The park covers around 310,000 ac (125,452 ha) and contains the major peaks of the Teton Range. Archaeologists know that the earliest peoples to inhabit what is today Grand Teton National Park lived and roamed in small family units in the area. James Ian has traveled to 82 countries and all 7 continents. Bird species in the area include the trumpeter swan, which is the largest waterfowl found on the North American continent, and the calliope hummingbird, which ranks as the smallest bird in North America. THE TETON RANGE BOASTS BOTH AGE AND YOUTH. When locals discovered that Rockefeller has bought all that land with the intention of giving it to the government, they werent happy, as it would mean a decrease in local tax revenue if the federal government owned the land instead of a private person or company. Over 10,000 different species of insects have also been recorded in this area. As we know, native Americans lived in the region for thousands of years, so the mountains were discovered many centuries ago. Over one thousand distinct kinds of plants within Grand Teton National Park! 10 of The Best Attractions in The Grand Canyon. It hasnt been authenticated by science, but the stone is displayed in one of the parks museums. The areas abundant wildlife creates lots of fun facts about the region. Here is one of the cool facts about Grand Teton National Park. It is believed that he may have entered the Jackson Hole Valley around the same time. So, if youre planning a trip to Wyoming or want to learn more about this unique national treasure, then read on! According to the National Park Service, by the time Europeans arrived, tribes such as the Shoshone, Bannock, Blackfoot, Crow, Flathead, Gros Ventre, Nez Perce and others were harvesting the valleys seasonal riches. Now if youre interested in learning more then I recommend: The Mystery of John Colter: The Man Who Discovered Yellowstone by Ronald M. Anglin & Larry E. Morris. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Grand Teton National Park located south of Yellowstone National Park is one of Wyomings most stunning destinations. CHECK OUT: 12 AMAZING Facts About Big Bend National Park. It has a diverse ecosystem that is home to a variety of animals such as bears, deer, moose, bison, elk, and wolves. Its thought that they moved there in the 1500s and 1600s and basically pushed the Athabaskan-speaking people out. Colter spent months alone in the wilderness. If youre a fan of Shane (1953), then you might want to try and find the Ernie Wright Cabin or The Shane Cabin as it was called in the film. Check out the three Grand Teton itinerary options. A vast variety of native wildlife and birds occupy the area in near-pristine natural environments that offer excellent evidence of how birds and animals live in the wild, untouched by civilization. It is also the second highest peak in Wyoming after Gannett Peak. If you have any questions, please contact me. This scenery is what movies are made of and many movies have taken advantage of the dramatic peaks as a backdrop for their scenes. The park includes over 310,000 acres and protects one of the worlds most pristine watersheds. Grand Teton National Park Facts! From hiking trails to mountain peaks, there are many places within these borders to explore with your family or friends. Glaciers did the heavy work over the millennia of sculpting the land into intricate U-shaped canyons and jagged peaks, the most noteworthy of which is Grand Teton. Grand Teton probably has the most complicated history of any national park. Grand Teton National Park was established on February 26, 1929. Although its one of the youngest mountain ranges in the world, that doesnt mean that the rock itself is young. Keep a careful eye out and you may see them zipping around willow shrubs or drinking nectar from scarlet gilia flowers. In 1950, when Congress expanded the boundaries of Grand Teton National Park, they included a provision to manage the elk population through an annual elk reduction program. Colters Route was included in a version of William Clarks map, titled A Map of Lewis and Clarks Track Across the Western Portion of North America from the Mississippi to the Pacific Ocean, which was published in 1814. Jackson Hole Has Been Featured In Films, 9. Trumpeter swans can often be seen at Oxbow Bend; the appropriately-named Swan Lake; and Flat Creek in the National Elk Refuge. Two picturesque barns the John Moulton Barn and the TA Moulton Barn make for great photographs, with the Teton mountains behind them, and today, they are the most photographed barns in the country. The national park is named after Grand Teton, the tallest mountain in the Teton Range. Interesting Facts About Grand Teton National Park. A lot of the Tetons are made of a Precambrian metamorphic rock called gneiss. All Rights Reserved. President Arthur did not go by himself however. Some of these include cottonwoods and aspens and conifers like pines and firs. 8. [6], 36. There are many ways to explore and enjoy Grand Teton National Park. Our work has been featured in leading publications all over the world and even some people outside of our immediate family call us experts on the national parks. Besides Grand Teton, these peaks rise more than 12,000 feet. These rocks were formed when enormous heat and pressure metamorphosed the sediments buried deep into the earths interiors. Looking at the mountains today, its not really very easy to see the shapes as they saw them, but they were the ones drew the maps and their name for the mountains somehow stuck. Rockefeller knew that if word got out that he was interested in acquiring land there, the price would skyrocket. The naming of geographical places is often done by the first explorers, mapmakers, settlers and it can be influenced by many factors such as shape, location, natural features and sometimes their memories or imagination. Our first attempt to continue our journey was up through an ice niche, but we discovered that there was no place to hold to. Some national parks are not accessible by car. A little easier to see are the largest waterfowl in North America also found in Grand Teton National Park. The Grand Teton Mountains features Grand Teton, which is located in a min-range of three teat-shaped mountains, from which the mountain and park derive the name Grand Teton. [1], 6. 10 EPIC Wyoming National Parks Worth Visiting, 11 AMAZING Facts About Acadia National Park, 11 AMAZING Facts About Arches National Park, 10 AMAZING Facts About Badlands National Park, The Mystery of John Colter: The Man Who Discovered Yellowstone, 12 AMAZING Facts About Big Bend National Park, 10 FASCINATING Facts About Cuyahoga Valley National Park, 25+ CLASSIC Movies Filmed In The National Parks, Look Familiar? Evidence of the first human colonization of the Grand Tetons dates the first colonies back about 11,000 years. In 2016, all four of us managed to make the trek. This is in part because of the way the range formed. CHECK OUT: 10 AMAZING Facts About Badlands National Park. The National Park Service states that the range formed roughly 775 million years ago through a series of vertical, east-west trending cracks. Grand Teton National Park is named after the mountain Grand Teton. They knew how to adapt to the local geography. Thats a lot of people coming to see one of Americas natural treasures. What Are The Main Airports Near Grand Teton National Park? These natural conditions make excellent habitats for the deer, elk, bison, pronghorn and many other animals. [5], 16. He decided to buy up land in Jackson Hole. 50 Interesting Facts About Grand Teton National Park - Page 3 of 3 - The Fact File 50 Interesting Facts About Grand Teton National Park By Editorial Staff Last updated on February 7th, 2023 References: https://www.nathab.com/articles/us-national-parks/yellowstone/six-facts-about-grand-teton/ 25+ CLASSIC Movies Filmed In The National Parks. Including the smallest bird in North America, the calliope hummingbird. Grand Teton National Park is the only national park in the United States with a commercial airport. [2], 10. Our goal here at More Than Just Parks is to share the beauty of Americas national parks and public lands through stunning short films in an effort to get Americans and the world to see the true value in land conservation. Talk about your shake, rattle and roll! Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. Top 10 interesting facts about the Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming. 1. Americas 21st President, Chester Alan Arthur, traversed the region in 1883 when it was a wilderness without roads. In 1972, Congress established the John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Memorial Parkway, which connects Yellowstone and Grand Teton, to honor Rockefellers philanthropy and commitment to the National Park System. If youre fascinated by geology then youll enjoy these next two Grand Teton National Park Facts. Participants interested in the program should contactWyoming Game & Fish Department. Thats when Congress stepped in out of political pressure to designate Grand Teton National Park. More than 10,000 bison, including this one in Grand Teton National Park, live on public lands managed by the Department of the Interior. No time right now to read these fun facts about Grand Teton National Park? Did you discover some new facts about Grand Teton National Park after reading this post? The natural beauty of the Grand Taton region has not only attracted tourists and photographers but also filmmakers. The list includes The Big Trail (1930), The Big Sky (1952), Shane (1953), Rocky IV (1985), and Brokeback Mountain (2005). Yes No An official form of the United States government. When bears become accustomed to human feeding or pawing through human trash, they must be euthanized to protect park visitors. READ MORE: Guide to the 42-Mile Scenic Loop Drive Through Grand Teton National Park, Did you know that the fastest land mammal in the western hemisphere is the pronghorn? Basic Grand Teton National Park Facts Location: Wyoming Size: 485 square miles Number of Visitors each Year: 3,885,230 in 2021, its busiest year Annual Rainfall: An average of 21 inches of precipitation each year, but half of that is snow in winter. Id love to hear them. Cuyahoga . Explore the beauty of Grand Teton National Park. Now have you ever asked yourself: which President of the United States visited the most national parks? The animals inhabiting Grand Teton National Park depend on this vast area for survival . One of the more unusual Grand Teton National Park Facts involves elk. The government declared Grand Teton a national park in 1929. They were speakers of the Athabaskan language. In fact, Yellowstone was established as the world's first national park primarily because of its extraordinary geysers, hot springs, mudpots and steam vents, as well as other wonders such as the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River. United States National Parks to Visit Together (3 Ideas). [3], 33. One possibility is that he went via the Togowtee Pass. The Rockefellers used this as a family retreat until Laurance S. Rockefeller donated the final 1,100 acres in 2001 to create the Laurance S. Rockefeller (LSR) Preserve, which lies next to the National Park on the Moose-Wilson Road. READ MORE: Crucible for Conservation by R Righter provides a fascinating insight into the struggle over these lands between cowboys, farmers, forest rangers, National Park Service, Wyoming officials, New Dealers, Easterners, and more. The beavers might have been lost from the area if not for the fact that silk hats replaced fur hats as the fashion norm, and the era of the mountain men faded away. The trumpeter swan, the largest waterfowl in North America, can also be found in the park at Oxbow Bend, Swan Lake and Flat Creek in the National Elk Refuge. And now heres the mystery: These peoples, for a reason unknown to us today, suddenly vanished leaving behind no trace of their ever having been there. The main park road, US 26/89/191, remains open all year, but snow closes Teton Park Road (the "inner road") north of Cottonwood Creek from November through April. They can run as fast as 70 mph! Grand Teton National Park's elevation ranges from 6.400 feet to 13,775 feet. The stone is engraved with John Colter on one side and 1808 on the other. All of the rock was slippery and we could not go too carefully. Some people claim that Nathaniel P. Langford and James Stevenson reached the summit in 1872 though this has been disputed. the Athapaskan were forced out of the area by a newer and stronger group. We captured bison, elk, moose, bears, foxes, beavers and much more. Precambrian rocks are some of the oldest rocks on Earth, dating back to a time period known as the Precambrian Era, which lasted from about 4.6 billion to 541 million years ago. On the other hand, the east block along the fault line dropped more than 7,000 feet to create the Jackson Hole Valley. [4], 13. John D. Rockefeller was instrumental in protecting the region when he scheduled meetings and toured the area with Yellowstone Superintendent Horace Albright. The lower elevations have a temperate climate, while the higher elevations have colder weather. Did I mention that I taught history? With over 310,000 acres and protecting one of the worlds most pristine watersheds, its no wonder that this park draws so many visitors each year. Now if youre a part of the Boomer Generation then you may remember a wonderful television series entitled, The Waltons. Its possible that there were undocumented earlier ascents either by native Americans or Europeans, but the first documented ascent of Grand Teton, the highest peak in the Teton Range, was by Franklin Spencer Spalding and his party in 1898. It receives more than 2.5 million people each year. Interesting facts about Table Tennis; Interesting facts about Shrek; Interesting facts about the Baroque; Interesting facts about Peter Paul Rubens Grand Teton National Park is a beautiful and rugged park located in Wyoming, in the United States. In 1943, some of the land in the nearby valley became Jackson Hole National Monument. Here Are Some Basic Facts About Grand Teton Location: Wyoming Acreage: Park boundaries include approximately 310,000 acres, 485 square miles. He is considered the first person of European descent to see the Teton Range. Mesmerizing, mysterious, and brimmed with outdoor activities, the Jenny Lake area is the ultimate destination to visit in the park. 2. Humans first started living in this area about 11,000 years ago. The Grand Tetons Were Created By A Seismic Disaster, 2. 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Grand Teton National Park is Controversial When the park was officially established by Calvin Cooidge in 1929, many Americans opposed setting aside nearly 96,000 acres as a protected park. What is known is that Franklin Spencer Spalding added his name to the history of the Grand Teton when he and his party made their historic ascent. Nomadic tribes of Paleo-Indians entered the valley soon after the glaciers began to withdraw. The mountains were created by a series of earthquakes along a fault line. You can often see bison on Antelope Flats; moose in the rivers and lakes (Moose Pond and Schwabachers Landing are good places to see them); and black bears foraging in the bushes around lakes and near trails. Many types of shrubs grow here, including serviceberries and chokeberries. This airport was established in the 1930s and absorbed into Jackson Hole National Monument and eventually, Grand Teton National Park. One of the more interesting of the Grand Teton National Park Facts has to do with how the Tetons got their name. The stunning landscape of Grand Teton National Park today was shaped over millions of years by large earthquakes. With stunning views, abundant wildlife, and plenty of outdoor adventures to go around, this park has something that will appeal to all sorts of people. Grand Teton National Park and the surrounding region host over 1000 species of vascular plants. The sparkling, clear waters of area lakes and rivers, fed by glacial runoff, supports sagebrush, groves of aspen trees and forested buttes. Your email address will not be published. 12 of The Best Attractions in Yellowstone National Park. More Than Just Parks is your one-stop-shop when it comes to learning everything youll need to know about Americas national parks. Between 1896 and 1937 a group of Mormon settlers built a community of farms, homesteads, barns and irrigations ditches in what is known today as Mormon Row. To protect the wilderness of this area, an American philanthropist, John D. Rockefeller Jr., bought land throughout the valley and later donated to the National Park Service. Leconte in the Smoky Mountains, 14 of the Cleanest Lakes in the United States. At the behest of Horace Albright, the second director of the National Park Service, Rockefeller formed a company called the Snake River Land Co. to buy up property around the Snake River. [6], 37. What facts do you know about Grand Teton National Park? So who were they? While these earliest inhabitants left behind no written records there were clues as to their existence nonetheless. The human history of the Grand Teton region goes back about 11,000 years when the nomadic tribes of Paleo-Indians first arrived in this area. The Mountain Men were French-Canadian trappers who moved into the region around the Grand Tetons to trap and kill beaver, whose fur was very fashionable in Europe at the time. Now if you want to participate in this program then you must have a park permit and a valid Wyoming elk hunting license to harvest elk during the elk reduction program. This post will provide facts about the history of the park and facts about wildlife and plant life within its boundaries. This parkway connects Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks. Visitors may spot black bears, grizzly bears, moose, and bighorn sheep in certain areas.
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