John D. Rockefeller Jr. Memorial Parkway
In 1972, Congress named the 24,000 acres between Yellowstone National Park and Grand Teton National Park in honor of the late John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Rockefeller was a great philanthropist and advocate of the National Parks System. This land lays at the heart of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Through his donations, he made contributions from places like here in Wyoming to the Virgin Islands.
Grand Teton National Park administers John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Memorial Parkway.
Grand Teton National Park
Yellowstone National Park, America's first national park, was established to the north of here in 1872. Its grandure with its mountains, rivers, geysers, and natural wonders was met with the need to protect it for future generations. As America discovered its new found gem, a group of individuals felt that it was not enough to simply protect Yellowstone. The ecosystem that originates in Yellowstone National Park, with the Snake River, extends to the south through present day Jackson Hole, Wyoming is part of a larger migration system, specifically for the elk. Many people saw this a huge limitation to the establishment of Yellowstone, and consequently started a driving force to protect the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.
To write the history of the establishment of Grand Teton National Park is no less that what would be required to write a book. The original establishment Grand Teton National Park, was done so by legislation from Congress in 1929. The area included was the Teton Range and glacial lakes at the base of the mountains. John D. Rockerfeller, Jr. secretly started buying up properties surrounding the National Park, with the hope of someday protecting a larger area. In 1943, Franklin Delano Roosevelt created the Jackson Hole National Monument with the donation of 35,000 acres from , decreed by Franklin Delano Roosevelt through the combination of the gift from John D. Rockerfeller, Jr. and other federal properties. On September 14, 1950, the United States Congress combined the original 1929 Park and the 1943 National Monument into the “new” Grand Teton National Park.
For an in depth look at the drive towards creating Yellowstone and the Grand Teton National Park, watch The National Parks: America's Best Idea produced by Ken Burns. One of the major themes and focuses in the documentary is the Grand Teton National Park. Be prepared for imagry that will make those so inclined to have the desire to travel!
Information on the John D. Rockefeller Parkway can be found at: www.nps.gov/grte/jodr.htm
Information on Grand Teton National Park can be found at: www.nps.gov/grte/
Information on Yellowston National Park can be found at: www.nps.gov/yell/
Colter Bay Ranger Station
Coulter Bay Ranger Station is only open during the summer months, generally speaking Memorial Day to Labor Day.
Phone: (307) 739-3594
Services: Emphasis on hiking, backpacking and wild life around Jackson Lake.