~ Route Overviews ~
~ Grand Teton Trip Reports ~
Sept. 10th 2016 (UXM & OS)
~ Forecast ~
* Saddle's 7-Day Forecast *
All forecast temperatures are temperatures of the air in the shade
~ Snow Reports ~
(Snow Depth link)
-STATIONS-
-STATIONS-
Surprise Meadow
Riverton's NWS Snow Page
~ 2024 Notes ~
Once the snow & ice burns off on the Bradley Lake approach into Garnet Canyon, the Burned Wagon Gulch trailhead is usually the best option to reach the first junction of the standard Lupine Meadows approach throughout May. At the mouth of the gulch, travel north to get around any standing water then back toward the gulch where the trail traverses the south-facing slope. This area burns off at a faster rate than the approach from the Lupine Meadows trailhead to the first junction; however, with a mild winter snowpack, there may not be a big advantage.
Winter backcountry camping permits can be obtained over the phone by calling 307-739-3309, (November 1–April 30). Information on conditions and regulations will be discussed and the permit will be emailed to you. Starting May 1, walk-in permits are available for the summer season.
In what seems to be a new policy, according to Recreation.gov, "advanced backcountry reservations can be made up to two days before the start of a backcountry trip". Last-minute reservations (2-days ahead) might be hard to come by unless cancelled reservations become available. 2/3rds of all permits are set aside for walk-ins and online reservations are often made months in advance. Perhaps, other changes have been made to facilitate last-minute reservations if the stated policy is indeed true. If
you have any questions about permits or require trip planning
assistance, please contact a ranger at Grand Teton National Park (307)
739-3309.
Also
new this year, summer backcountry camping permits will now be charged a
base fee of $20, plus a fee of $7 per person, per night. This will
result in much higher permit fees for families on multi-day trips.
Here is an interactive backcountry camping zones map which also shows bivy sites. Another interactive map on GTNP's website is available along with a downloadable map; however, no camping zones or bivy sites are shown for Garnet Canyon on their maps which is kind of stupid these days since the reservation system shows them. It seems unlikely GTNP will update their in-house maps anytime soon if ever.
Here is an interactive backcountry camping zones map which also shows bivy sites. Another interactive map on GTNP's website is available along with a downloadable map; however, no camping zones or bivy sites are shown for Garnet Canyon on their maps which is kind of stupid these days since the reservation system shows them. It seems unlikely GTNP will update their in-house maps anytime soon if ever.
ALL climbers, and anyone camping in Garnet Canyon,
must pick up their backcountry camping permits at the Jenny Lake Ranger Station in person. Walk-in permits can be purchased one day in advance.
Advanced reservation permits must be picked up by 10 a.m. on the day of
the trip. Keep in mind that snow covers the ground in Garnet Canyon's camping zones throughout the spring and sometimes into July. The winter's snow on the climbing routes usually gives way to dry rock after mid-July. The timing
varies every year. Of course, the mountain can see new snow or ice at any time of year.
2024 reservations for The Grand Teton Climbers’ Ranch summer season can be made April 15, 2024. They are open from June 8, 2024 - September 15, 2024.
GTNP's interior Teton Park Road (the TPR) closed at the end of October between the Taggart Lake trailhead and Signal Mountain Lodge. Overview of seasonal road closures in GTNP.
As always, the major winter wildlife closures throughout the valley started at the beginning of November or December. Most areas open by May 1st but not all dirt roads around the valley will be passable or open. Sometimes the Lupine Meadows Rd is not open at the beginning of May.
JH Conservation Alliance
(↑posts Additional Agency Maps↑)
The JH Conservation Alliance has links to additional BTNF Closure Maps for areas such as Snow King and up the Gros Ventre by Slide Lake, etc. Some bighorn sheep closures are "voluntary" closures to protect the sheep, some are mandatory closures. Know before you go. Inside GTNP, the summits of Mount Hunt, Prospectors Mountain and Static Peak are closed to all travel from Dec. 1 through April 30. Annual closures of Wyoming Game and Fish Department Wildlife Habitat Management Areas (WHMA) in the Jackson region began Dec. 1, (South Park, Camp Creek and Horse Creek).
Bighorn Closures
(check actual agency maps)
Skiing off the Grand usually gets the most attention around late March and increases as the weather and conditions improve.
Many of the people who die or get injured in avalanches are experienced Teton mountaineers who think they can "read the mountains" as if they had magical powers and sufficient knowledge about unknown variables. Many were ignoring very basic rules of engagement in avalanche terrain. More than a few did this more than once. Luck ran out.
Renny Jackson's latest edition of
A Climber's Guide to the Teton Range
is available. In this edition, the Upper Exum is now rated at 5.6 on the YDS. Up from 5.5. No idea why, and we disagree with that rating. The Upper Exum's Friction Pitch and Boulder Problem in the Sky get the 5.6 boost. The Owen-Spalding is still listed as a 5.4 climb; however, the book says the Owen-Spalding's Double Chimney is rated 5.5. Go figure.
The former head climbing ranger for GTNP,
Renny Jackson, co-authored 'A Climber's Guide to the Teton Range' with
Leigh N. Ortenburger until 1991, when Leigh died in
the
Oakland & Berkeley Hills fire. Leigh was a mathematician for
GTE's
Sylvania
and began climbing in the Tetons in the late 1940s.
Their 1947 Summit Register
More Trailfinders' Pictures
1950. Glenn Exum far right, Paul Petzoldt far left.
Dog in the middleKids were climbing the Grand back in the 30s, too. Mostly on the Owen-Spalding route. A
13-year-old Jay P. Bartlett and his
11-year-old brother Frank
of Ogden, UT reached the summit on
July 15th, 1933
with
Paul Petzoldt
as the guide, and in a single day from the valley floor. One
year later, 10-year-old Fred Eriksson of Stockholm, Sweden, bagged the
summit on August 27th, 1934. The Salt Lake Telegram newspaper
covered that ascent. At least three 13-year-olds and three 11-year-olds
cruised to the summit in the early 30s according to the 1937 version of GTNP's Autumn Nature Notes published on npshistory.com.
~ Live Weather ~
↑Combines Radar and Satellite↑
The following weather graphs will not present data if the weather station goes offline. That's pretty common. Sometimes they are back online within 24 hours, other times it's a week or more. Some stations are seasonal weather stations.
JH Airport Temps
(10 miles S-SE of Grand Teton)
Forecast for 7-days @ 6,450 ft
JHA Wind Roses
etc
@ 10328
(10.5 miles S-SW of Grand Teton)
(17.5 mi S-SW of the Grand Teton)
Precipitation @ 6430 ft
(11.5 miles west of Grand)
(11.5 miles west of Grand)
Precip during the last 31 days
Surprise Pinnacle Wind & Temp
Just east of Grand @ 9770 ft
Just east of Grand @ 9770 ft
~ Lower Saddle Weather ~
Between Grand & Middle Teton
You can check a forecast from the Lower Saddle with a smart phone. We
consider a Teton forecast to be valid for about 6 hours. Do not trust a
multi-day forecast. Dramatic changes in a mountain forecast are common, sometimes from morning to afternoon. And afternoon thunderstorms might be omitted from a morning forecast. The more detailed NWS's forecast discussion might be more helpful. Many forecasts are misleading if not examined carefully. Avoiding afternoon thunderstorms is one reason why most climbers get an early start in the Tetons.
Lower Saddle Weather Station
Direction from
~ SUMMER ONLY ~
- usually mid-June to mid-Sept -
@ 11,600'
Temperatures
~ SUMMER ONLY ~
- usually mid-June to mid-Sept -
@11,600'
Wind Speed,
Gust &Direction from
~ SUMMER ONLY ~
- usually mid-June to mid-Sept -
You can compare the saddle's forecast temperatures with actual temperatures at the saddle's weather station.
Same with wind speeds. Getting a feel for forecast errors helps with
decision making. Forecast wind speeds are often off by a factor
of 2 at the saddle due to the saddle's topography not being factored
into a forecast. Forecast temperatures in the hourly forecast can easily be off by 10°F at any specific time. For the record, valley temperatures inside GTNP are rarely above 90°F.
~ Webcams ~
View from GTNP @ Moose, WY
The ● (red dot) should be seen at the "LIVE" feed indicator. The YouTube channel's address for live feeds is sometimes changed by SeeJH. You can find more Jackson Hole webcams near the bottom of this page.
WY Balloon Co.
Pans JH Valley, zooms GT
Climbers' Ranch GTNP
Often offline during off-season
Check the Time & Date. It may be an old image. It can be hours before the AAC's image updates.
Grand Targhee Summit
Pans the west side of Grand Teton
Snow King Mountain
(all SK Cams^ - sometimes offline)
Wind River Lake
(Togwotee Pass)
-Blackrock, Wind River, Dubois-
~ Jenny Lake ~
Climbing Rangers
** Rangers' Blog **
(Check First)
(Check First)
(GTNP's General Information)
The ranger station at Jenny Lake usually opens in early June and closes in early September. It's open from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM every day during the summer during that time period. We always suggest calling to confirm operating dates and hours for any GTNP service. Outside of the summer high season, you can call: 307-739-3309 for information on conditions, climbing, permits, etc.
The Jenny Lake Climbing Rangers provide search & rescue operations for the park. Some are law enforcement officers. They also provide information about mountaineering routes and backcountry hikes during the summer. And they distribute backcountry camping permits.
The Jenny Lake Climbing Rangers are supported by many generous donations from our community and outside of it. You can make donations to the rangers directly through GTNP or the non-profit Grand Teton National Park Foundation.
Besides GTNP's climbing rangers, we also have Teton County Search & Rescue and Yellowstone's SAR team in Teton County, WY. And there's the Teton County Idaho Search & Rescue team on the western side of the Tetons in Driggs, ID. TCSAR
gets millions of dollars in donations from the community. As with the
JLCR, TCSAR does not charge for rescue services. Donations can be made
online to the TCSAR Foundation.
Throughout the year, TCSAR hosts many programs for backcountry users intended to help everyone stay safe. They are worth checking out if you're new to skiing, mountaineering, or just playing in the Tetons.
~ Backcountry Camping ~
Grand Teton National Park
Backcountry Camping Permits
(Reservations & Info)
(Reservations & Info)
Backcountry Permits
(GTNP's General Information)
(GTNP's General Information)
One-third of all summer backcountry campsites and all group sites in Grand Teton National Park may be reserved in advance, online, beginning in early January. Certain bivi sites located outside of camping zones are also available for reservation.
First-come, first-served, walk-in permits are available during the summer. Requests for those walk-in permits is often high. Permits can be issued one day before your trip begins and no sooner. You must arrive in person. Sometimes walk-in permits are not available for your destination. It might be that parties on multi-day trips snapped them up over the previous days or camping zones have reached their occupancy limit. It helps if you're first in line the day before your trip begins. You can try making a reservation two days before your trip - something new in 2024, according to Recreation.gov (not verified by us). We assume that these last-minute reservations are for permits set aside for reservations that went unclaimed or cancelled but we don't know for sure.
Once the
Jenny Lake Ranger Station
opens in June, all permits for backcountry camping in Garnet
Canyon
and all backcountry camping permits for climbers must be picked up
at the Jenny Lake Ranger Station. This includes walk-in permits and
those previously reserved online. Once the station closes in September, permits can be picked up at select visitor centers until they close for the winter.
Winter backcountry camping permits are usually free and available over the phone. The park's visitor centers are closed over the winter. Come May 1, all backcountry camping permits can be picked up at
the
Craig Thomas Discovery & Visitor Center until the Jenny Lake Ranger Station reopens for the summer season in early June.
Climbers
on overnight trips must have a backcountry camping permit to camp or
bivouac; however, permits are not required for climbing. We suspect that
climbing permits have been a target of discussion.
~ GTNP Emergency Dispatch ~
307-739-3301*
~ * 24/7 June 1 - Sept. 31 ~
~ * 6 a.m. - 10 p.m. Oct 1 - May 31 ~
* Please Confirm Hours/Dates
GTNP Emergency Procedures
For Climbers
911 works for texting in Teton County, WY & ID
307-739-3301*
~ * 24/7 June 1 - Sept. 31 ~
~ * 6 a.m. - 10 p.m. Oct 1 - May 31 ~
* Please Confirm Hours/Dates
GTNP Emergency Procedures
For Climbers
911 works for texting in Teton County, WY & ID
~ Smoke & Fire ~
AirNow Smoke Map
ESA's Sentinel-2
~ See The Weather ~
SeeJH Webcams on YouTube
WY DOT Webcams
IDAHO DOT Webcams
SeeJH Webcams on YouTube
WY DOT Webcams
IDAHO DOT Webcams
~ Regional NWS Offices ~
(307) 857-3898
YouTube
~ Aurora Forecast ~
Latest Aurora Forecast
- NOAA -
- UofA -
The
darkest sky
is N-NE of Jackson Lake
~ General Park Information ~
GTNP App
Climbing Information
Backcountry Camping Info
307-739-3309
Backcountry Camping Zone Maps
Basic Info
307-739-3399 (or 3300)
GTNP Air Quality & Live Weather
Grizzly Bears
Email: grte info@nps.gov
Email: grte info@nps.gov
~ Valley Resources ~
Exum Mountain Guides: exumguides.com
Jackson Hole Mountain Guides: themountainguides.com
Teton Backcountry Guides: tetonbackcountryguides.com
American Avalanche Institute: americanavalancheinstitute.com
Driggs based Yostmark: yostmark.com
Teton Backcountry Alliance
Teton Climbers’ Coalition
~
Valley Camping ~
Free Camping close to GTNP
(Click to enlarge)
Free camping locations fill up quickly during the summer. The ones closer to town are very busy. It's almost not worth looking for a spot unless you know when it's worth looking through first-hand experience. If you do look, early to mid morning is suggested. Don't be surprised if no spots are available or others are also looking. Of course, you may get lucky. It's not always super crowded. A 5-day stay limit was in effect from May 1st through Labor Day on the Bridger-Teton's Jackson Ranger District and parts of the Blackrock Ranger District (Moran area). Call for updated details.
Some of the dispersed camping locations in the national forest might have volunteer hosts keeping an eye on things. A few of those free locations might have toilets. Currently, no user permits are required to use the national forest for dispersed camping. This might change. The BTNF was proposing a new permit & fee system for all river users (news coverage) in 2023. The BTNF has a radio broadcast on 1710 AM to broadcast pertinent travel information. Sometimes roads are closed due to fallen trees, landslides, or poor conditions. Or other issues crop up.
Not all dirt roads are easy to navigate by a small car. Some roads are impossible to navigate with anything but a 4x4 truck. And vehicles may not be able to turn around in tight spots at dead ends. Forest service roads do not always open to the public on a specific date. They wait for the roads to dry out after the winter snow and spring moisture. The Moran Vista site up Spread Creek is part of a gravel pit area. It's easy to get to on a well maintained dirt road and it's a good spot for big RVs. As expected, it's busy.
In the past, the visitor guides for our national forests had detailed camping information: older BTNF & CTNF guides. Sadly, they aren't updated on a yearly basis and it's unknown if they will continue to be published. However, starting around 2020-21, the forest service websites were greatly improved and they continue to see improvements. Camping regulations and locations do change so it's good to get the latest updates from them. Our Jackson Hole Camping page is not updated on a regular basis but it has additional information on valley camping options. Web-based apps and webpages cover every camping spot in the valley. Of course, paid lodging is available in throughout the valley. Fee-based campgrounds in the valley are just as busy as free ones.
The campgrounds in GTNP require reservations. There are several types of booking windows available in GTNP. We have seen reservations available on the day of arrival (or day before) if campground spots are unused. This was an unexpected change in 2023. Places like Colter Bay were holding some campsites for those reserving two weeks in advance. Many spots are reserved months in advance. Call to confirm your options at a specific concessionaire's campground, or check with the privately run recreation.gov website. The AAC Climbers' Ranch in GTNP has rustic cabins with bunk beds. The ranch is south of the Lupine Meadows trailhead. You might get a last-minute reservation there, but you might not get much sleep in a shared bunk cabin.
All the fee-based campgrounds on the Bridger-Teton National Forest are on a first come, first served basis. There are no reservations taken except for large group sites and cabins. Outside of the valley, there are fee-based Forest Service campgrounds in the Hoback River Canyon & Snake River Canyon. They are popular. Free dispersed car camping is also available in the Hoback Canyon. The only free dispersed car camping that's near the Snake River Canyon's northern end is off Fall Creek Rd.
There is a public fee-based parking lot for cars, RVs, and campers that's just below Togwotee Mountain Lodge (TML webcam). It's $10 but subject to change. There is a pit toilet. Free dispersed car camping is also available further up the Togwotee Pass highway. All these spots are a long drive from Jackson. They are good for visitors on their way here who might need a camping spot before arriving, or upon leaving.
There are first-come, first-served free camping spots along the Grassy Lake Road at the northern end of the GTNP in the JDR Parkway near Yellowstone. You'll also find the Flagg Ranch campground and their lodging in the same general area inside the GTNP-managed JD Rockefeller Parkway. And just south of there is the BTNF's fee-based Sheffield Campground. More camping sites are on the west side of the Tetons in the CTNF (access via Idaho).
Please be thoughtful when using our free camping sites so that they remain accessible to those who prefer undeveloped camping options. The Forest Service spends a considerable amount of money cleaning up after visitors, managing sites, and repairing damaged resources. They will probably start charging fees to access forest resources in the coming years. If you wish to donate time or money to improve our forest resources, please visit the BTNF offices or contact the Friends of the Bridger-Teton non-profit.
~ Showers ~
Inside the park, showers are available at the Climbers' Ranch, Colter Bay Village, and the Signal Mountain Lodge RV Park. They start around $6 or so. In the Town of Jackson, the Teton County recreation center has a pool, showers, climbing wall, etc. You could always take a summer dip in a river, creek, lake or pond.
~ Miscellaneous ~
~ Water Resources ~
@ Jackson Lake Dam ↑ - 6777'
Inside GTNP
Snake River Reservoirs
Upper Snake River BasinInside GTNP
Snake's flows before Alpine
~~~~~~~
Gros Venture River
Buffalo Fork
Pacific Creek
Green River at Warren Bridge
Salt River
Hoback River below Camp Cr
~~~~~~~
Gros Venture River
Buffalo Fork
Pacific Creek
Green River at Warren Bridge
Salt River
Hoback River below Camp Cr
Snow/SWE/Water↑
~~~~~
~Webcams~
Hoback River @ Hoback Junction
@ the Lodge at Palisades Creek
Enjoy Safe Climbing