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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. You don’t need 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 Experience, 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 have created the perfect venue for snowcoach enthusiasts, dog mushers, cross-country skiers and snowshoers. What Jackie Skaggs, Public Affairs Officer at Grand Teton National Park, told ABC News in 2010, "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. Our snowshoeing tours will be through open meadows, aspen groves and coniferous forests where moose, wolves, bears, weasels, coyotes, snowshoe hare, and many other forest inhabitants share the winter environment.

The 2013 season marks the 87th year of operation for the Triangle X Ranch. The Triangle X Ranch experience will give you a most unforgettable vacation. This authentic working dude ranch offers unsurpassed cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, photography, and wildlife viewing right out your front door. After a full day, return to the comfortable lodge and relax western style with a warm fire and a large outdoor jacuzzi. Triangle X Ranch is also ideally located to enjoy winter activities in both Grand Teton National Park and Yellowstone National Park. Jackson Hole provides numerous opportunities to enjoy winter recreation, and Triangle X is the perfect place to stay while you discover winter in this amazing valley.

Itinerary

Day 1: You will be picked up at the Jackson Hole Airport and transported to the Triangle X Ranch just north of Moose, Wyoming. We will check into the Triangle X Ranch accommodations (private rooms in historic cabins with full bathrooms). There will be a welcoming orientation meeting after a delicious dinner at the Triangle X 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 as the majestic granite peaks tower above you as sentinels of the wild. Field topics will include mammals and winter ecology. You will receive a box lunch (made to your specifications) to 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 dinner followed by lively conversation about conservation, a dip in the Jacuzzi, and maybe a moonlight walk.

Day 3: We will journey into Death Canyon and discover the history of the area. The canyon was formed by glaciers that retreated at the end of the last glacial maximum approximately 15,000 years ago, leaving behind a U-shaped valley. The canyon has many Whitebark Pine stands, particularly near the tree line.

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. By leaving the base of the Tetons, we will be privy to dramatic views of the Tetons and surrounding mountains.

Day 5: Today we are in for a real thrill -- dog sledding with Frank Teasley’s Iditarod Sled Dogs! For many visitors, this is the highlight of their winter trip to Jackson Hole. We will meet our Iditarod Sled Dog guides in Jackson Hole at 8:15 a.m. and be transported to the trailhead for Granite Hot Springs. The trek to Granite Hot Springs is 10 miles each way, and you can drive your own dog team part of the way. Our tour features a soak in the 108-degree water of Granite Creek natural hot springs -- a relaxing interlude after driving your dog team. We will return to Jackson Hole around 4:00 p.m. and head back to the Ranch.

Day 6: We will travel to the north end of the park where we will snowshoe to Emma Matilda Lake and Two Ocean Lake, looking for signs of wildlife behavior and animal tracks in the snow. Actually, Two Ocean Lake is a single lake that sits on the Continental Divide. The lake drains into nearby Pacific Creek that feeds the Snake River.

Day 7: Sadly, this will be our final day together. After a leisurely breakfast, we will venture to Jackson Hole where we will have several options for activities. You may decide take a horse-drawn sleigh ride into an elk herd that numbers in the thousands on the National Elk Refuge. Or perhaps exploring the National Museum of Wildlife Art, with its collection that dates from 2500 B.C. of 5,000 catalogued items from 500 artists is more your cup of tea. We will return to the Triangle X Ranch for our final good-bye dinner, followed by a conservation talk by a park ranger.

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 Triangle X Ranch 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 and snacks. We will stay seven nights at the Triangle X Ranch (6,800’ elevation) located ten miles north of Moose, Wyoming near the south fork of the Snake River. This is the only accommodation open in the winter in Grand Teton National Park. Each of the distinct 20 log cabins originated in Jackson Hole. Perhaps your home for the week housed an early settler family in the late 1800s, later being moved to the ranch and gazing eternally out at the Tetons. Or maybe your log cottage took shape right above the hand-hewn soil at Triangle X. You will be served the finest of meals by Triangle X’s own four-star cooking staff in the dining room lighted with deer horn chandeliers with a spectacular view of the Tetons. The small occupancy will offer you intimacy. The large fireplace will give you a quiet retreat and a chance to pass on stories of the day's events.

Standard arrangements are for single-occupancy rooms within the 1-, 2-, or 3-bedroom cabins with a full bath.

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 per day on snowshoes. Participants may also take non-snowshoe rest days on their own at the Triangle X 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 Experience)
• 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
• Bathing suit for the Jacuzzi at Triangle X and Granite Hot Springs

References

• http://www.trianglex.com
• http://www.holehike.com
• http://www.jhsleddog.com
• http://www.wildlifeart.org
• http://www.fws.gov/nationalelkrefuge/NERSleighRides.htm
• 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 Grace joined the Sierra Club in 1972. She worked at Grand Teton National Park as a Park Technician from 1973 through 1976, mostly in the summers. 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. After living in Alaska for 20 years, she moved to the Big Island of Hawaii where she enjoys gardening, bicycling, snorkeling, hiking, hula dancing and beach combing.

E-mail: grossmo@gmail.com

Co-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