Hiking
From an easy hike around Christian Pond near Jackson Lake Lodge to a strenuous climb straight up the Teton Range, Grand Teton National Park is renowned for its hiking. The National Park Service offers trail information, including length, difficulty and accessibility. Just stop at the activity desk at Jackson Lake Lodge.
River Float Trips
Scenic float trips down the twisting Snake River are a perfect way to get acquainted with the park’s backcountry and to experience the thrill of spotting abundant wildlife up close. Visitors can enjoy the spectacular views of the Teton Range while sitting on comfortable river rafts.
Grand Teton Lodge Company offers daily scenic float trips, luncheon trips and supper trips. On all three, guests are likely to spot numerous birds including bald eagles, osprey and herons as well as large mammals that like to graze and relax on the river banks – moose, elk, bison and an occasional bear.
Jackson Lake Cruises
Visitors will enjoy views of the towering Teton Range and the breathtaking Waterfall Canyon from the comfort of a Scenic Lake Cruise on Jackson Lake, around the tip of Elk Island. A captain delivers a talk on the geology, wildlife and history of the park.
Other Water Activities
Families who prefer to go it alone can rent canoes and rowboats. Grand Teton Lodge Company also offers guided fishing trips on Jackson Lake and fly-fishing on the Snake River. The National Park Service offers free fishing licenses for children under 14 and reduced rates on licenses for children 14 to 18.
Horseback Riding
Grand Teton Lodge Company offers numerous ways to see the park on horseback or in horse-drawn wagons. Guided rides lead travelers around scenic Christian Pond before heading to the high ground above Oxbow Bend on the Snake River. Lucky riders may see elk, swans, moose and other wildlife.
Both rides offer breathtaking views of the pond, river and Teton Range. Well-trained guides offer information about the history and geology of the park and present tips on ways to preserve the park.
A breakfast or dinner ride on horseback or in a horse-drawn wagon includes stopping halfway through the trip for a traditional cowboy breakfast or dinner.
Motorized Tours
Big, comfortable motor coaches are bound to be a favorite mode of transportation for children as well as adults visiting Grand Teton National Park. Grand Teton Lodge Company offers a half-day motor coach tour of Grand Teton and full-day tours of neighboring Yellowstone National Park.
Jackson Lake
Jackson Lake is more than 16 miles long, has a shoreline of about 80 miles and covers almost 26,000 acres. Its elevation is 6,770 feet and it is up to 445 feet deep, filling a depression scooped out by a great Ice Age glacier. The awesome, shining mountains rise dramatically along the west shore and soar 7,000 feet above the lake. The only game fish native to the lake is the cutthroat trout. Other game fish that have been introduced include mackinaw, brown and brook trout.
Jenny Lake
The second largest lake in the park, Jenny Lake has an elevation of 6,783 feet and a maximum depth of 256 feet. It was named for a Shoshone Indian woman who was the wife of an early day trapper and guide, Richard “Beaver Dick” Leigh, for whom Leigh Lake was named.
Moose-Wilson Road
A trip along Moose-Wilson Road features exhilarating scenery and passes several famous dude ranches in the area. The road leads to Teton Village and goes on to join WYO 22. The road is closed to through-traffic during winter months.
Chapel of the Transfiguration
This little log chapel was completed in 1925, mostly through donations from a California family who summered on dude ranches near Moose. Above the altar, a large window frames the Teton Range – an altarpiece unsurpassed by any of the world’s great cathedrals. An Episcopal church, it welcomes visitors of all faiths. Many Jackson Hole area families were started with a wedding ceremony in this little church.
Bill Menor Cabin and Ferry
The cabin now houses collections of furniture and personal belongings of early Jackson Hole settlers. Bill Menor moved to the area in 1892 and was the first settler west of the Snake River. He soon established the ferry, which, for more than a quarter of a century, was the only dry way to cross the river for several miles.
Jackson National Fish Hatchery
Children especially enjoy the aquariums with beautiful specimens of trout and the tanks that teem with fingerlings. These trout will be planted in the lakes, streams and rivers of Wyoming.
National Elk Refuge
The National Elk Refuge, adjacent to the southern border of Grand Teton National Park, provides a winter home to nearly 7,500 elk every year. Late in October and early in November when snow comes to the high country, elk begin their traditional migration from their summer range in the surrounding mountains to their lower winter range in the valley. Heavy snows force the animals to lower elevations in search of food.
Elk stay on the refuge for about six months each winter. During the hardest part of the winter, if natural forage is not available, the elk are fed supplementally. Horse-drawn sleigh rides are available to take visitors for a close-up look at the elk herd. Trips originate at the Jackson Hole & Greater Yellowstone Visitor Center at 532 N. Cache Street in Jackson.
The nearly 25,000-acre National Elk Refuge is administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The chiseled profile of the Teton Range - there is no more dramatic panorama in Wyoming. Craggy and snowcapped, these battleship-gray mountains with their glacial spars harbor a realm of world-class mountain climbs as well as moderate hikes that invite you into the landscape. read more
This geyser gets its name from the manner in which the water surges out from the superheated source – like a flicking, liquid dragon's tongue. read more
