Why Grand Teton National Park
Grand Teton National Park encompasses roughly 310,000 acres in northwestern Wyoming, United States. Situated ten miles south of Yellowstone National Park and linked to it by the John D. Rockefeller Jr. Memorial Parkway, the park preserves the 40-mile-long Teton Range alongside much of northern Jackson Hole valley. Together with surrounding national forests, these areas make up the nearly 22-million-acre Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. The landscape features dramatic topography, anchored by the 13,775-foot peak of Grand Teton, which rises more than 7,000 feet above the valley floor. Waterways include the upper Snake River, streams, and several bodies of water, including the 15-mile-long Jackson Lake. A dozen small, receding glaciers persist near the highest elevations, and certain rock formations in the park date back nearly 2.7 billion years.
The park functions as an almost untouched ecosystem home to prehistoric flora and fauna. Its biological diversity includes more than 1,000 vascular plant species, dozens of mammal species, 300 species of birds, several reptiles and amphibians, and over a dozen fish species. Specific protection initiatives exist to aid vulnerable native organisms, including native fish and the whitebark pine.
Human presence in the region extends back over 11,000 years to seasonal Paleo-Indian hunter-gatherers, followed by the Eastern Shoshone, who maintained a spiritual connection to the peaks. Fur traders traversed the area in the early 19th century to harvest beaver pelts, led by early explorers such as John Colter, while French-speaking trappers provided the name for the Teton Range. Permanent homesteading in Jackson Hole commenced in 1884, driven primarily by cattle ranching and hay cultivation. To preserve the landscape from commercial development, Grand Teton National Park was initially established in 1929, later expanding in 1950 following the incorporation of preserved Jackson Hole land.
Today, the park offers extensive opportunities for outdoor recreation, including hiking, mountaineering, backcountry travel, and world-renowned trout fishing for species such as the Snake River fine-spotted cutthroat trout. Visitors have access to over 200 miles of trails, more than 1,000 drive-in campsites, and multiple National Park Service visitor centers. Additional commercial services operated by private concessionaires include motels, lodges, gas stations, and marinas.
01 Weather
64°
55°
☔ 55%
61°
47°
☔ 100%
49°
44°
☔ 100%
51°
42°
☔ 84%
58°
44°
☔ 60%
61°
44°