Grand Teton National Park, USA

Grand Teton earned its place as one of the 10 most-visited national parks in the country by welcoming over 2.5 million people to the alpine-esque wilderness of Wyoming each year. Located just 10 miles south of Yellowstone National Park, the popular destination has a history filled with as many highs and lows as the mountain range within its boundaries. Occupying a majority of the Jackson Hole valley, the park is home to overwhelming, massive mountains, pristine lakes and rivers, and abundant, teeming wildlife.

The Teton Range - with peaks rising as much as 7,000 feet off the valley floor - is the centerpiece of the park. Views from either of the two main roads, which run north-south through the park, are nothing short of spectacular. The highest, most prominent peak is the Grand Teton, standing at 13,770 feet. South of the Grand are the Middle Teton, South Teton, and Cloudveil Dome, among others. To the north of the Grand are Mt. Owen, Teewinot, and flat-topped Mt. Moran.

While the scenery is nice from the road, the park is best experienced on foot! Hundreds of miles of hiking trails wind around the lakes and through the mountains; the choices are almost limitless. From easy day hikes to multi-day backpacking trips, each trail has a distinct, uniquely dynamic character all its own. Incredible, often breathtaking scenery and wildlife sightings (elk, moose, black/grizzly bears, bison, deer, and more!) are guaranteed. Favorites, to name just a few, include Cascade Canyon, Granite Canyon, and Amphitheater Lake.

Major Spots

Cathedral Group Viewpoint

The Cathedral Group is one of the most dramatic young fault scarps, cliffs formed by movement of the fault, in the western United States. This area was formed by earthquakes only since glaciers receded about 14,000 years ago and illustrates how quakes in most recent prehistoric time helped build the Teton Range during the past 13 million years.

Mount Moran Viewpoint

Mount Moran is the northernmost of the high peaks in the Teton Range at 12,605 feet and has a flat eroded top. A vertical layer or "dike" is visible in Mount Moran, formed by molten rock squeezing upward into the granite rock. The peak is topped by a thin layer of sandstone, formed when the area was once a seafloor. This layer of sandstone is about 540 million years old, while the granites of Mount Moran are 2.4 billion years old. Also visible from the turnout is Falling Ice Glacier, one of the remaining active glaciers in the Tetons.

Signal Mountain

Jackson Point overlook on Signal Mountain is the most impressive highlight, with its panaromic views of the Teton Range, Jackson Lake, and Jackson Hole's glaciated landscape, the Snake River drainage, and the Pitchstone Plateau, which is the southernmost part of the Yellowstone Plateau.

Snake River Overlook

The Snake River Overlook offers a view of Jackson Hole's most unusual feature, the valley floor's slight westward tilt. The slope is so gentle that it is difficult to observe by looking at the valley floor to the west. But the tilt is evident by looking west and noting that only the tops of tall pine trees are visible on the western edge of the valley. This is due to earthquake movements and to accumulation of sloping gravel and sediment deposits left by streams that once flowed from glaciers.

Oxbow Bend

Below the dam, traveling east toward the Moran entrance, the northern entrance of the park, lies a large oxbow-shaped bend in the Snake River. This spot, the Oxbow Bend Scenic Overlook, provides a classic view of Mount Moran. Skillet Glacier on Mount Moran is visible.

Quick Facts:

• The Teton Range has more than twelve peaks at elevations greater than 12,000 feet.
• Its highest peak, the Grand Teton, reaches 13,770 feet.
• Seven moraine lakes run along the base of the range.
• More than 100 alpine lakes can be found in the backcountry.
• Over 200 miles of trails traverse through the mountainous terrain.
• 61 species of mammals and many species of birds call this park home.