Frommer's National Parks of the American West - Don Laine [216]
Float Trips. One of the most effective and environmentally sound (not to mention relaxing) methods of viewing wildlife in Grand Teton is aboard a floating watercraft that silently moves downstream without disturbing the animals. The park's 27-mile stretch of river is wonderful for wildlife, with moose, eagles, and other animals coming, like you, to the water's edge. Most of the commercial float operators in the park operate from mid-May to mid-September (depending on weather and river flow conditions). These companies offer 5- to 10-mile scenic floats, some with early-morning and evening wildlife trips. Try Solitude Float Trips (☎ 307/ 733-2871), Barker-Ewing Float Trips (☎ 800/448-8202), Grand Teton Lodge Company (☎ 307/543-2811), or Signal Mountain Lodge (☎ 307/543-2831).
Horseback Riding. The Grand Teton Lodge Company offers tours from stables next to popular visitor centers at Colter Bay and Jackson Lake Lodge. Choices are 1- and 2-hour guided trail rides daily aboard well-broken, tame animals. An experienced rider may find these tours too tame; wranglers refer to them as "nose-and-tail" tours. In Jackson, try Jackson Hole Trail Rides (☎ 307/733-6992), Spring Creek Ranch Riding Stables (☎ 800/443-6139), or the Mill Iron Ranch (☎ 307/733-6390). Rates usually run about $50 for 2 hours.
Winter Sports & Activities
Park facilities pretty much shut down during the winter, except for a skeleton staff at the Moose Visitor Center, and the park shows no signs of becoming the winter magnet for snowmobilers or backcountry skiers that Yellowstone is. That may be just as well—you can enjoy some quiet, fun times in the park without the crowds.
Skiing. You can ski flat or you can ski steep in Grand Teton. The two things to watch out for are hypothermia and avalanches. As with climbing, know your limitations, and make sure you're properly equipped. Check with local rangers and guides for trails that match your ability. Among your options is the relatively easy Jenny Lake Trail, starting at the Taggart Lake Parking Area, about 9 round-trip miles of flat and scenic trail that follows Cottonwood Creek. A more difficult ski is the Taggart Lake–Beaver Creek Loop, about a 3-mile route that has some steep and icy pitches coming back. About 2 miles of the Moose-Wilson Road—the back way to Teton Village from Moose—is unplowed in the winter, and it is an easy trip through the woods. You can climb the windy unplowed road to the top of Signal Mountain and have some fun skiing down. An easy ski trail runs from the Colter Bay Ranger Station area to Heron Pond; it's about 2.6 miles, with a great view of the Tetons and Jackson Lake. Get a ski trail map from a visitor center.
Skiers who come to Jackson Hole are usually after the hard, steep stuff at the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, but a growing contingent of backcountry tele-mark skiers ski off Teton Pass and out of the ski resort boundaries.
Snowmobiling. Snowmobiling is another popular winter option. The Continental Divide Snowmobile Trail in Grand Teton is groomed, providing access to trails in the nearby Bridger-Teton National Forest, the area to the immediate east of Grand Teton National Park, and into Yellowstone.
For snowmobile rentals in Jackson, contact Leisure Sports (☎ 307/733-3040) or Wyoming Adventures (☎ 800/ 647-2561).
Note: Legal wrangling over whether to ban snowmobiling in the parks is ongoing, but guided trips will be allowed