Park Number: 4/63

First Visited: July 5, 2010

There’s nothing quite like the Tetons. They are myth materialized. A caracature of creation. Certainly a throne to some planetary gods.

This range is the result of tectonic rifting, meaning that the plates are currently pulling apart from each other (opposed to colliding or sliding together), causing one block to rise (the Tetons) and the other to sink (Jackson Hole). The Tetons are also the youngest range in the Rockies. And they feel young. Alive. Raw.

Even from a distance, say, when driving from West Yellowstone to Idaho Falls, it's hard to stay focused on the road because these peaks are magnetic to your gaze. You can't look away. And why would you want to?

Grand Teton has been used for seasonal harvesting by the Shoshone, Bannock, Blackfoot, Crow, Flathead, Gros Ventre, Nez Perce, and other tribes.