Grand Teton National Park may be significantly smaller than its northerly neighbor yet it merits a visit. Even if for one day. Watch waterfowl on Jackson Lake. Bird at Willow Flats. Spot moose at Oxbow Bend. View bison on glacial terraces. Look for pronghorn in sagebrush flats. Float the Snake River in an inflatable raft. Take a boat ride on Jenny Lake. Make a river crossing on a wooden ferry. Hike mountain trails. Climb canyon walls. Come face to face with glaciers. Visit an historic settlement. Tour a Native American exhibit. Take part in a ranger-guided program. See Alpine Scenery. Grand Teton National Park is a great family travel destination. It's an ideal place to discover nature and learn about life on the frontier.
The Teton Range, a north-south chain of mountains in the U.S. state of Wyoming, is noted for its Alpine scenery. The Tetons have craggy peaks and vertical cliffs. They rise straight up from the valley floor. How did the Teton Mountains get their unique form? Earthquakes, tectonic uplift and erosion. A series of earthquakes between 6 and 9 million years ago caused the earth's crust to stretch, thin and finally crack. The break in the earth's surface known as a fault forced the land to move. One block was pushed skyward and one block was pushed downward in the geological process known as tectonic uplift. Rivers of ice called glaciers fashioned the towering Tetons and low-lying valley in the last ice age. Advancing glaciers carved steep canyons and cut deep hollows. Retreating glaciers created the shallow lakes called kettles and step-like flats known as terraces. And they deposited huge piles of rock, gravel and boulders forming moraines.
Free Travel Journal
Get a free kids travel journal to document your family vacation.