Celebrate National Park and Recreation Month, Bike with a Ranger

Date: July 07, 2009
Release #: 09-55
Contact: Jackie Skaggs, 307-739-3393

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
To help celebrate National Park and Recreation Month, Grand Teton National Park will offer a unique excursion: a bicycle ride with a park ranger. Visitors and local residents may join a park ranger naturalist on Saturday, July 11, at 9:30 a.m. at the Taggart Lake trailhead, just three miles north of the Moose entrance station, for a leisurely bike ride along the park’s new multi-use pathway.

It is also possible to join the ranger at any point along the pathway between Taggart Lake and Jenny Lake. As a friendly reminder, those attending should bring drinking water, rain gear and a snack. Bicycle helmets for all participants are highly recommended. The distance between Taggart Lake trailhead and Jenny Lake is approximately 3.5 miles. This section of the pathway is mostly level or rolling; there is slight elevation gain of about 165’ over the 3.5-mile distance. This activity will last for two and one half hours.

July was designated as America’s National Park and Recreation Month in 1985 and has been annually observed since that time. In an effort to promote physical activity and encourage an appreciation for the great outdoors during the 2009 National Park and Recreation Month, Grand Teton has scheduled several new ranger-led activities—beginning with the bike with a ranger tour. This is an excellent activity for families and reservations are not required. Additional new ranger-led activities will be announced throughout the month of July.

“Visitors to Grand Teton can discover recreational activities to help them pursue healthy lifestyle goals during each season of the year,” said Superintendent Mary Gibson Scott. “During National Park and Recreation Month in July, visitors and area residents can take advantage of not only the multi-use pathway, but also the extensive hiking trails located throughout the park’s backcountry. Biking and hiking are just two of the many excellent ways that visitors can explore the beauty and wonders of the park while getting fresh air and exercise.”

For a complete list of ranger-led activities and programs, please refer to the park’s newspaper, the Teewinot, online at www.nps.gov/grte or call one of the park’s visitor centers: the Craig Thomas Discovery and VisitorCenter at 307.739.3399, the Colter Bay Visitor Center at 307.739.3594 or the Jenny Lake Visitor Center at 307.739.3392.

National Park Service

U. S. Department of the Interior

Grand Teton National Park

P. O. Drawer 170

Moose, WY83012

—NPS—

www.nps.gov/grte

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