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The Trip

Warning: you may experience signs of scenic overload on this peaceful snowshoe trip at the base of Grand Teton National Park. And you don’t have to know how to snowshoe to enjoy this trip. If you can walk, you can snowshoe! Instruction and equipment will be provided by experienced guides from Hole Hiking, based in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

There is nothing quite as overwhelming as first seeing the landscape of the Grand Tetons in winter. The park’s contours and geological makeup has created the perfect venue for snowcoach enthusiasts, cross-country skiers, and snowshoers. As Jackie Skaggs, Public Affairs Officer for Grand Teton National Park, once relayed to ABC News, "The Tetons are so iconic and so dramatic because you have this flat plane, the valley of Jackson Hole, and you have this abrupt vertical rise of these granite peaks. Few places have the solitude and serenity that Grand Teton National Park has during the winter." Over eight peaks are higher than 12,000 feet with Grand Teton standing at 13,770 feet. The peak was given the name Grand Teton, or "large breast" in French, by Iroquois or French-Canadian settlers.

February is the perfect time of year to enjoy sunshine, warming temperatures, wildlife, and the snow-covered Tetons. The winter season, with its peaceful quiet, offers a sharp contrast to the busy summer season. In winter, much of the Teton Park Road (also called the inner park road) is closed to vehicles. The unplowed section of the road (15 miles from Taggart Lake parking area to Signal Mountain) is open only to skiers and snowshoers. Snowshoeing is one of the best ways to experience the exhilaration of winter travel and see wildlife and/or signs of wildlife in the snow. Snowshoeing tours will be through open meadows, aspen groves, and coniferous forests where moose, wolves, bears, weasels, snowshoe hare, and many other forest inhabitants share the winter environment.

The Murie Ranch, former home of conservationists Olaus and Mardie Murie, as well as scientist Adolph Murie and his wife Louise, is an inholding in Grand Teton National Park near Moose, Wyoming. The Murie Ranch is the only accommodation where you can stay inside the Park in winter. The Ranch has quite a history that began in 1921 as the STS Dude Ranch (later purchased by the Muries in 1946). Both the Murie Residence and the STS Ranch provided accommodations for meetings of the Wilderness Society in 1953. The Ranch provided inspiration for writers, photographers, and wilderness activists in the 1940s, 50s, and 60s. It continues to inspire all who are privileged enough to stay there. The Murie Ranch is alive with activity, and the Muries’ vision for their home is being realized as a dynamic center where people gather for study, debate, and inspiration on behalf of wild nature.

Itinerary

Day 1: You will be picked up at the Jackson Hole Airport and transported to the Murie Ranch near Moose, Wyoming. We will check into the Murie Center accommodations (single-room historic cabins with nearby bath/shower houses for men and women). There will be a welcoming orientation meeting with Hole Hiking Guide, Cathy Shill, after a delicious dinner at the Murie Ranch.

Day 2: After breakfast, we will receive snowshoeing gear and instruction from Hole Hiking Guides. We will then depart in a van to a nearby trailhead, where we will explore the Taggert/Bradley Lake area, with the majestic granite peaks towering above you as sentinels of the wild. Field topics will include mammals and winter ecology. You will pack your own lunch (from a selection of sandwich ingredients at the lodge) that will be eaten "in the field." The use of fanny packs and binoculars are included on all snowshoeing days. We’ll return to a lovely homemade and healthy dinner followed by lively conservation discussion.

Day 3: We will journey into Death Canyon and discover the history of the area.

Day 4: We will travel across the valley to view the entire Teton Range while exploring Shadow Mountain and the home of wolves, moose, and elk.

Day 5: We will take a day off and venture into the town of Jackson Hole for a day of shopping, skiing at Snow King mountain (rental equipment and ski tickets on your own), or taking a sleigh ride on the National Elk Refuge (paid for on your own). You can also choose to stay at Murie Ranch and enjoy the solitude.

Day 6: We will travel to the north end of the park. Once there we will snowshoe in the morning looking for signs of wildlife behavior and animal tracks in the snow. After a hearty lunch, we will join Continental Divide Dog Sled Adventures and travel north to Togwotee Pass for an afternoon dog sled adventure in the forest.

Day 7: This will be our final day of snowshoeing. We will snowshoe either along the Moose-Wilson Road, the Jenny Lake area, the Colter Bay area, or the Antelope Flats Road, depending on where most of us want to go and for how long. We will return to the Murie Center for our final good-bye dinner. We will return snowshoeing equipment after hiking that day.

Day 8: After breakfast, we’ll depart to the Jackson Hole Airport. Expect to arrive at the airport no later than 10:30 a.m.

Getting There

Trip participants will be picked up at the airport in Jackson Hole, Wyoming and shuttled to the Murie Center in Grand Teton National Park at the start of the trip. Trip participants will be shuttled back to the airport in Jackson Hole, Wyoming at the conclusion of the trip. Shuttle services will also be provided throughout the trip.

Accommodations and Food

The trip includes seven nights' lodging, all breakfasts, lunches, and dinners. We’ll stay seven nights at the National Historic Murie Ranch, located two miles west of Moose, Wyoming on the south fork of the Snake River. It is a small enclave of buildings, nestled on a meadow surrounded by dense forest. On February 17, 2006, the Murie Ranch was designated a National Historic Landmark, the highest such recognition accorded by our nation to historic properties. All transportation is provided on the trip: van pick-up from the airport in Jackson Hole, van rides to various snowshoe destinations, and a final van drop-off at the Jackson Hole airport at trip's end.

Standard arrangements are for double-occupancy cabins for all participants. There are no toilets or showers located inside the cabins. There are two newly built bathhouses for men and women. We will have the homestead and bathhouses all to ourselves and won’t be sharing the facilities with any other parties.

Trip Difficulty

A minimum snowshoeing ability of "beginner" is suggested. Snowshoers should be able to snowshoe on rolling terrain. Most of the terrain we’ll cover is not steep, but good balance and a familiarity with varied snow and trail conditions are necessary. Participants should be in good physical shape. We will generally travel three to five miles per day on snowshoes. Participants may also take non-snowshoe rest days on their own at the Murie Ranch.

Equipment and Clothing

All snowshoeing equipment will be provided by Hole Hiking. Other equipment & clothing needs (provided by participant) include:
• Day pack
• Small piece of closed-cell foam to sit on snow
• Water bottle
• Sunglasses and/or goggles
• Sunscreen/lip protector
• Camera
• Binoculars (unless you want to share those provided by Hole Hiking)
• Pocket hand & foot warmers
• Insulating underwear
• Mid-weight insulating layer -- wool or fleece
• Waterproof & windproof outer layer -- jacket & pants
• Pants -- wool or fleece
• Hat
• Gloves
• Neck gaiter
• Socks
• Gaiters (unless you want to use those provided by Hole Hiking)
• Insulated boots
• Evening shoes and clothing

References

• http://www.muriecenter.org
• http://www.holehike.com
• http://www.nps.gov/grte/
• http://www.grand.teton.national-park.com/

Conservation

A number of activities occur within Grand Teton National Park (GTNP) pre-date the park’s existence and may conflict with the National Park Service (NPS) mandate. In light of ongoing concerns about these activities and their possible ecological and social impacts, GTNP
management has identified them as "critical issues" that need ongoing and active management.

These issues include:
1) The Jackson Hole Airport, the only commercial airport in a national park in the contiguous United States and the busiest airport in Wyoming.
2) The Jackson Lake Dam, which regulates the water level of Jackson Lake (which is a natural, not human-made, lake) for primarily agricultural purposes and some flood control.
3) The grazing of cattle and horses.
4) Inholdings in the park (private land owned within the park).
5) Hunting (annual elk hunting is allowed within the park boundaries in the fall and early winter to reduce the number of elk to levels that federal and state wildlife managers believe the habitat can support).

While a number of national parks also have these types of activities or developments within them (and these generally pre-date the existence of the park), GTNP is perhaps unique in the extent to which these types of activities occur within its boundaries.

Trip Price

See the How to Apply for an Outing section for more details on registering for this trip and details about our Reservation and Cancellation Policy.

The payment of a deposit does not confirm you as a member on the trip. Participants must be approved by the trip leader. After signing up for this trip, you will be sent a confirmation packet containing approval materials (Participant Approval Questionnaire, Medical Form, Liability Release Form). Each applicant (including those on the waitlist) must fill out these forms and promptly mail them to the trip leader. The leader will review the approval materials and notify you of your acceptance in a timely manner.

Staff

Leader:

Elaine Mayer joined the Sierra Club in 1972 when she took a year off between Santa Rosa Junior College and University of California at Santa Cruz. She worked at Grand Teton National Park as a Park Technician from 1973 through 1976, mostly in the summers. She spent the winter of 1974-75 in Jackson Hole so she could enjoy cross-country skiing in Grand Teton National Park and downhill skiing at Snow King, Teton Village and Grand Targee ski areas. She is currently retired after a 32-year career with the National Park Service, the USDA Forest Service and the US Fish and Wildlife Service.

E-mail: grossmo@gmail.com

Assistant Leader:

Julie Koivula has been a Sierra Club member for more than 25 years. She retired from teaching and coaching at the high school level. She also taught swimming and is a first aid/CPR instructor for the American Red Cross. She has her wilderness first aid certificate, and she loves to hike, bike, canoe, kayak, ski and play many other sports. She now leads and assists on a variety of Sierra Club outings, including backpacking, canoeing, service, biking, and archaeological survey trips. Julie is the Co-Chair for the Midwest Outings Subcommittee.

E-mail: julieakoivula@sbcglobal.net

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General Notes About Sierra Club Trips

• Carbon Offsets
• Carpooling
• Electronic Devices
• Equipment
• How to Apply for a Trip
• Leader Gratuities
• Liability Release and Assumption of Risk
• Medical Issues
• Non-discrimination Statement
• Participant Approval
• Reservation and Cancellation Policy
• Seller of Travel Disclosure
• Travel Insurance
• Trip Feedback
• Wilderness Manners