52 Grand Teton Facts: Learn About This Extraordinary National Park

Grand Teton National Park is a national park in Wyoming, United States, located in the state's northwest corner.

The park covers around 310,000 ac (125,452 ha) and contains the major peaks of the Teton Range. The range stretches for 40 mi (64 km) and through the majority of Jackson Hole's northern parts.

Grand Teton National Park is just 10 mi (16 km) south of Yellowstone National Park, and with it shares the John D. Rockefeller Jr. Memorial Parkway, which the National Park Service operates.

Together with adjoining National Forests, these protected areas make up the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, which covers almost 18 million ac (7.3 million ha) and is one of the world's biggest intact mid-latitude temperate ecosystems.

Keep reading for more!

Geography Of Grand Teton

Grand Teton National Park is situated in the northern part of Wyoming, in the United States.

The park is bound north by the Grand Teton National Park-managed John D. Rockefeller Jr. Memorial Parkway.

From the southern edge of the Grand Teton National Park through West Thumb in Yellowstone National Park, the beautiful roadway of the same name runs.

The John D. Rockefeller Jr. Memorial Parkway spans 23,700 ac (9,591 ha) in Grand Teton National Park, which comprises roughly 310,000 ac (125,450 ha).

The park encompasses a majority of the Jackson Hole Valley as well as practically all main mountain summits of the Teton Range.

The Caribou-Targhee National Forest's Jedediah Smith Wilderness runs along the western border and encompasses the western slopes of the Teton Range.

Bridger-Teton National Forest's Teton Wilderness and Gros Ventre Wilderness are thus located to the northeast and east.

To the southeast lies the National Elk Refuge, where migratory herds of elk spend the winter.

To the south and southwest, the park is bordered by privately owned property.

The 18 million ac (7.3 million ha) Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem includes Grand Teton National Park, Yellowstone National Park, neighboring National Forests, and other protected places.

The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem is truly one of the world's biggest intact mid-latitude ecosystems, including parts of three states.

Grand Teton National Park is located 290 mi (470 km) west of Salt Lake City, Utah, and 550 mi (890 km) west of Denver, Colorado.

There are various lakes in the park, notably, the 15 mi (24 km) long Jackson Lake, streams of varying lengths, and the upper main stem of the Snake River.

The park is not particularly known for its enormous waterfalls but is home to Hidden Falls, which is 100 ft (30 m) tall and located just west of Jenny Lake.

The majority of the park's lakes are glacier-generated, the biggest of these glaciers is situated at the foot of the Teton Range.

Despite the fact that Jackson Lake is natural, the Jackson Lake Dam was built at its outflow before the park was established.

Emma Matilda and Two Ocean Lakes are located east of Jackson Lake Lodge.

Leigh, Bradley, Jenny Lake, Taggart Lake, and Phelps Lakes are located south of Jackson Lake, near the mouths of valleys that lead to the Teton Range.

Small alpine lakes in cirques are prevalent in the Teton Range, with more than 100 distributed across the high terrain.

Geology Of Grand Teton

The oldest rocks discovered in any American national park can be found at Grand Teton National Park. The oldest rocks found and dated so far are 1,840 million years old.

Gneiss, schist, and amphibolites are metamorphic rocks that were formed during the Archean Eon (2.5-4 billion years ago).

The northern and southern parts of the Teton Range are dominated by metamorphic rocks.

The metamorphic rocks were intruded by granitic igneous rocks 2,545 million years ago, resulting in the central Tetons, including Grand Teton and neighboring peaks, being visible today.

The lighter granites of the central Teton Range contrast with the darkish metamorphic gneiss on Mount Moran's northern sides.

Dikes left by diabase intrusions 765 million years ago may be found on the east face of Mount Moran and the Middle Teton.

Granite and pegmatite intrusions also made their way into the earlier gneiss' cracks.

In Jackson Hole, Precambrian rocks are buried deep under tertiary volcanic and sedimentary layers and also Pleistocene glacial deposits.

The area was occasionally submerged beneath shallow seas towards the end of Precambrian time, resulting in the formation of numerous kinds of sedimentary rocks over 500 million years.

Sandstone, shale, limestone, and dolomite were deposited throughout the Paleozoic (251-542 million years ago).

Although the majority of these sedimentary strata have eroded away from the core of the Teton Range, they can still be seen on the range's northern, southern, and western sides. The sandstone Flathead Formation, which continues to crown Mount Moran, is one prominent exception.

The sedimentary layering of rocks in Alaska Basin, on the western edge of Grand Teton National Park, spans a 120-million-year period of deposition.

Ecology & Climate Of Grand Teton

Over 1,000 kinds of vascular plants can be found in Grand Teton National Park and the surrounding area.

With altitudes going up to and over 7,000 ft (2,100 m), the park contains a variety of ecological zones, including alpine tundra, the Rocky Mountains subalpine zone, which is dominated by spruce-fir forests, and the valley floor, which contains a mixed conifer and deciduous forest zone intermixed with sagebrush plains atop alluvial deposits.

Wetlands surrounding several lakes and on the park grounds close to rivers and streams, particularly along the Snake River at Oxbow Bend near Moran and Willow Flats near the Jackson Lake Lodge, encompass significant swaths of land.

The kinds of plant species in a local region are directly influenced by altitude, accessible soils, wildfire occurrence, avalanches, and human activities. An ecotone is a point where these different niches collide.

While Grand Teton National Park's flora is naturally robust; however, the whitebark pine and, to a lesser extent, the lodgepole pine are considered Endangered.

An invasive type of fungus known as 'white pine blister rust' degrades the whitebark pine, rendering it more prone to devastation by indigenous mountain pine beetles.

Whitebark pines flourish at altitudes over 8,000 ft (2,400 m) above sea level and yield huge seeds with high-fat content, making them a valuable food source for grizzly bears, red squirrels, and Clark's nutcrackers.

The species is both a keystone and a foundation species. The former has huge ecological importance compared to its abundance, and the latter plays a crucial role that defines the ecosystem structure, function, and process.

Grand Teton National Park is today home to a total of 61 animal species.

The gray wolf, which had been extinct in the area by the early 1900s but had been restored to Yellowstone National Park, traveled into Grand Teton National Park after being reintroduced there.

The reintroduction of wolves has meant that the park now possesses every native animal species.

In addition to gray wolves, Grand Teton National Park is home to 17 other carnivore species, including grizzlies and the more common American black bear.

Coyote, river otters, marten, and badger sightings are rather frequent, whereas cougar, lynx, and wolverine sightings are rare.

Grand Teton National Park has quite a humid continental climate, as per the Koppen climate classification system.

More Facts About Grand Teton

Here are some additional facts about this natural marvel that is treasured by the USA.

The Grand Teton region's human history extends back at least 11,000 years when the first migratory hunter-gatherers started traveling into the area in search of food and supplies during the warmer months.

European explorers first visited the Eastern Shoshone in the early 19th century.

Fur trading enterprises competed for control of the lucrative beaver pelt trade in the area between 1810-and 40.

Expeditions by the US government to the area began in the mid-19th century as a spin-off from Yellowstone explorations.

The first permanent White inhabitants thus arrived in Jackson Hole in the 1880s.

Efforts to construct a national park in the area started in the late 1800s, and Grand Teton National Park was established in 1929, safeguarding the Teton Range's key peaks.

Until the '30s, when environmentalists backed by John D. Rockefeller Jr. acquired the property in Jackson Hole to be added to the pre-existing national park, the valley remained in private possession.

Much of Jackson Hole was set aside for preservation as Jackson Hole National Monument in 1943, despite widespread opposition and numerous congressional attempts to remove the restrictions.

In 1950, the monument was decommissioned, and the majority of the monument's acreage was incorporated into Grand Teton National Park.

You can hike across 200 mi (322 km) of trails, float the Snake River, and relax in the peace and quiet in and around Grand Teton Park.

After leaving the Lewis and Clark expedition's return voyage in 1806, John Colter (often regarded as America's first mountain man) explored the country's wilderness. While historians know where Colter's voyage started and concluded, there are no reliable records of where he was in between.

A human-head-shaped stone discovered in Idaho in 1931, on the other hand, might give some information. 'John Colter' and '1808' are carved on the stone.

The authenticity of the Colter Stone has yet to be determined, but if it is genuine, its original position might prove Colter's journey via the Teton Pass. One of the park's tourist centers contains a museum where the stone is shown.

FAQs

Where is Grand Teton national park?

Grand Teton National Park can be found in northwestern Wyoming.

What is Grand Teton national park famous for?

Mountaineering, hiking, fishing, and other outdoor activities are popular in Grand Teton National Park.

When did Grand Teton become a national park?

President Calvin Coolidge authorized the initial 96,000 ac (38,850 ha) park on February 26, 1929, over strong opposition. The Teton Range and six glacial lakes were protected by this statute, but not Jackson Hole.

Residents were opposed to extending the national park into the valley, despite the importance of conservation in Jackson Hole.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt of the US then established the Jackson Hole National Monument in 1943 by presidential proclamation against widespread opposition. Ranchers were enraged and led over 500 cattle over the allotted field as a result.

Wyoming and its senators fought to overturn the monument's establishment both during and after World War Two.

However, every time senators or the state legislature came close to revoking the designation, it was vetoed. Grand Teton National Park was re-established in 1950 when both parties realized that their dispute was futile and consented to the national monument being added to the original park.

How old are the Grand Tetons?

They are estimated to be less than 10 million years old and are considered relatively young as far as America's mountains go.

Why was the Grand Teton National Park established?

It was established to protect the Grand Teton Range and its adjoining lakes, Jackson Hole, and aspen trees.

Why is Grand Teton a national park?

It was established as a national park to protect the peaks of the Teton Range.

How far is Driggs Idaho from Grand Teton National Park?

Driggs, Idaho, is roughly an hour or 37.6 mi (60.5 km) away from Grand Teton National Park.

How tall is the Grand Teton?

The elevation of Grand Teton is 13,775 ft (4,198.6 m).