Grand Teton Facts

Grand Teton National Park is located just outside of the town of Jackson, Wyoming. The Tetons are a 5 to 6 hour drive from Salt Lake City, and a 9 to 10 hour drive from Denver. There is an airport (JAC) located within the park's boundaries that accepts private and commercial flights.

When Grand Teton was designated as a national park by a Congressional act in 1929, the park only included the Teton Range and six glacial lakes. In 1943, a presidential decree by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt created the Jackson Hole National Monument, which comprised acreage in the Teton National Forest, Jackson Lake, and a 35,000 acre donation from John D. Rockefeller, Jr. The park's present-day boundaries came about when the original national park land and the national monument land were added together in 1950.

Grand Teton National Park contains over 310,000 acres. The elevation in the park ranges from 6400 feet at the valley floor to 13,770 feet at the summit of Grand Teton.

The park is dominated by the Teton mountain range. Animals that call the Tetons their home include 60 different species of mammals, more than 300 species of birds, and six species of game fish.

Popular summertime activities include hiking, river rafting, horseback riding, fishing, rock climbing and kayaking. Popular wintertime activities include cross-country skiing and snowshoeing.

Lodging options in the park include American Alpine Club Climber's Ranch, Jenny Lake Lodge, Jackson Lake Lodge, Colter Bay Cabins, Dornan's Spur Ranch Cabins, Flagg Ranch resort, Signal Mountain Lodge and Triangle X Ranch. There are also six campgrounds in the park: Colter Bay, Flagg Ranch, Gros Ventre, Jenny Lake, Lizard Creek and Signal Mountain.