Grand Teton National Park: Climbing Trip Planning Information
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The Teton Range, stretching north to south for 40 miles within Grand Teton National Park, is one of the best alpine rock climbing and mountaineering areas in the United States. The 310,000-acre national park includes 13,775-foot (4,199) meters) Grand Teton, the range’s high point, as well as nine other peaks over 12,000 feet (3,658 meters). Most of the national park’s best climbing is concentrated in the scenic central section of the Teton Range, allowing climbers to get up a lot of routes and peaks in a single trip.
Use Trip Planning Info for Great Climbing
Use the trip planning information below to plan your Teton climbing trip by finding out the best seasons, where the park is located, restrictions and access issues, how to apply for a bivouac and backcountry camping permit, the best climbing guidebooks, which guide services have park guiding permits, and where to camp. After reading this information, you can also consult the Teton National Park’s Trip Planner on the park website.
Location: Grand Teton National Park
Northwestern Wyoming. Grand Teton National Park is 10 miles northwest of Jackson.
Distances to Grand Teton National Park from major cities:
- Idaho Falls ID: 90 miles.
- Bozeman MT: 223 miles.
- Salt Lake City UT: 290 miles.
- Portland OR: 506 miles.
- Rapid City SD: 547 miles.
- Denver CO: 550 miles.
- Zion National Park UT: 588 miles
Getting There
Grand Teton National Park is located in northwestern Wyoming. The park is northwest of Jackson, Wyoming and south of Yellowstone National Park. Because of the park’s relative remoteness, it is best to travel to the Tetons by car, although there is air service to Jackson.
If you travel from Salt Lake City, Utah, the nearest large city, plan on driving the 290 miles in five to six hours. You can drive up I-15 To Idaho Falls, then follow US 26 to Swan Valley and ID 31 to Victor. Continue on ID 33 to WY 22 over Teton Pass to Jackson. Alternatively, drive I-80 to Evanston, then north on WY 89 and UT 16 to Sage Creek Junction. Continue on US 20/WY 89 to Border, then WY 89 to Alpine Junction; US26/89 to Hoback Junction; and US 26/89/191 to Jackson.
To drive from Denver, Colorado, allow nine to ten hours to drive the 550 miles. Consult a map to figure out the best way by either driving north on I-25 then west, or I-25 to I-80 then north to Jackson.
To fly to the Tetons, the nearest airport is Jackson Hole Airport (JAC) in Jackson, Wyoming. You can also fly to Idaho Falls Regional Airport (IDA) in Idaho Falls, Idaho, or Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC) in Salt Lake City, Utah. You can rent a car at any of the airports to complete your travel.
Shuttle service to Jackson is also available from Idaho Falls, Pocatello, and Salt Lake City.
Management Agency
National Park Service—Grand Teton National Park
Restrictions and Access Issues
- Grand Teton National Park is a fee area. The car entrance fee is good for seven days.
- Permits are not required for climbing or mountaineering in Grand Teton National Park.
- Permits are, however, required for all overnight backcountry camping or bivouacking in the park. Walk-in permits are free; reserved permits are charged $25 for a successful reservation. One-third of the park’s backcountry sites may be reserved in advance; the rest are first-come first-served.
- Reservations are recommended if you can plan ahead and are available from January 5 to May 15. Apply for permits in person at several locations including: Jenny Lake Ranger Station (307-739-3343) and Craig Thomas Discovery and Visitor Center, open daily. For online reservations go to: www.nps.gov/grte/planyourvisit/bcres. Call 307-739-3309 or 307-739-3397 for more information.
- From June through September, pick up all Garnet Canyon permits and permits for any trip involving technical climbing or mountaineering at the Jenny Lake Ranger Station (307-739-3343).
Climbing Seasons
The best weather and the best climbing season is from mid-July through August. Weather can be extreme in summer and winter. Expect hot temperatures—over 100 degrees—in summer. Watch for severe thunderstorms with heavy rain and lightning. Snow and corn snow can fall during summer months. September can bring good weather but storms with snow and ice can occur. Winter brings severe weather with intense cold, prolonged storms, heavy snowfall, frigid temperatures, and high winds. Heavy snowfall from December through May can create severe avalanche conditions. Spring—May and June—can be cold with snow, freezing temperatures, avalanche danger, and heavy rain. Watch for rockfall as the temperatures warm and the snow melts.
Teton Climbing Guidebooks
Best Climbs Grand Teton National Park by Richard Rossiter, FalconGuides 2012, details the best routes at Grand Teton National Park. A Climber’s Guide to the Teton Range (3rd Edition) by Leigh Ortenburger and Reynold Jackson, Mountaineers Books, 1996. A comprehensive guide to Teton climbing with over 800 routes on over 200 peaks.
Hire a Teton Climbing Guide
A lot of visiting climbers hire a local climbing guide to maximize their time in the mountains, to easily navigate the tricky and confusing Teton terrain, and to utilize experienced local know-how to avoid bad weather and bad conditions. Many climbers, especially inexperienced novices, join a guided trip up the Grand Teton.
There are two climbing guide concessions in Grand Teton National Park:
Both guide services offer great service and have good safety records. They not only guide the Grand Teton, but also offer trips up other technical peaks as well as rock climbing classes.
Grand Teton National Park Camping
The best camping for climbers is the national park’s Jenny Lake Campground, located a few hundred feet from the Jenny Lake Ranger Station. It’s a fee area and open year-round. Reservations are required in summer; for reservations, call 877-444-6777 or reserve on-line at recreation.gov. There are other park campgrounds as well as private campgrounds and motels nearby.
Grand Teton Climbers’ Ranch
Grand Teton Climbers' Ranch, operated as a park concession with relatively low-cost accommodations for climbers and their families by The American Alpine Club, is three miles south of Jenny Lake and four miles north of park headquarters at the end of a road. The Climbers Ranch is the Teton's answer to Yosemite's Camp 4. Almost every big-time climber in the 20th century rolled out their sleeping bag here.
- The Ranch is open from early June through mid-September.
- Office Hours are from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. daily.
- The Climber's Ranch offers co-ed dormitory-style accommodations in small log cabins that sleep 4 to 8 people each.
- The Ranch has a cook shelter (including dishwashing facilities), toilet facilities, hot showers, a small library, climber's lounge, and storage space.
- For more information contact: Grand Teton Climbers' Ranch, Moose, WY 83012.
Services
All climber and visitor services are in Jackson, Teton Village, and Moose, including motels, restaurants, and shops.For More Information
Grand Teton National Park, P.O. Drawer 170, Moose, WY 83012-0170. Telephone: 307-739-3300
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