Nature & Science

View of the Teton Range from above Hedrick Pond to the east. Forests and sagebrush cover the valley floor.
Teton Range

NPS/Adams

Located in northwestern Wyoming, Grand Teton National Park protects stunning mountain scenery and a diverse array of wildlife. Rising more than 7,000 feet above the valley of Jackson Hole, the Teton Range dominates the park's skyline. Natural processes continue to shape the ecosystem against this impressive and iconic backdrop.

The park's elevation rises from 6,320 feet on the sagebrush-dominated valley floor to 13,770 feet on the windswept summit of the Grand Teton. Between the summit and plain, forests carpet the mountainsides. During summer, wildflowers paint meadows in vivid colors. Crystalline alpine lakes fill glacial cirques, and noisy streams cascade down rocky canyons to lakes at the foot of the range. These lakes, impounded by glacial moraines, mirror the mountains on calm days. With headwaters north of the park, the Snake River winds its way through the valley and across this amazing scene.

Long, snowy, and bitterly cold winters make the climate of Jackson Hole unforgiving. The coldest temperature ever recorded in the park was -63°F, and snow often blankets the landscape from early November to May. Brief, relatively warm summers provide a respite from the rigors of winter and a time of renewal and rebirth. In cooperation or competition, the plants and animals adapt to this harsh climate and dramatic elevation change as each finds ways to survive.
 
Two mature bull moose with large antlers during the fall rut. Both looking the same diretion
Explore Wildlife

From the tiniest shrew to the largest grizzly bear, wildlife draws visitors from around the world.

Mount Moran at sunrise with clouds. Skillet Glacier and the Black Dike are prominent.
Explore Geology

From the rocks forming the mountains to the forces shaping the landscape.

Wildflowers in an alpine meadow with subalpine fir and gray limestone cliffs above.
Explore Plants

Wildflowers draw attention, sagebrush forms the backdrop, but forests support the landscape.

Middle Teton glacier on the northeast of peak. Previous snow looks white, glaciers look gray.
A Changing Climate

A melting glacier or a pika's habitat - all signs of a changing climate.

Lavender lupine regenerate in a recently burned lodgepole pine forest. The sun shines through.
Wildland Fire

Wildland fire is important for wildlife habitat, nutrient recycling, plant diversity, and overall landscape health.

Mountain goat nannies and kids on a rock outcrop with shrubs clinging.
Nonnative Species

Nonnative plants and animals may displace park resources

Whitebark Pine needles turned orange due to death by blister rust
Disease

A number of diseases impact plants and animals.

Channels of the Snake River from above showing gravel bars
Hydrology

Rivers, lakes, and hot springs support the ecosystem

Last updated: April 13, 2020

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Contact Info

Mailing Address:

P.O. Box 170
Moose, WY 83012

Phone:

307-739-3399
Talk to a Ranger? To speak to a Grand Teton National Park ranger call 307–739–3399 for visitor information Monday-Friday during business hours.

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