Backcountry Basics

Most basic is this:Overnight backcountry use requires a free backcountry use permit.This written permit can be obtained at Moose Visitor Center, open all year, or at Jenny Lake Ranger Station and Colter Bay Visitor Center in summer, on a first-come, first-served basis. There are more people who want a wilderness experience than there is wilderness in the park, so backcountry user capacities have been established. This means that some people are turned away. Reservations may be made for backcountry camping areas by mail only from January 1 to June 1. These reservations by mail are available for only 30 percent of the backcountry camping sites. From June 1 to October 1, no reservations can be made, and then all unreserved sites are first-come, first-served. Organized groups wishing to backpack overnight should write the Permits Office at the park address for full particulars.

Backpackers.

Tent.

Backpackers can readily reach the heart of the Tetons and enjoy pristine wilderness. Good backcountry ethics ensure protection of these wild places and minimize conflicts with bears.

Submit yourfinalitinerary listing the specific sites at which you wish to stay each night (list calendar dates!) and the size of your group (the maximum group size is 12) to the Permits Office at the Park address. SeeClosed Areas. You must still pick up your permit in person by 10 a.m. of the day your trip begins. A backcountry zone system is used to minimize human impact and to allow you freer choice in camping. The Teton Range above 7,000 feet elevation has been divided into camping zones. You may stay anywhere within a zone if you follow these simple rules: 1. No ground fires are allowed. Small backpacking stoves are recommended for cooking. 2. Camp at least one mile away from any trail junction or patrol cabin. 3. Camp at least 100 feet away from all lakes andstreams. 4. Camp out of sight of the trail and other campers. 5. Do not camp in fragile or overused sites that will show signs of your camp having been there (unless told otherwise).

Below the 7,000-foot level there are a few remaining designated lakeside backcountry camping sites. Unless there is a fire danger, wood fires are permitted in the firegrates provided at these designated camping sites.

Pets, firearms, and wheeled vehicles are not permitted. Carry out all refuse and leave no evidence of your stay. Short-cutting on trails is prohibited. Keep stock out of camping areas. Use hitch racks where provided. Do not tie stock to live trees. To prevent pollution, do not wash dishes or laundry in, and do not bathe in, lakes and streams.

When you pick up your permit, check on areas that may be closed to backcountry use. No overnight camping is permitted at Lake Solitude, Bradley Lake, Taggart Lake, Laurel Lake, Amphitheater Lake, below the Forks of Cascade Canyon to Jenny Lake, and the lower valley area east of the Valley Trail and the east shore of Jackson Lake. No overnight camping is permitted along the Snake River.

Surface water is of questionable purity. Carry water from approved public supplies. Backcountry water should be boiled for one minute, three to five minutes at higher altitudes. Water treatment disinfection chemicals are not considered as reliable as boiling to safeguard againstGiardiaandCampylobacterintestinal disorders. Most water filter mechanisms are not adequate for these organisms. The evening meal is an ideal time to boil water for drinking and brushing teeth and for the next day’s use.

Black bears are sometimes seen in the backcountry and in campgrounds. They show little fear of people and may try to get your food. Federal law requires proper food storage in the backcountry and in campgrounds. Suspend food from a tree (or bear pole if provided) or store it out of sight in a vehicle. Your backcountry permit packet includes instructions on hanging your food. A bear brochure is available free at ranger stations and visitor centers. Make sure everyone in your party reads this information before your trip. Report all bear sightings, damage, or injury to a park ranger. Grizzly bears are seen occasionally in northern parts of the park. If a bear should charge you, climb a tree or play dead. Don’t try to run away, however. Running excites the bear, and you cannot outrun one.

Trailhead parking areas are patrolled regularly, but in recent years theft from cars parked overnight has become more common. Leave nothing of value visible in your car and thoroughly lock up the vehicle before leaving on your hike. It’s best to lock valuables in your trunk.

Write the Grand Teton Natural History Association at the park address for a list of sales literature and maps to enhance your pre-trip planning and enjoyment.

For short rides with a guide you can rent saddle horses at Jenny Lake, Colter Bay, Flagg Ranch, and Jackson Lake Lodge. Jenny Lake Lodge and the Triangle X Ranch havehorses for guests only. A short horseback ride gives you a leisurely look at the park and a sample of Jackson Hole’s Old West flavor. If you’ve never ridden, or have not ridden in years,make the first ride short. Your first steps after first riding a horse for an hour or more feel very strange! The concessioners offer a variety of wagon rides and hay-rides to cowboy cookouts. Guided trips of several days can be arranged with park concessioners. Or you can write the chamber of commerce address for information about area outfitters. If you plan to bring your own stock, write the chief ranger at the park address for information on saddle and pack animal use regulations. Also read theBackcountry Basicssection. Please note that no grazing is permitted in the park; processed feed must be packed in. Saddle and pack animal facilities are available only at String Lake Parking Area, Whitegrass Ranger Station, and the Granite Canyon, Sheffield Creek, Arizona Creek, and Pilgrim Creek trailheads. Many highcountry trails are blocked by snow until mid-July and are impassable to saddle and pack animals. For this reason many horse parties camp on the adjoining national forests and take day-trips into Grand Teton National Park.

Overnight backcountry travel with horses requires a backcountry permit. Please observe the regulations on horse use. They are designed to protect fragile landscapes.

This is one of the country’s finest areas for general mountaineering. The rock is mostly excellent, snow slopes mostly moderate, and the range unusually accessible. Still, many climbers pack in and set up their camps in a highcountry location. Mountaineering guide service and instruction are available at Jenny Lake. Write to: Exum Guide Service and School of American Mountaineering, Box 56, Moose, WY 83012. Jackson Hole Mountain Guides also offers guide services in the park; write to Box 7477, Jackson, WY 83001. Climbing guidebooks and individual route guides are available by mail from the Grand Teton Natural History Association address or can be purchased at park visitor centers and the Jenny Lake Ranger Station.

The Jenny Lake Ranger Station (seemap) is the center for climbing information and registration in the park from early June to mid-September. Climbing conditions are the best from mid-July through late September, although afternoon thundershowers are common in these months and an extended period of poor weather with snowfall usually occurs in late August. May and June feature long periods of poor weather with heavy precipitation, some snow, and subfreezing temperatures. Heavy rockfall and some avalanche activity are common. Major storms occur in late September and early October with snowfall and icing conditions on most routes. Winter weather in the Teton Range is severe: heavy snowfall, high winds, and extreme temperatures. Avalanche danger, usually present, is frequently high December to June.

Climbing equipment.

Hard, crystalline rock and an alpine panorama make the Teton Range a mountaineering mecca.

Because of the hazards and possibility of accidentsin mountaineering, the National Park Service requires all climbers to register in person before climbing and to sign out in person after climbing. From early June to mid-September this is done at the Jenny Lake Ranger Station. It must be done at Moose Visitor Center the rest of the year. Notes left at the ranger station are not acceptable registration or sign-outs. (Climbers returning after the ranger station is closed may sign out at the Late-Returning Climbers Registration Box on the ranger station porch.) Registration is regulated under the Federal Code of Regulations. The mountaineering rangers on duty provide current information on the nature and condition of climbing routes, equipment and experience requirements, and time factors. Request general mountaineering information from the chief ranger at the park address.

Guidebooks, maps, and photographs of various peaks and routes are available at the Jenny Lake Ranger Station to help you plan climbs. In winter—mid-September through May—information and registration are available at the Moose Visitor Center. Conventional mountaineering equipment is satisfactory for summer climbs. Ice axes are essential and crampons may be desirable for early season climbs and for some routes throughout the season. Climbing helmets are strongly recommended for technical climbs and for climbs exposed to regular rockfall dangers. Climbing equipment and food suitable for backpacking may be purchased in the area. Limited selections of rental equipment may be available. Low cost lodging for registered climbers is available at Grand Teton Climber’s Ranch, an American Alpine Club-operated concession. Write the manager at Moose, WY 83012.

Boat trips are offered by concessioners on Jackson and Jenny lakes. These vary from steak fry cruises to lunch excursions, to drop-off and pick-up cruises for hiking trips up Cascade Canyon. On Jackson Lake concessioners operate Colter Bay Marina, Leek’s Marina, and Signal Mountain Marina. Marinas offer fishing guide service, launching, marine supplies and fuel, buoy rentals, and canoe rentals. Teton Boating Company provides cruises, shuttle service, and boat rental on Jenny Lake. Canoe rentals for lake use only are available from Moose Enterprises at the grocery store in Moose.

One of the best ways to experience the park’s wildlife and scenery is by floating the Snake River. Numerous concessioners offer guided float trips in inflatable rubber rafts. Outfitters are listed inTeewinot, or write to the park address for a complete list. (Please don’t ask National Park Service employees to recommend one over another.) On a float trip you don’t have to watch the trail or mind the horse. You just watch the animals and scenery and listen to the guide’s narrative, wildlife identifications, and local lore. The Teton Range appears to slide by, now peeking above a massive river-cut glacial moraine, now peeking through trees, now disappearing from view. Morning and evening floats are best for seeing wildlife. You may well see bald eagles, ospreys, moose, great blue herons, Canada Geese, beaver, otters, and various ducks. You can float the river in your own craft, but a permit is required. The river is floated in the park from 1,000 feet below Jackson Lake Dam to Moose, a distance of about 25 miles. Do not attempt the river on your own below Pacific Creek (seemap) unless you are familiar withyour craft—kayaks, inflatables, and canoes are best—and experienced on rivers of similar difficulty and similar hazards. People too often underestimate the power of the Snake. Write the park address for information about hazards, regulations, equipment, and travel times in floating the Snake River in the park. Motorized craft are not permitted on the Snake River.

Canoe.

Whitewater raft.

The park’s numerous lakes and the Snake River offer many boating and floating opportunities.

The Snake River offers world famous angling for cutthroat trout. Catch-and-release angling is encouraged.

Fishing is regulated in keeping with the park’s overall management objective of maintaining natural systems and scenic values. Most park waters are open in season, subject to Wyoming laws and National Park Service regulations. These regulations are intended to maintain quality waters, protect natural fish populations, and protect the food sources of bald eagles, ospreys, otters, great blue herons, and other native fish-eating wildlife. A Wyoming fishing license is required and may be purchased in the park at the Colter Bay or Moose Tackle Shops, at Signal Mountain, and at Leek’s Marina. Information on fishing laws and on special regulations, including bait restrictions, closed waters, artificial fly fishing waters, and creel limits is available at the visitor centers. You must check on this information before you fish. Fishing guides are available at the lodges.

Popular artificial fly patterns here are:1Silver Spruce Matuka,2Muddler Minnow,3Matts Fur Nymph,4Jay-Davis Hopper,5Royal Wulff, and6Yellow Humpy.

The park’s waters support one of the last wild inland populations of cutthroat trout. The Snake River cutthroat, a unique race of the cutthroat species, is the only trout native to the park. (See pages56-57.) The National Park Service encourages you to release small cutthroat carefully so that the opportunity to catch this unusual fish is perpetuated. Other gamefish include rainbow, lake (Mackinaw), brown, and brook trout and the Rocky Mountain whitefish.

The use or possession of fish eggs—real or artificial—or fish as bait in any park waters are prohibited. (Some dead non-game fish are permitted on the shores of Jackson Lake only.) Get specifics at a visitor center or write the chief ranger at the park address for fishing regulations and information.

Winter activities gear up in mid-December. Just one good storm can turn Jackson Hole into a winter wonderland covered with up to 6 feet of snow in some years. In or near the park you can then crosscountry ski, ice fish, snowshoe, mountaineer, ice skate, snow-mobile, and observe wildlife and scenery. Minor park roads are not plowed in winter. The Teton Park Road (seemap) is closed from Cottonwood Creek bridge to Signal Mountain Lodge. There is no direct car access between Moose and Teton Village. Yellowstone National Park roads are not plowed in winter.

Registration and information on oversnow travel are available at the Moose Visitor Center. Off-season camping is available at Colter Bay across from the visitor center, which provides restrooms and water. Lodging is available in winter at Flagg Ranch in Rockefeller Parkway and at Triangle X Ranch in the park. Nearby Jackson offers full tourist services year round. Write the chamber of commerce address for information.

But you must prepare for the weather. An average 4-foot base of snow in the valley is much deeper in the mountains. Daytime temperatures range from -25° to +50°F. Severe winter storms and blizzards can occur throughout the season. All oversnow travel is prohibited in the Snake River bottom between Moose and Moran as well as in the Willow Flats at Jackson Lake Lodge. Check at the Moose Visitor Center for exact boundaries on these closed areas.

Moose Visitor Center is the registration point for winter activities, including mountaineering.

Winter sports wait only for that first good snow.

Cross-country skiers.

Many management concerns and safety tips are given under specific subjects in this handbook. Here are other things to consider. Camp only in designated sites. Obtain a backcountry use permit for all overnight backcountry use, including in winter. Register at the Jenny Lake Ranger Station in summer or park headquarters in winter before starting any off-trail hike or climb. Boat permits are required for the use of any watercraft on park waters. Fishing requires a Wyoming license, and please check park regulations at a visitor center. Obtain an oversnow vehicle permit at Moose Visitor Center and check the regulations before operating a snow-mobile or snowplane in the park. Bicycles are not allowed on trails or in the backcountry.Pets must be leashed and under physical restraint at all times. They are not permitted on trails, in buildings, or in the backcountry.Kennels are found in Jackson; check with the chamber of commerce. All natural features are protected; leave all rocks and plants in their natural setting. All park animals, including bears, are wild and protected by law. Do not feed or molest them. Please read the Bear Warning underBackcountry Basics.

Drive carefully and defensively, especially at dawn, dusk, and at night. Every season large animals are killed and vehicles are mangled. Slow down, and ask passengers to help spot animals in the road. When stopping to view wildlife, stop in turnouts, be careful to stop your vehicle in the safest position possible, with all doors shut. Consider traffic flow problems and their potential hazard. Be a responsible driver. Keep motor vehicles off bikeways. Report all accidents to a park ranger. Observe posted speed limits.

Keep a respectful distance from all animals to avoid disturbing their natural routine, especially when taking pictures. Larger animals are quick, powerful, and unpredictable. Getting too close can result in serious injury. Take special care to avoid encounters with bears and to help maintain their natural fear of humans. Many small mammals can carry diseases and should never be touched or handled. All animals are part of the natural processes protected within the park. Allow them to find their own food. Their natural diet insures their health and survival.Feeding wild animals is prohibited no matter how convincingly they beg.

The park is zoned for the management of natural fire. In some parts of the park lightning-caused fires are monitored and allowed to burn, because we have learned that natural fire often plays a vital role in an ecosystem. Some plant species require fire to thrive, and several animal species benefit from fire. Natural fires that threaten developed areas will be extinguished to protect human life and property. Report fires to a park ranger. Human-caused fires will be extinguished. Please be careful with fire yourself.

John D. Rockefeller, Jr., Memorial Parkwayjoins Grand Teton National Park withYellowstone National Park. Yellowstone is world famous as the first national park. Its geysers and mudpots, canyons and waterfalls, and wildlife and wilderness are spectacular. For information write or call the Superintendent, Yellowstone National Park, P.O. Box 168, Yellowstone National Park, WY 82190. (307) 344-7381.

Teton National Forest, Teton Wilderness, and Targhee National Forestadjoin the park boundary. For information about hunting, fishing, backpacking, and campgrounds write or call the Forest Supervisor, Bridger-Teton National Forest, Box 1888, Jackson, WY 83001, (307) 733-2752, or Forest Supervisor, Targhee National Forest, Box 208, St. Anthony, ID 83445, (208) 624-3151.

National Elk Refugeheadquarters is just east of Jackson (seemap). Christmas through April 1 you can ride a horsedrawn sleigh into North America’s largest elk herd. In summer you can drive on the refuge road into the sagebrush and buttes landscape. For information write or call the Refuge Manager, National Elk Refuge, Box C, Jackson WY 83001, (307) 733-9212.

The park abuts other expanses of wild country.

A photographer fills her frame with elk at Yellowstone.

A backpacker enjoys the Targhee National Forest.

National Elk Refuge visitors watch the herd from sleighs.

Jackson National Fish Hatchery Visitor Centerlies across the highway from the southernmost park boundary (see map). This hatchery raises trout. Anglers can go stark raving mad over the seething masses of trout in the hatchery ponds. For information write or call the Hatchery Manager, Jackson National Fish Hatchery, Box 1845, Jackson WY 83001, (307) 733-2510.

The nonprofit Grand Teton Natural History Association, Moose, WY 83012 sells books, maps, and other publications in support of the interpretive and management programs of the national park. These items are displayed at the visitor centers, or can be purchased by mail. Write for a free list. The following selected book list may also be of interest.

Betts, Robert B.Along the Ramparts of the Tetons: The Saga of Jackson Hole, Colorado Associated University Press, 1978.

Clark, Tim W.Ecology of Jackson Hole, Jackson, Wyo., 1981.

Crandall, Hugh.Grand Teton: The Story Behind the Scenery, KC Publications.

Fryxell, Fritiof.Mountaineering in the Tetons, The Teton Bookshop, 1978.

Harry, Bryan.Teton Trails, Grand Teton Natural History Association, 1961.

Harry, Bryan.Wildlife of Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks, Wheelwright Press Ltd., 1972.

Hayden, Elizabeth Wied.From Trapper to Tourist in Jackson Hole, Grand Teton Natural History Association, 1981.

Love, J.D. et al.Geologic Block Diagram, Grand Teton Natural History Association/U.S. Geological Survey, 1973.

Love, J.D. and John C. Reed, Jr.Creation of the Teton Landscape, Grand Teton Natural History Association, 1968.

Murie, Olaus J.Elk of North America, Teton Bookshop, 1979.

Righter, Robert W.Crucible for Conservation: The Creation of Grand Teton National Park, Colorado Associated University Press, 1982.

Saylor David, J.Jackson Hole Wyoming: In the Shadow of the Tetons, University of Oklahoma Press, 1971.

Schreier, Carl.Explorer’s Guide to Grand Teton National Park, Homestead Publishing, 1982.

Schullery, Paul.The Bears of Yellowstone, Yellowstone Library and Museum Association, 1980.

Shaw, Richard J.Plants of Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks, Utah State University Press, 1976.

Yandell, Michael D.National Parkways: Grand Teton National Parkways, Worldwide Research and Publishing Co.

Numbers in italics refer to photographs, illustrations, or maps.

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