• The Cathedral Group from the Teton Park Road

    Grand Teton

    National Park Wyoming

There are park alerts in effect.
show Alerts »

  • Bears are active in Grand Teton

    Black and grizzly bears are roaming throughout the park--near roads, trails and in backcountry areas. Hikers and backcountry users are advised to travel in groups of three or more, make noise and carry bear spray. Visitors must stay 100 yards from bears. More »

  • Area closure in the area around Baxter's Pinnacle

    An area closure is in effect around Baxter's Pinnacle to protect nesting peregrine falcons. This closure precludes any climbs of Baxter's Pinnacle and usage of the walk-off gully. This closure will be in effect through 8-15-2013. More »

  • Area Closure in effect in the Elk Ranch area

    A temporary area closure is in effect in the Elk Ranch Area to protect wildlife during the denning and young-rearing period. Follow the link for a map of the closed area. More »

Environmental Factors

Snake River High Water

Snake River at high water.

On a sunny day the Tetons seem ageless and constant. Stand by a river during the spring run-off and listen to the clack as one stone tumbles over another. Hike a mountain trail in the summer and see the tops of sub-alpine fir broken by an avalanche the previous winter. Watch the clouds build along the crest as you race a thunderstorm down from Paintbrush Divide on a summer afternoon. Witness the re-growth of grasses, wildflowers, and sapling lodgepole pines following a fire. Soon you begin to realize that the park is constantly changing.

Many of these forces are powerful and their impact is easily and readily observed. Some, however, work on a time-scale that is imperceptible, but change the landscape in no less dramatic a fashion. Some changes are the result of natural processes and some are the result of human actions. It is certain, however, that change is a constant in the Teton Range.

Related Information

Greater Yellowstone Inventory and Monitoring Network
The Greater Yellowstone Inventory and Monitoring Network (GRYN) is one of 32 NPS inventory and monitoring networks created to provide oversight, planning, and consistency in monitoring the long-term health of the nation's parks. The parks of the GRYN include Yellowstone National Park, Grand Teton National Park, John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Memorial Parkway, and Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area.

Greater Yellowstone Science and Learning Center
The Greater Yellowstone Science Learning Center is a portal to information about the natural and cultural resources of Yellowstone and Grand Teton (including John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Memorial Parkway) national parks and Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area.

  • Plan a Safe Visit Plan a Safe Visit

    Learn about wildlife, driving, weather, and recreational safety in the park. Read More

  • Things to know before you visit Things to know before you visit

    Trip planning suggestions, lodging, safety information, weather, accessibility, and pet safety. Read More

  • Trip Planning Guide Trip Planning Guide

    Resources for planning your trip to Grand Teton. Read More

Did You Know?

Tetons from the north, photo by Erin Himmel

Did you know that a large fault lies at the base of the Teton Range? Every few thousand years earthquakes up to a magnitude of 7.5 on the Richter Scale signal movement on the Teton fault, lifting the mountains skyward and hinging the valley floor downward.