was created. The National Park Service has purchased many of these properties while others remain under private ownership within park boundaries.
Don't miss the Snake River Overlook, just one of the numerous turnouts along the northeast route between Moran and Moose junctions. Many consider this the best spot to see the panorama of the Tetons. The willow thickets that flank the river were home to the beaver that attracted the first fur trappers to the region. West of Moran Junction, beyond the park's Moran Entrance Station, the road travels through wetlands along the Snake River. Stop at Oxbow Bend Turnout where Mount Moran acts as a stunning backdrop to glimpses of the river otters, bald eagles, American white pelicans and moose that frequent this stretch of slow-moving water.
Visit Jackson Lake Lodge, located northwest of Jackson Lake Junction, with its huge picture windows overlooking the lake, the marsh known as Willow Flats and the Teton skyline rising in the distance. Take a tour boat from Colter Bay Marina to Elk Island on Jackson Lake. Breakfast and dinner scenic boat tours are available.
Drive down Teton Park Road, past the lake with views of the mountains, to Signal Mountain Lodge and Campground. South of the lodge, watch for the turnoff to Signal Mountain Summit Road, which takes you five miles to a vista 800 feet above the valley floor. There you can see the entire Jackson Hole valley and Teton Range. Trailers and large motor homes are prohibited on the narrow summit road.
South of Signal Mountain Summit Road lies Jenny Lake Scenic Drive, which leads you past the stunning Cathedral Group Turnout, where Grand Teton and its flanking peaks, Teewinot and Mount Owen, form an almost Gothic cluster. This is the only route to Jenny Lake Lodge. Beyond it, the road becomes one-way. Be sure not to miss the Jenny Lake Overlook since you can't back up if you overshoot it. Views into Cascade Canyon may tempt you to stop at South Jenny Lake and take a shuttle boat ride across the water to the scenic trails beyond. You can witness the beauty of Hidden Falls a half-mile from the boat dock.
After leaving the Jenny Lake area, head south back to Moose Village. East of Jenny Lake, Timbered Island is an oasis of trees in the sagebrush flats and home to elk, deer and pronghorn. Teton Glacier Turnout offers great mountain views.
OTHER DESTINATIONS
Colter Bay, north of Jackson Lake Junction, is the location of the park's Indian Arts Museum. Colter Bay Marina is also the jumping-off point for many water activities. From Colter Bay Marina, continue north along the lakeshore 11 miles to the park border where the John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Memorial Parkway links Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Park.
The Moose-Wilson Road runs southwest from Moose past the Death Canyon and Granite Canyon trailheads. Shortly after, it crosses the park's southern boundary and passes Teton Village, where an aerial tram takes summer visitors and winter skiers up the mountainside for a fee. Inside the park, the road is closed to large trucks, trailers and recreational vehicles. In winter, it closes to all vehicles.
At Gros Ventre Junction on the park's southern boundary, a side road heads northeast to Gros Ventre Campground, the Kelly community and the Gros Ventre Slide area, outside the park's eastern border. This route travels through sagebrush and cottonwoods as it heads toward the Gros Ventre Mountains, seemingly a different world from the craggy Tetons to the west. About a mile north of Kelly, turn right on the Bridger-Teton National Forest access road. This road takes you out of Grand Teton National Park 4.5 miles to Lower Slide Lake, the site of a massive landslide in 1925 that dammed the Gros Ventre River, creating the lake. Two years later, the natural dam collapsed, causing a flood that killed six people downstream in Kelly.
North of the national forest junction, you connect with Antelope Flats Road, a good spot for viewing bison, pronghorn, and other wildlife. Heading west along this road, back to Jackson Hole Highway, you pass many of the early settlements of Jackson Hole at Mormon Row.
Grand Teton In Depth
News from the Parks
75th Anniversary of the Civilian Conservation Corps
August 29, 2008 - 1:49pm
This year marks the 75th anniversary of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), designed by Franklin D. Roosevelt as part of the New Deal to provide relief from the Great Depression. The CCC employed over two million young men to work in America’s parks and forests, creating and renovating roads, trails, campsites, social halls, amphitheaters and visitor centers. The program provided work in a time of great instability, but more importantly it offered disheartened Americans the chance to improve the nation's future, while strengthening their dignity and hope. They were making history by providing easier access to the treasures of the national park system. Nicknamed "Roosevelt's Tree Army," the CCC was operated through the cooperative efforts of four departments. The Department of Labor oversaw the selection of enrollees, the Army ran the camps, and the Interior and Agriculture departments provided work projects. Initially, unmarried men, between the ages of 18 and 25 and from families on relief, could apply. They enlisted for six months, with an option to reenlist for up to two years. The "CCC boys" worked for $30 a month, $25 of which was sent to their families. Eventually, "Local Experienced Men" (LEMs) and World War I veterans could enroll. Although a few work camps were established for women, most CCC enrollees were men. Nationwide, the CCC operated 4,500 camps! The CCC advanced natural resource conservation by decades, and provided education, training and experience for a generation of young men and women. Since then, millions of visitors to the national park system have enjoyed the work of the CCCs! Parks nationwide are commemorating the inspiring government leaders and hardworking young men that made up the Civilian Conservation Corps, and its contributions to parks across the country! Happy Birthday Civilian Conservation Corps!
August 29, 2008 - 1:49pm
This year marks the 75th anniversary of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), designed by Franklin D. Roosevelt as part of the New Deal to provide relief from the Great Depression. The CCC employed over two million young men to work in America’s parks and forests, creating and renovating roads, trails, campsites, social halls, amphitheaters and visitor centers. The program provided work in a time of great instability, but more importantly it offered disheartened Americans the chance to improve the nation's future, while strengthening their dignity and hope. They were making history by providing easier access to the treasures of the national park system. Nicknamed "Roosevelt's Tree Army," the CCC was operated through the cooperative efforts of four departments. The Department of Labor oversaw the selection of enrollees, the Army ran the camps, and the Interior and Agriculture departments provided work projects. Initially, unmarried men, between the ages of 18 and 25 and from families on relief, could apply. They enlisted for six months, with an option to reenlist for up to two years. The "CCC boys" worked for $30 a month, $25 of which was sent to their families. Eventually, "Local Experienced Men" (LEMs) and World War I veterans could enroll. Although a few work camps were established for women, most CCC enrollees were men. Nationwide, the CCC operated 4,500 camps! The CCC advanced natural resource conservation by decades, and provided education, training and experience for a generation of young men and women. Since then, millions of visitors to the national park system have enjoyed the work of the CCCs! Parks nationwide are commemorating the inspiring government leaders and hardworking young men that made up the Civilian Conservation Corps, and its contributions to parks across the country! Happy Birthday Civilian Conservation Corps!
September Featured Species: Zebra Mussels
August 29, 2008 - 12:53pm
Mussels are a key part of our aquatic ecosystems. They’re filter feeders, meaning they filter the water as they eat the debris that floats in it. They also serve as a food source for birds and small animals as well as fish … and humans. Usually there’s not much more to say about this animal, but one particular species has made a journey that highlights not only its hardiness but also the vulnerable balance of native ecosystems. Zebra mussels are small, freshwater mollusk species named for the stripes that commonly line the outside of their shells. Their sizes and shapes range can vary – oblong to almost circular, measuring anywhere from the size of a fingernail to two inches long – so it can be tricky to identify at first. The species is native to the lakes of Southern Russia but has been introduced, and has since caused quite a stir, in North America, the British Isles, Spain and Sweden. In these places the species has overgrown, and while it filters the water and provides food for bottom feeders in waterways, it’s more of an unchecked pest than anything. Zebra mussels are prolific. An adult female can produce between 30,000 and a million eggs in a year, which are fertilized during spring spawning sessions. What’s more, there are too few predators to keep the species in check. Having so many mussels around may not seem like a big problem on its face, but it has proven to be quite costly not only to the other members of its ‘host’ ecosystem but to humans as well. Many native lakes in North American have seen their native mussel populations drop due to the invasion of the zebra. It tends to latch onto the hardest substrates in the watery environment. In silty sands, these objects are the native mussels themselves, which are then often killed by the attachment of the zebra. The US coastguard estimates the cost of economic losses and control measures around the zebra to be worth about 5 billion dollars each year! These are hearty creatures that can survive out of water for several days or weeks if the temperature and humidity allow for it. Since 1988 they’ve have reproduced and weathered their way to richly populate all of the great lakes and begin a sprawl into the major rivers in the US. Scientists predict that the zebra mussel will continue to spread its population range by riding along the bottoms of small vessels and tourist ships. Zebra mussels can disrupt the food chain in freshwater ecosystems, ruin facilities like docks and rams, clog pipelines and engines and litter beaches with their smelly shells. But you can help to stop this trend of their growth in the US. Before launching your boat, you can check it thoroughly. Remove all mud, plant and animal debris from the boat, trailer and other equipment to enter the water. When you’re out of the water, drain the boat, motor and live well so that it can dry out – the boat needs to be completely dry for at least five days before entering another body of water. Doing your part will help protect freshwater ecosystems around the US and in our national parks, as well as reduce the dollars spent to reduce the damage caused by this prolific species.
August 29, 2008 - 12:53pm
Mussels are a key part of our aquatic ecosystems. They’re filter feeders, meaning they filter the water as they eat the debris that floats in it. They also serve as a food source for birds and small animals as well as fish … and humans. Usually there’s not much more to say about this animal, but one particular species has made a journey that highlights not only its hardiness but also the vulnerable balance of native ecosystems. Zebra mussels are small, freshwater mollusk species named for the stripes that commonly line the outside of their shells. Their sizes and shapes range can vary – oblong to almost circular, measuring anywhere from the size of a fingernail to two inches long – so it can be tricky to identify at first. The species is native to the lakes of Southern Russia but has been introduced, and has since caused quite a stir, in North America, the British Isles, Spain and Sweden. In these places the species has overgrown, and while it filters the water and provides food for bottom feeders in waterways, it’s more of an unchecked pest than anything. Zebra mussels are prolific. An adult female can produce between 30,000 and a million eggs in a year, which are fertilized during spring spawning sessions. What’s more, there are too few predators to keep the species in check. Having so many mussels around may not seem like a big problem on its face, but it has proven to be quite costly not only to the other members of its ‘host’ ecosystem but to humans as well. Many native lakes in North American have seen their native mussel populations drop due to the invasion of the zebra. It tends to latch onto the hardest substrates in the watery environment. In silty sands, these objects are the native mussels themselves, which are then often killed by the attachment of the zebra. The US coastguard estimates the cost of economic losses and control measures around the zebra to be worth about 5 billion dollars each year! These are hearty creatures that can survive out of water for several days or weeks if the temperature and humidity allow for it. Since 1988 they’ve have reproduced and weathered their way to richly populate all of the great lakes and begin a sprawl into the major rivers in the US. Scientists predict that the zebra mussel will continue to spread its population range by riding along the bottoms of small vessels and tourist ships. Zebra mussels can disrupt the food chain in freshwater ecosystems, ruin facilities like docks and rams, clog pipelines and engines and litter beaches with their smelly shells. But you can help to stop this trend of their growth in the US. Before launching your boat, you can check it thoroughly. Remove all mud, plant and animal debris from the boat, trailer and other equipment to enter the water. When you’re out of the water, drain the boat, motor and live well so that it can dry out – the boat needs to be completely dry for at least five days before entering another body of water. Doing your part will help protect freshwater ecosystems around the US and in our national parks, as well as reduce the dollars spent to reduce the damage caused by this prolific species.
15th Annual National Public Lands Day
August 29, 2008 - 12:18pm
Don’t miss this great opportunity to join more than 100,000 volunteers in the country’s single largest hands-on volunteer effort for America’s public lands. In addition to celebrating the natural beauty of our parks, trails, lakes and seashores, you’ll have a chance to get involved in your community by helping with a variety of volunteer projects, including building trails and bridges, planting trees and plants, and removing trash and invasive plants. American Park Network is proud to announce that our long-standing partner, and supporter of parks, AVEENO®, is now the national sponsor of National Public Lands Day. If you decide to volunteer, be sure to add a camera to the list of gear you’ll need on NPLD! Everyone is encouraged to participate in the Ninth Annual National Public Lands Day Photo Contest, which is open to all NPLD volunteers! The contest will showcase the natural beauty of our country's public lands and give volunteers the chance to win great prizes from AVEENO®. The contest has two categories. The first is “Volunteers in Action,” highlighting the great work taking place on NPLD and all of the people who make the day a success. The second category, “Transformative Change,” will enable volunteers who care so much about our public places to show the nation the impact they’ve made during NPLD. In addition to great AVEENO® gifts for the contest winners, there will be a $500 donation made to the sites affiliated with the top five photos in the “Transformative Change” category in support of their commitment to transformation!
August 29, 2008 - 12:18pm
Don’t miss this great opportunity to join more than 100,000 volunteers in the country’s single largest hands-on volunteer effort for America’s public lands. In addition to celebrating the natural beauty of our parks, trails, lakes and seashores, you’ll have a chance to get involved in your community by helping with a variety of volunteer projects, including building trails and bridges, planting trees and plants, and removing trash and invasive plants. American Park Network is proud to announce that our long-standing partner, and supporter of parks, AVEENO®, is now the national sponsor of National Public Lands Day. If you decide to volunteer, be sure to add a camera to the list of gear you’ll need on NPLD! Everyone is encouraged to participate in the Ninth Annual National Public Lands Day Photo Contest, which is open to all NPLD volunteers! The contest will showcase the natural beauty of our country's public lands and give volunteers the chance to win great prizes from AVEENO®. The contest has two categories. The first is “Volunteers in Action,” highlighting the great work taking place on NPLD and all of the people who make the day a success. The second category, “Transformative Change,” will enable volunteers who care so much about our public places to show the nation the impact they’ve made during NPLD. In addition to great AVEENO® gifts for the contest winners, there will be a $500 donation made to the sites affiliated with the top five photos in the “Transformative Change” category in support of their commitment to transformation!
Kautz Creek: Nature's Power Is Evident
August 28, 2008 - 5:06pm
I used to know exactly how many switchbacks it took to get to Indian Henry's Hunting Ground from Kautz Creek. I have forgotten the number, but there are many. I did remember most of the trail was in the forest, an advantage on a hot day.
August 28, 2008 - 5:06pm
I used to know exactly how many switchbacks it took to get to Indian Henry's Hunting Ground from Kautz Creek. I have forgotten the number, but there are many. I did remember most of the trail was in the forest, an advantage on a hot day.
Popular N.C. Beach Reopened for Vehicles
August 28, 2008 - 4:58pm
A popular beach on North Carolina's Outer Banks that has been closed to off-road vehicles has been reopened by the National Park Service in time for Labor Day weekend visitors.' The Cape Hatteras National Seashore said Thursday the area known as Bodie Island Spit is open to give fishermen access to Oregon Inlet.
August 28, 2008 - 4:58pm
A popular beach on North Carolina's Outer Banks that has been closed to off-road vehicles has been reopened by the National Park Service in time for Labor Day weekend visitors.' The Cape Hatteras National Seashore said Thursday the area known as Bodie Island Spit is open to give fishermen access to Oregon Inlet.
