Grand Teton [Wyoming] National Park - free ebook by United States. Department of the Interior

Grand Teton [WYOMING] National Park

United States Department of the Interior Harold L. Ickes, Secretary NATIONAL PARK SERVICE Arno B. Cammerer, Director UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE WASHINGTON: 1937...

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DO YOU KNOW YOUR NATIONAL PARKS?

ACADIA, MAINE.—Combination of mountain and seacoast scenery. Established 1919; 24.08 square miles. BRYCE CANYON, UTAH.—Canyons filled with exquisitely colored pinnacles. Established 1928; 55.06 square miles. CARLSBAD CAVERNS, N. MEX.—Beautifully decorated limestone caverns believed largest yet discovered. Established 1930; 15.56 square miles. CRATER LAKE, OREG.—Astonishingly beautiful lake in crater of extinct volcano. Established 1902; 250.52 square miles. GENERAL GRANT, CALIF.—Celebrated Gener

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RULES AND REGULATIONS

The Park Regulations are designed for the protection of the natural beauties as well as for the comfort and convenience of visitors. The following synopsis is for the general guidance of visitors, who are requested to assist in the administration of the park by observing them. Copies of the complete rules and regulations promulgated by the Secretary of the Interior for the government of the park may be obtained at the office of the superintendent and at other points of concentration throughout t

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GRAND TETON National Park

OPEN FROM JUNE 1 TO OCTOBER 15 The Grand Teton National Park embraces the most scenic portion of the Teton Range of Wyoming, with an area of approximately 150 square miles, or 96,000 acres. It varies from 3 to 9 miles in width and is 27 miles in length. The northern extremity of the park is about 11 miles south of the southern boundary of Yellowstone National Park. This park was established by President Coolidge on February 26, 1929. In addition to its sublime peaks and canyons, the Grand Teton

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HISTORY OF THE REGION

Many of our national parks have been carved from wilderness areas previously little known to man and but seldom visited. The Tetons, on the contrary, are remarkably rich in historic associations. The Grand Teton itself has been referred to by an eminent historian as "the most noted historic summit of the West." Up to the beginning of the last century Indians held undisputed sway over the country dominated by the Three Tetons. Then, as now, Jackson Hole was literally a happy hunting ground, and,

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THE TETON RANGE

On the Jackson Hole side the Teton Range presents one of the most precipitous mountain fronts on the continent. Except for Teton Pass, at its southern end, the range is practically an insuperable barrier. Forty miles in length, it springs abruptly from Jackson Hole and only a few miles west of its base attains elevations of more than 13,000 feet above the sea. Thus most of the range is lifted above timber line into the realm of perpetual snow, and in its deeper recesses small glaciers still ling

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JACKSON HOLE

Jackson Hole, which adjoins the park on the southeast, is one of the most sequestered valleys in the Rockies, encompassed on all sides as it is by mountain barriers. It is 48 miles long, for the most part 6 to 8 miles wide, and embraces an area of more than 400 square miles. The floor of the valley slopes from an altitude of 7,000 feet at the north end to 6,000 at the south. Jackson Hole lies a few miles west of the Continental Divide, and occupies the central portion of the headwaters area of t

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THE WORK OF GLACIERS

Here, as in several other national parks, the glaciers of the Ice Age, known to the geologist as the Pleistocene period, played a leading role in developing the extraordinary scenic features. Just as the streams now converge toward Jackson Hole, so in ages past glaciers moved down toward, and in many instances into, the basin from the highlands to the east, north, and west. Detailed study has shown that the Ice Age was not a single, simple episode, but is divisible into "stages"—glacial stages,

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TRAILS

An unbroken wilderness a few years ago, the Grand Teton National Park is now penetrated by some of the finest trails in the national-park system. These trails, suitable alike for travel afoot or on saddle horses, are 3 to 4 feet wide, free of boulders, and of grade so moderate they may be followed by old or young with full safety and a minimum of physical exertion. While the trails are traversable during the greater part of the summer, some of them may be blocked by snow early in the season. Tho

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SUGGESTIONS TO CLIMBERS

Since 1931 authorized guide service has been available in the park. In view of the difficulties one encounters on the Teton peaks and the hazards they present, prospective climbers—especially if inexperienced—are urged to make use of the guide service. If venturing out unguided, climbers should under all circumstances consult rangers or guides for full information relative to routes and equipment. Failure to heed this caution has, in the past, led to accidents and even fatalities. Climbing parti

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WILDLIFE

For a great many years Jackson Hole has been famed for its big game, and to those who wish to see wild animals the expenditure of a little time in favorable localities usually will reveal them. The visitor should not be disappointed if he does not see animals from his automobile as he drives through the park. In most cases the roads have been built so as to avoid going through localities inhabited by wildlife for fear of frightening it and driving it away. Within the actual confines of the park,

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TREES AND PLANTS

In several respects the flora of the Tetons is unique. The high mountains have constituted a barrier to plant migration which many forms could not cross; hence the range limit of a number of plants is found here. Representatives from north, south, east, and west are found in this general region, this being the limit, in many instances, of their distribution. There are many plants typical of the central Rockies, and a few known only to this range. Five life zones are recognized within the park, a

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NATURALIST SERVICE

At Jenny Lake is located the park museum, which also serves as the ranger station. In it are housed exhibits pertaining to the history, geology, fauna, and flora of the Teton-Jackson Hole country. The collection devoted to mountaineering is in many respects unique. Adjacent to the museum is an open-air amphitheater where campfire talks on geology, wildlife, and other subjects related to the park are given every evening at dusk by a ranger-naturalist. A nature walk, auto caravan, or all-day hike

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FISHING

Grand Teton Park offers splendid opportunities for fishing. Fish may be taken with the artificial fly during most of the summer, but the lake or mackinaw trout which are present in Jackson and Jenny Lakes must be lured with bait and caught with heavy tackle by means of trolling. Other species of trout in park waters are the cutthroat (also known as native, red-throat, and blackspotted) and the brook or speckled trout. The park waters are being stocked through the cooperation of the United States

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SWIMMING

Jenny and Leigh Lakes offer opportunities for those who enjoy lake bathing. A small beach of clean white sand at the end of the Leigh Lake Road is especially frequented by bathers....

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HUNTING

Jackson Hole has long been a noted hunting country, and under Wyoming laws elk, deer, sheep, moose, and bear may be hunted in the mountains east and south of Jackson Hole. Parties interested in hunting should consult the local game warden or the State Fish and Game Department at Cheyenne, Wyo., for information as to licenses and seasons. No hunting is permitted in the Grand Teton National Park, which, of course, will always be a complete sanctuary for wildlife....

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DUDE RANCHES

The trail of the summer vacationist has deviated during the last decade from the old familiar courses to embrace vast areas in Wyoming and Montana. A veritable invasion of eastern tourists, known in the parlance of men of the range as "dudes", has followed the opening up by modern transportation of this beautiful country. Located in the mountainous regions of these two far western States, on the last frontier, are the dude ranches, in the mouths of canyons, among foothills, or in clearings in th

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ADMINISTRATION

The representative of the National Park Service in immediate charge of the park is Thomas E. Whitcraft, superintendent, with office at park headquarters; address, Moose, Wyo....

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HOW TO REACH THE PARK

The Grand Teton National Park is reached by automobile from the north, south, east, and west. Each of these approaches is highly scenic in character affording splendid distant views of the Teton Range and Jackson Hole. United States Highway No. 287 connects Jackson Hole with Yellowstone Park and is the north approach to the Teton Park. One mile north of Moran the traveler reaches United States Highway No. 187 which traverses Jackson Hole and makes the park accessible. From the east United States

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POINTS OF INTEREST ALONG THE WAY

The Grand Teton National Park is located in the interior of a vast mountain region, and its avenues of approach are, of necessity, through canyons and passes. These approaches are themselves of great interest and beauty, and afford magnificent distant views of the Teton Range. The country traversed is rich in associations of the Old West and contains numerous historic shrines which deserve the attention of the passing traveler. The north approach, from Yellowstone Park by United States Highway N

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SADDLE HORSES

Grand Teton is primarily a saddle horse park. Access to the interior of the park is possible only by trails, as no highways have been built or are planned. At the south end of Jenny Lake, near the ranger station, there is maintained an excellent string of saddle and pack horses with good equipment for short or long trips. One may rent saddle horses without guides, but only to ride over well-defined trails in designated areas. Discretion as to the ability of patrons to ride, or to go unguided, re

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BOATING

At the south end of Jenny Lake also, D. Kenneth Reimers maintains motorboat and rowboat service. Four or more persons may make a trip around Jenny Lake for 50 cents each. Rowboats may be rented for 50 cents an hour or $2 a day. Motorboats, with a driver, are $2 an hour, $1.50 each additional hour, and $10 a day; without a driver, $1.50 an hour, and $6 a day....

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GUIDE SERVICE

The authorized official guide for mountain-climbing trips in Grand Teton National Park is Paul Petzoldt. He maintains summer headquarters at Jenny Lake, and charges $8 a day, a person, for his services. Climbers may provide their own food or have their meals at $2 each at a timber line camp. Blankets and eiderdown sleeping bags may be rented for $2....

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PHOTOGRAPHS

The Crandall Studios maintain up-to-date picture shops at Jenny Lake and Moran. Photographs of the Teton Mountains and the surrounding country in all sizes and styles, as well as hand-painted enlargements, paintings, moving pictures, and souvenir postcards, are on sale. Laboratories in the park are maintained for developing, printing, and enlarging photographs. This booklet is issued once a year, and the rates mentioned herein may have changed slightly since issuance, but the latest rates approv

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MOTOR TRANSPORTATION

Regular bus service is maintained between Yellowstone and Moran Wyo.; also from Moran to Victor, Idaho, via Grand Teton National Park. Inquire at any concentration point about rates and schedules....

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GENERAL

Albright, Horace M. , and Taylor, Frank J. Oh, Ranger! A book about the national parks. Illustrated. Burt, Struthers. Diary of a Dude Wrangler. Charles Scribner's Sons, 1924. 331 pages. Fryxell, Fritiof. The Grand Tetons, Our National Park of Matterhorns. American Forests and Forest Life, National Parks Number (August 1929). Pages 453-456. Wister, Owen. The Virginian. Macmillan Co., 1902. 506 pages. (The setting for portions of this famous novel is taken from the Teton-Jackson Hole region.) Yard

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HISTORICAL

Alter, J. Cecil. James Bridger. Shepard Book Co., Salt Lake City, 1925. Chittenden, Brig. Gen. Hiram Martin. The Yellowstone National Park. Stanford University Press, 1933 (fourth edition). Illustrated. 286 pages. The standard history of the Yellowstone region. History of the American Fur Trade of the Far West. 3 volumes. New York, 1902. Coutant, C. G. History of Wyoming. Volume 1. Laramie, Wyo., 1899. 712 pages. (This volume, the only one issued, contains scattered references to the region.) Da

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SCIENTIFIC

Bradley, Frank H. (Geological.) Report of Snake River Division. In Sixth Annual Report of the U. S. Geological Survey of the Territories (Hayden Surveys of 1872). Washington, 1873. Pages 217-223, 261-271. Brandegee, T. C. Teton Forest Reserve. In Nineteenth Annual Report, U. S. Geological Survey (for 1898), part V, Washington, 1899. Pages 191-212. Carey, Merritt . Life Zone Investigations in Wyoming. North American Fauna No. 42, Biological Survey, U. S. Department of Agriculture. Washington, 191

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MOUNTAINEERING

The mountaineering literature on the Teton Range is voluminous and only a few references are cited here. For other articles see the files of Trail and Timberline, Bulletin of the Sierra Club, Appalachia, American Alpine Journal, Canadian Alpine Journal, etc. Ellingwood, A. R. Our American Matterhorn. Outdoor Life, volume 54 (1924). Pages 181-186. Fryxell, Fritiof : The Teton Peaks and Their Ascents. Crandall Studios, Jenny Lake, Wyo., 1932. 106 pages. Illustrated (including map). (A history of m

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