Nature Is Real: Grand Teton National Park

Grand Teton National Park Entrance Sign

Nature Man has traveled to Grand Teton National Park twice, in 2003 and 2009. Grand Teton was established in 1929 and over the following two decades the boundaries of the park grew to encompass 484 square miles. Most visitors do not come to Grand Teton for the wildlife viewing. With bear-toothed summits as spectacular as the Teton Range, it is difficult, in fact, to pull one's eyes away from the skyscraping peaks back down to earth. However, the Yellowstone-Teton region remains the richest wildlife preserve in the United States outside of Alaska.

Jackson, WY Airport (MM Photo)

Park Location
Grand Teton National Park is in northwestern Wyoming, just south of Yellowstone National Park. Nature Man, his wife Alma and our friends Walt and Mary flew into Jackson , WY airport in early June 2009, rented an SUV and drove the short drive to Signal Mountain Lodge on the shore of Jackson Lake in the Tetons. We recommend Jackson, WY as your entry destination for your visit to the awesome Grand Teton National Park.

Jackson Lake and Teton Range

How The Teton Range Was Formed
With no foothills to obstruct your view, the jagged peaks and broad canyons of the Teton Range rise abruptly from the broad flat valley of Jackson Hole. The views are magnificent, unusual, and conducive to wonder. Sixty to seventy-five million years ago both the valley and mountains were a vast arched block of sedimentary rock the ancient seas had deposited. Some two to thirteen million years ago, probably accompanied by earthquakes, the Teton Range began to rise. Movement of the Earth's crust along the Teton fault and other major faults caused the mountains to rise while the valley floor dropped. At the same time, and this still happens today, the valley itself slowly widened at the rate of about on foot every 100 years. Continual fault action normally would create a deep, steep-sided valley, but another geologic force, glacial erosion, also sculpted the Teton landscape. Several times massive glaciers 3,000 feet thick slowly flowed across much of the valley--eroding, transporting and depositing huge quantities of rock and glacial debris. The valley's true floor, for example, lies buried beneath 26,000 feet of boulders, cobble and gravel that form today's valley floor. Today's Teton skyline exhibits the most recent fine sculpting by smaller, mountain glaciers, which ground and transported rock from valley walls to canyon mouths. These moraines hold back the small lakes at the foot of the range.

Mule Deer

Wildlife
Between the lush riparian corridor of the Snake River, the jeweled lakes at the foot of the Tetons and the carpet of sagebrush spilling east toward the Gros Ventre mountains, Grand Teton is a national park with exceptional opportunities for you Nature Lovers. The Oxbow Bend along the Snake River west of Moran is the premier wildlife watching area in Grand Teton. Here you can see bald eagles, moose, elk, river otter, beaver, bear, a variety of wading birds and songbirds and occasionally coyotes, among other species. While not officially part of Grand Teton National Park, the 24,700-acre National Elk Refuge, located between the national park and the town of Jackson, hosts a remarkable gathering of Elk during the winter, but during the rest of the year you may also see bison, coyotes, wolves, bears, badgers, trumpeter swans, white pelicans, sandhill cranes, golden eagles and other raptors. We visited the Elk refuge in 2009 and witnessed many of the species listed.

Natural Communities Color the Park's Scenery:

Alpine

Teton Peaks

Alpine communities are harsh habitats often the color of bare rock. Elevation, long hard winters and brief summers challenge life above the treeline. Lichens cling to rocks; phlox and moss campion resist wind and cold, growing as mats snuggled close to scant soil. Flowers emit unpleasant odors to lure flies to pollinate them. Insects attract white-crowned sparrows and rosy finches. Tiny pikas in summer dry and store plants for winter. Pikas and yellow-bellied marmots watch for prairie falcons and other predators. Most alpine residents winter at lower elevations or hibernate.

Jenny Lake

Forests
Darker greens of Teton landscapes are forests, which grow where moraines and mountainsides hold water within their roots reach. In Grand Teton National Park lodgepole pine forests occur in lower elevations throughout the Teton Range. In summer, elk and mule deer seek their shade. Black and grizzly bears frequent this area searching for insects, berries and small mammals. Red squirrels live in the trees, gathering and storing cones in caches for winter. Long-tailed weasles and pine martens prey on squirrels, snow-shoe hares, deer mice and other small mammals. Colorful western tanagers fly through less dense parts of the forest canopy. Stands of Douglas fir forest grow on slopes up to 8,000 feet. On the edges of these forests ruffled grouse nest on the ground and feed on buds and insects. Great horned owls hunt the forest voles, mice and gophers. Bald eagles fish from lodgepole pines beside lakes or rivers. One interesting Nature Is Real fact: Only mature eagles have white head feathers.

Sagebrush Flats
Sagebrush flats color the landscape a silvery or gray-green. This most visible plant community covers most of the valley floor. Rocky, well-drained soils make survival difficult for most plants here, but hardy big sage, low sage, antelope bitterbrush and more than 20 species of grasses thrive. It looks barren and sparse but is quite diverse. Sage grouse use sagebrush for shelter, food and nesting areas. Arrowleaf balsamroot and lupine add spring color to the flats. Small mammals like Unita ground squirrels, white-footed deer mice and least chipmunks live here and attract many raptors like the red-tailed hawk. Badgers may be seen digging burrows and coyotes and wolves lope across the cobbly plains. Pronghorns live here in summer but must migrate south to avoid deep winter snows. Evenings and mornings, elk herds feed on the grasses in spring, summer and fall. Where bitterbrush abounds, moose forage, especially in winter and early spring. Here birders can find western meadowlarks, sage thrashers, green-tailed towhees and vesper and Brewer's sparrows.

Wet Meadows and Wetlands
Green hues that fall between silvery sage and dark forest can show wet meadows, willow flats, or wetlands. Wet meadows and willow flats are flooded by water part of the year. A high water table and pockets of good soil make possible abundant grasses, sedges, and forbs. Many birds and small mammals eat these plants. In the West, the narrow bands of vegetation along waterways may account for more than 90 percent of an entire region's biological diversity. Wetlands around rivers, lakes and marshes share many characteristics of the neighboring aquatic community. Moose often feed in willow flats but can browse underwater for aquatic plants and dive for them in water more than 18 feet deep, staying under for nearly a minute. Wow, this is a new one for Nature Man, diving moose, interesting!! Unfortunately we did not witness this during our visit.

Snake River

Lakes, Ponds and Rivers
Lakes and ponds dot the landscape with shades of blue. Streams and rivers are reflected as ribbons of blue and silver. Snake River tributaries drain the mountains around Jackson Hole. Stream banks, floodplains, lakes and ponds are rich habitat for wildlife. Snake River float trips, are the best way to see the park's great variety of wildlife. This wildlife diversity was abundant when Nature Man's party took a float trip down the Snake River. Native cutthroat trout, rainbow trout and other fish are crucial food for bald eagles, river otters and muskrats. At Oxbow Bend, you may see from land, American white pelicans, great blue herons and trumpeter swans. We saw them all and many other birds and animals on our trip.

Inspiration Point

Hiking and Trails
By far the best trail in Grand Teton National Park is the Cascade Canyon Trail. Nature Man's party hiked this trail spending the better part of an entire day on this outstanding and beautiful trail with abundant wildlife and breathtaking views. Cascade Canyon lies between the Cathedral Group (Teewinot Mountain, Mount Owen and the Grand Teton) to the south and the St. John group (Symmetry Spire, Rock of Ages, etc.) to the north. It is one of the most spectacular canyons in the Teton Range. To find the trail come to the South Jenny Lake Area on the Teton Park Road in Grand Teton National Park. For a small fee, you can do as we did and ride a boat across Jenny Lake, eliminating 2.4 miles, and get to Cascade Canyon more easily and quickly. The boat leaves often throughout the day. We took one of the first boats of the day to allow more time on the trail. The day we hiked in early June low dark clouds were spitting snow occasionally. It was still an incredible hike. The visitor services complex at the South Jenny Lake Area includes a visitor center, ranger station, a convenience store, restrooms and the Jenny Lake Campground.

The Cascade Canyon Trail slopes gently upward to Hidden Falls, climbs more steeply, but not too difficult a climb, to Inspiration Point, a wonderful view of Jenny Lake and the surrounding valley, then gradually rises to the forks of Cascade Canyon. Most of the trail lies above 7,000 feet in elevation. You can hike at your own pace and, if there is not too much snow on the ground, make it to Lake Solitude. In early June we encountered significant snow on the ground at around 5 miles in on the trail and it became too deep for us to easily hike on to Lake Solitude. Nature Man plans to return to Grand Teton some day later in the summer and hike the Cascade Canyon Trail all the way to Lake Solitude and back (14 miles round trip if you take the boat to the trailhead). Who wants to join me?

Grand Teton has more than 200 miles of maintained trails, many lead up to canyons separating the major peaks. Keep in mind that most trails begin at about 6,800 feet or higher so shortness of breath can come quickly. Other great trails we hiked were String Lake Trail and Leigh Lake Trail.

When Hiking view all wildlife from a safe distance and respect their need for space. People too close to wildlife risk serious harm when animals defend themselves or their young.

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