The Craig Thomas Discovery and Visitor Center and the Colter Bay Visitor Center will be open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., seven days a week, as will the Jenny Lake Ranger Station. There will be special guidelines implemented for visitor and employee safety:
* Employees will be wearing face coverings inside buildings when social distancing is not an option.
* Visitors are highly encouraged to wear face coverings as they enter a building and inside a building when social distancing is not an option.
* There will be indoor and outdoor signs and images to help visitors understand appropriate distances and recommended actions.
* Visitors are reminded to cover their cough with an elbow or tissue, wash hands regularly with soap for at least 20 seconds, avoid crowds, and stay home if sick.
* The park has increased staff to clean and disinfect high-use areas.
* Plexiglass panels have been installed in areas of high-visitor interaction such as entrance stations, visitor centers and permit desks.
* Visitor center exhibits and auditoriums will not be accessible.
* Additional strategies, such as limited parking, no-stopping zones and one-way travel, are being implemented in popular outdoor areas.
Backcountry permits will be available at the Craig Thomas Discovery and Visitor Center, Colter Bay Visitor Center, and Jenny Lake Ranger Station as of Tuesday, June 16. Permits are available 24 hours in advance and are required for all overnight stays in the backcountry. Everyone is encouraged to practice social distancing while on trails.
The Laurance S. Rockefeller Preserve Center, Flagg Ranch Information Station, and Jenny Lake Visitor Center will not be open for the 2020 summer season, although, park staff will be available to assist visitors with information in outdoor areas in most of these locations.
All concessioner-operated campgrounds within Grand Teton National Park and the John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Memorial Parkway are currently open. Signal Mountain Lodge, Colter Bay and Headwaters Lodge at Flagg Ranch have limited lodging and take-out food service. In addition, general merchandise will be available through park concessioners at Signal Mountain, Jenny Lake, Colter Bay and Headwaters Lodge at Flagg Ranch. Canoe and kayak rentals are available to the public at Colter Bay and Signal Mountain marinas, with rentals at Jenny Lake anticipated towards the end of June.
Patience is encouraged as the National Park Service works to provide safe facilities and services to the public during the COVID-19 pandemic. Grand Teton National Park will examine each facility function and service provided to ensure those operations comply with current public health guidance and will be regularly monitored. The park continues to work closely with the National Park Service Office of Public Health using CDC guidance to ensure public and workspaces are safe and clean for visitors, employees, partners, and volunteers. Operations and schedules of visitor facilities and services may be adjusted.
Details and updates on operations at Grand Teton National Park will continue to be posted on the park’s website at https://www.nps.gov/grte/planyourvisit/be-tetonsafe-be-outside.htm
With more than 240 miles of trails meandering throughout the park, hiking is the absolute best way to see Grand Teton National Park. In addition to the hikes listed above, the park offers a wide variety of outstanding hikes that take-in the best scenery the Tetons have to offer. If you do plan to visit Grand Teton this year, please note that our hiking website also offers a wide variety of accommodation listings and other things to do to help with all your trip planning.
Jeff
HikinginGlacier.com
TetonHikingTrails.com
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com
HikingintheSmokys.com
Ramble On: A History of Hiking
Exploring Glacier National Park
Exploring Grand Teton National Park
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