Climbing the mountains of Grand Teton National Park. Photo © Nick Swett, licensed Creative Commons Attribution No-Derivatives.
Grand Teton National Park
Setting off into Grand Teton National Park can be slightly intimidating, making guided tours a good option. The Park Service maintains a list of licensed, permitted, and park-approved guides.For any type of technical rock climbing, a guide is as necessary as a helmet and rope. Exum Mountain Guides (307/733-2297) has been offering instruction and guided mountain climbing since 1931, making it the oldest guide service in North America and certainly one of the most prestigious. Exum offers numerous programs, from easy day climbing for families with kids to guided expeditions up the 13,770-foot Grand Teton. Detailed information, including climbing routes and trail conditions, can be found at www.tetonclimbing.blogspot.com.
For guided hikes and snowshoe or ski tours, the Hole Hiking Experience (307/690-4453 or 866/733-4453) offers a range of outings both in and around the park for all interests and ability levels, from sunrise or sunset discovery tours to all-day wildlife-watching hikes. Kids will love the family day hikes with fun survival-like activities that include eating “lemon drop” ants and using butterfly nets. Winter cross-country ski and snowshoe tours are guided by naturalists and show off the best winter has to offer.
There are several options for guided horseback riding trips from a number of lodges in the park, including Colter Bay Village, Flagg Ranch, and Jackson Lake Lodge. The Grand Teton Lodge Company (307/543-2861 or 800/443-2311) can arrange one-hour horseback tours ($40 adults and children) or pony rides ($5). All riders in the park must be at least eight years old.
With so many varied bodies of water, there are a number of fishing outfitters that can guide any type of trip you can dream up. A good place to start is the Grand Teton Lodge Company (307/543-2861 or 800/443-2311), which can arrange trips from any of the accommodations inside the park. Fishing trips on the Snake River or Jackson Lake can also be arranged through the lakefront Signal Mountain Lodge (307/543-2831) or Grand Teton Fly Fishing (307/690-0910).
Rafting is popular in Grand Teton National Park, and there are 10 licensed outfitters to guide visitors down the Snake River. As with all activities, Grand Teton Lodge Company (307/543-2861 or 800/443-2311) can make arrangements for the park’s most popular 10-mile scenic float. Other outfitters include Barker-Ewing Float Trips (800/448-4202) and Solitude Float Trips (307/733-2871 or 888/704-2800).
Throughout the year, Park Service rangers offer excellent naturalist-guided tours. From mid-December-March, depending on conditions, daily guided snowshoe hikes depart from the Craig Thomas Discovery and Visitor Center (307/739-3399, reservations required). During the summer months, the range of offerings is vast—from 30-minute map chats and campfire programs to three-hour hikes. For more information on ranger programs, pick up the park newspaper at any of the entrance stations, call 307/739-3300, or check out the visitors centers in Moose, Jenny Lake, Colter Bay, and the Laurance S. Rockefeller Preserve.
Excerpted from the Second Edition of Moon Montana & Wyoming.
