Teton Range

Of special interest - Diabase, a dark-colored igneous rock, 1.3 billion years ago flowed up through the gneiss and granite, resulting in the prominent vertical dikes seen today on the faces of Mt. Moran and the Middle Teton. The diabase dike on Mt. Moran protrudes from the face because the gneiss surrounding it erodes faster than the diabase. The diabase dike on the Middle Teton is recessed because the granite of the central peaks erodes more slowly than the diabase.

Twelve small glaciers still cling to the Tetons. They are the offspring of the original glaciers and were formed in the most recent mini-ice age, between 500 and 1,000 years ago.

History

Native Peoples
Archaeological evidence reveals that bands of Paleo-Indians made summer camps near the Tetons soon after the last major ice age ended about 9000 B.C. It appears they used the valley to gather plants for their edible roots. The valley's big-game populations weren't large enough to support more than occasional hunting.

Historians ponder why these early bands of people left the area between A.D. 1000 and 1600 to be replaced by today's more commonly known tribes of Shoshone, Crow, Gros Ventre, and Blackfeet. Even these "modern" tribes were infrequent visitors to the Tetons; they basically followed the ancient animal trails as they crossed the Continental Divide.

Explorers Arrive
After Lewis and Clark's expedition passed to the North and headed back East in late 1806, member John Colter, at the mouth of the Platte River, met up with Manuel Lisa's expedition, which intended to establish a fur trade on the Upper Missouri. Lisa persuaded him to help them with their endeavor. Lisa's party established Fort Raymond near the Bighorn and Yellowstone Rivers and in the fall of 1807, Colter invited neighboring tribes to the fort to trade beaver furs. It was during this time of exchanges with the Indians that Colter first visited Jackson Hole.

When beaver hats fell from fashion in the 1840s, so did the Tetons. Almost 50 years passed before another wave of newcomers found the valley promising enough to settle.

Survey Expeditions
In 1840, mountain man Jim Bridger led Army Capt. William Raynolds' survey party through the valley. They collected information about the native tribes, farming and mining possibilities, and railroad routes.

In conjunction with his exploration of the Yellowstone region, young geologist Ferdinand Hayden made several forays into the Tetons. Jenny, Leigh, Bradley, and Taggart lakes owe their names to members of his 1872 survey expedition. Jenny was the Shoshone wife of mountain man and guide "Beaver" Dick Leigh, Frank Bradley was chief geologist on the team, and W. R. Taggart was his assistant. Another member who helped make the Tetons famous was William H. Jackson. That same year, President Ulysses Grant declared Yellowstone the world's first national park. This act was the start of a new industry in the region - tourism - and the Tetons were soon attracting their own share of admiring visitors.

Homesteaders Take Root
The Homestead Act of 1862 granted 160 acres of land to anyone who promised to live and build on it for five years. It seems that the offer of free land influenced many ranchers and farmers to overlook this region’s meager grazing and farming conditions. New settlers, found just surviving to be a struggle.

William Menor opened a ferry in 1894 to cross the Snake River at Moose.
Hunting guide Ben Sheffield started bringing wealthy clients to his camp at Moran. Homesteader Louis Joy opened the first dude ranch in the valley. Attracting visitors from around the world to the Tetons proved much more profitable than agriculture.

TETON CLIMBING HISTORY: THE SUMMIT REGISTER ARCHIVE: This site contains a collection of digital images of the Grand Teton National Park Summit Register Archive. The summit registers were maintained from about the late-1920s into the 1980s and they form a unique repository of Teton climbing history.



Tetons Pano taken by Biglost

The Making Of A Park

The Tetons first received government protection in 1897 when Congress created the Teton Forest Reserve out of land not included in Yellowstone National Park. In 1929, a strip of land that included the Teton mountain range and little else officially became Grand Teton National Park. It was just a third the size of the present park. As early as 1917, congressmen were trying to create a larger sanctuary. Local residents fought, and crushed, three attempts to federalize their land in Jackson Hole.

Then John D. Rockefeller, Jr., entered the fray. In 1926, he toured Jackson Hole with Yellowstone Park Superintendent Horace Albright, who believed the Teton Mountains' magnificence would be spoiled if the valley below them was left to uncontrolled development. Rockefeller, one of the wealthiest men in the world at that time, agreed.

Congress appeared deadlocked on the issue of expanding Grand Teton National Park, Rockefeller took matters into his own hands. He quietly bought 35,000 acres of farm and ranch land between 1927 and 1943. Rockefeller's stated goal was to donate the property for an expanded park. But congressional and local resistance kept the government from accepting the gift for 15 years. So Rockefeller forced the issue in 1943 by threatening to sell his holdings on the open market.

President Franklin Roosevelt responded by declaring 221,000 acres east of the Snake River - most of the remaining valley - Jackson Hole National Monument. His move took advantage of the fact that creating a monument didn't call for congressional endorsement the way a national park would. Even though 93% of those acres already belonged either to the government or Rockefeller, Wyoming residents still felt betrayed. Congress first passed a bill abolishing the monument, which Roosevelt vetoed. A compromise was reached and in 1950, it was decided that in exchange for land, the federal government would reimburse Teton County for tax losses and honor grazing rights for the lifetime of existing leaseholders and their heirs living at the time. Finally, Jackson Hole National Monument became part of Grand Teton National Park.

Today, most people would agree that Grand Teton National Park is a valuable asset of Jackson Hole and the nation. Since the founding of the park, tourism has surpassed ranching to become the economic foundation of the region.
[img:201851:aligncenter:medium:The End of Another Beautiful Day...]

The Peaks-- A Climbing Overview

Newcomers to the range might wonder where to begin, and the range has mountains for all levels. This section provides an overview of the peaks that have SP pages and organizes them by the type of standard route-- technical rock climb, scramble, or hike. With each peak description is the rating of the standard route on it.

Do note that many of the peaks have several routes on them.

Technical Peaks

Class 5

Grand Teton-- 5.4 by standard route (Owen-Spalding); this mountain needs no introduction.
Mount Owen-- This spire is the second-highest peak in the range and seems almost within leaping distance of the Grand (leaping not recommended). From some locations, especially in lower Cascade Canyon, it may at first actually be mistaken for the Grand. The easiest route-- West Ledges-- goes at 5.1.
Mount Moran-- It is the fourth-highest peak in the range, but only the Grand gets more attention. Its position several miles away from the Cathedral Group-- the Grand, Owen, and Teewinot-- makes it stand out almost as much as the Grand does. The standard route is the 5.5 CMC. Many climbers prefer Moran to the Grand because the longer approach means more of a wilderness feel and a reprieve from the crowds that flock to the Grand.
Thor Peak-- A seldom-seen peak for vehicle tourists and even many hikers and some climbers, this mountain "hides" behind Mount Moran. It is 5.6 by the "Hidden Couloir"; see the TR attached to the peak page for details, as the peak page does not contain route information.
Nez Perce Peak-- One of the cluster of peaks near the Grand, this peak's Northwest Ledge Route goes at 5.4.
Matternought Peak-- One of the lesser-known gems. The easiest route is via the east ridge and east couloir and goes at 5.1.
Cube Point-- Not high as Teton peaks go, but more secluded than the big ones are even though it is not very far from the Grand. It is a good choice for a day climb, and the East Ridge is 5.4.
Baxter's Pinnacle-- Virtually unknown except to technical climbers, this peak only takes a few hours to climb. The South Ridge/Face has crux moves of 5.9, but most of the climb is easier than that (5.6 range).

Thumbs of the Peaks

Scrambles

Harder Class 2 through Class 4

Middle Teton-- Third among the peaks in height, this is the highest Teton Peak with a summit accessible by a non-technical route. That route is the Southwest Couloir, Class 3 (though it should be noted that the SP page mentions a few Class 4 spots).
South Teton-- The third and lowest of the "Teton" peaks, this one has two Class 4 routes (though the going is mostly Class 3). The South Teton is often used as an introductory peak for people getting a taste of Teton mountaineering.
Teewinot Mountain-- Class 4 (East Face) and more exposed than most other Class 4 routes in the range. Many parties rope up on this peak, especially on the descent, and it verges on being technical. It should also be noted that some published descriptions put the route at 5.3 since it is easy to end up on Class 5 terrain in some of the Class 4 sections.
Cloudveil Dome-- Class 4 by the east ridge. This peak is the eastern end of the east ridge of the South Teton.
Buck Mountain-- This is the highest peak in the southern part of the range, and it stands out commandingly from almost every vantage of it. There are technical routes on the peak, but there are also some Class 3 and 4 routes. The easiest seems to be the East Face (Class 3), documented on a route page by one of SP's better contributors.
Disappointment Peak-- The first people to climb this peak had hoped they could traverse from it to the Grand relatively easily. Instead, they encountered a deep drop that they were unable to negotiate, even on rappel, and they gave this peak its name. The southeast ridge offers a Class 3/4 route.
Mount Wister-- This is a peak most people never see. It is in the heart of the park but just far enough away from the trophy peaks to attract little attention. The east ridge is a Class 3 scramble.
Mount St. John-- Usually appreciated only from the road, this peak is the highest point of the ridge system separating Cascade and Paintbrush Canyons, and some of the park's most popular trails encircle the ridge, but not a lot of people climb the peaks there. A Class 3 scramble ascends the south couloir to the summit.
Mount Fryxell-- Another peak along the ridge complex between Cascade and Paintbrush Canyons, this one has outstanding views of the park's greatest mountains and grabs much visual attention at Paintbrush Divide and during the final push up to the divide from Paintbrush Canyon. A route up this peak can be anywhere from a loose Class 2 to a mix of Class 2-4, and there is a large snowfield that offers an interesting climb, fast descent, or both.