Grand Teton
Sheer peaks rising straight from the valley floor, with lakes and wildlife below.
- Hours
- Open 24 hours, all year
- Entry
- $35 per car
- Reservations
- Not required
- Size
- 310,000 acres
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The Teton Range is one of the youngest mountain ranges in the Rockies, and it shows. There are no foothills: the Grand Teton rises about 7,000 feet straight from the valley floor to 13,775 feet. The mountains are still rising along a fault at their base while the valley called Jackson Hole drops.
The park grew to its current size in 1950, after John D. Rockefeller Jr. quietly bought valley ranchland and donated it. Today the sagebrush flats, winding Snake River and chain of glacial lakes give the park some of the best wildlife viewing in the Rockies, all set against a skyline that looks almost unreal at sunrise.
The park and surrounding area
- Park boundary
- Other parks
- Major highway
- Road
- Rivers and lakes
- Town
Plan your trip
- Best time to go
- June to September. September brings fall color, bugling elk and smaller crowds.
- How long to stay
- 2 to 3 days, often paired with Yellowstone.
- Getting there
- Jackson Hole Airport (JAC) is inside the park, the only commercial airport in a US national park. Salt Lake City is about 5 hours.
- Wildlife
- Moose, bison, elk, pronghorn, grizzly bears, bald eagles and river otters.
Plan and book
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Where to stay
Tours and activities
- Guided tours on Viator (opens in a new tab)Day trips, wildlife, photography
- Tours on GetYourGuide (opens in a new tab)Compare options and reviews
- Campsites on Recreation.gov (opens in a new tab)Official federal booking site
What to pack for Grand Teton
- Bear sprayGrizzlies and black bears live throughout the park.
- Spotting scope or binocularsFor moose at Oxbow Bend and elk on the flats.
- Dry bagFor paddling String and Jenny Lakes.
- Bug sprayMosquitoes are thick near lakes in early summer.
- Warm layersNights drop near freezing in summer.
A first day, start to finish
- Sunrise at the Mormon Row barns
- Schwabacher Landing reflections
- Jenny Lake boat to Hidden Falls and Inspiration Point
- Drive up Signal Mountain
- Oxbow Bend at dusk for moose and the glow on Mount Moran
Don't miss
- Jenny LakeBoat shuttle across the lake to Hidden Falls and Inspiration Point.
- Oxbow BendMount Moran reflected in the Snake River; moose and otters are common.
- Mormon RowHistoric barns against the Tetons, best at sunrise.
- Schwabacher LandingBeaver ponds with mirror reflections of the range.
- Signal MountainSummit road with a view over the whole valley.
Know before you go
Do
- Carry bear spray and store food in bear boxes.
- Pull fully off the road before stopping for wildlife.
- Combine with Yellowstone; the parks are about an hour apart.
Don't
- Approach moose; they are more aggressive than they look.
- Block traffic at wildlife jams.
- Launch a boat without the required invasive-species inspection.
Open 24 hours, all year. Teton Park Road closes to cars from November to May; Highway 89/191 stays open.
Sunrise is the best light. The peaks face east.Trekker's tip