PHOTO: Wiki
The Grand Teton National Park might be some of the most beautiful scenery in the continental United States, if not the entire world. The only word you can use to describe looking at the mountains, is majestic. Situated in northwestern Wyoming about 10 miles south of Yellowstone National Park, which ranks right next to the Teton NP wherever that may be. Then about 10 miles south you have the quaint little town of Jackson, Wyoming (some refer to it as Jackson Hole) but that’s actually the entire surrounding area that’s actually the Hole. The Tetons run about 40 miles long and the highest peak is just under 14,000 ft above sea level. There is approximately 310,000 acres in the park with many lakes, rivers and streams that would take a life time to see them all but would be worth the trip along the way.
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The park was named after the Grand Teton, the highest peak in the range, but the actual name of the mountains themselves date back to 19th century French speaking trappers calling them les trois tétons (the three teats) due to the slight resemblance to the female form. It was said that the French trappers had been out in the bush so long that they had forgotten what it was like to be with a woman. So when they came upon this majestic mountain range with peaks that made their imaginations run wild. So, it was lonely men that came up with the name Grand Teton and the rest was history.
As of 1929 the Grand Tetons recieved the full National Park status which is meant to preserve that majestic beauty just the way it is for generations to come.
Looking up Cascade Canyon across the crystal clear Jenny Lake
PHOTO: Flickr
Map of the Jackson Hole area
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The view of the sunset from the dining room at Jackson Lake Lodge
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The outside of the Jackson Lake Lodge dining room
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Because its a National Park there is no hunting in the area so the wildlife is amazing.
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There are so many animals there it’s hard to show even a fraction of them, but usually there are gonna be four main animals you are bound to see. The elk pictured above, the Bison or Buffalo pictured below might be the most common.
PHOTO: TraveltheRockies
Second only to the Bison would have to be the Moose. If you are lucky enough to see a big bull moose with a full set of antlers, it looks as big as a house. But don’t get too close as moose have been known to be more dangerous than bears.
PHOTO: BestoftheTetons
Speaking of bears, some people see them all the time but I lived there for almost a year and I only saw one bear the entire time. But they are very common in the area.
PHOTO: JacksonHoleMagazine
So if you are ever up in the northwest of the United States and you have a good week, or preferably two weeks so that you can spend a weekend in Yellowstone also, please do yourself a favor and go spend some time in the Grand Teton National Park. If you are a camper there is plenty of that to go around, if you like things a little bit more comfortable there are plenty of small lodges and motels around that still utilize the incredible views that Jackson Hole produces. Now if you have a some extra money in your pocket and you want to live in luxury then I would highly recommend getting into something like the Jenny Lake Lodge or the cottages at the Jackson Lake Lodge. I assure you that you will not regret it