Snowy weather has allowed Grand Teton National Park to open for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing/NPS file

A seasonal fall -- cold and snowy -- in the northern Rockies has enabled Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming to officially move into its winter season with cross-country skiing and snowshoeing.

Opportunities for over-snow winter recreation are available on park roads in the park. The park’s winter recreation schedule is as follows:

• Teton Park Road: Open to over-snow winter recreation
• Signal Mountain Summit Road: Open to over-snow winter recreation
• Moose-Wilson Road: Opens Dec. 16 to over-snow winter recreation

Grooming of the Teton Park Road between Taggart Lake parking and Signal Mountain Lodge started this past Friday and will continue through mid-March as conditions allow. The road will be groomed approximately three times a week on Tuesdays, Fridays, and Sundays. Four lanes will be groomed from Taggart to South Jenny Lake and two lanes from South Jenny Lake to Signal Mountain Lodge.

Parking is available at Taggart Lake Trailhead, Cottonwood Creek Picnic Area, and at the gate at the north end of the Teton Park Road near Signal Mountain Lodge.

Grooming is made possible through the financial support from Grand Teton National Park Foundation and a Federal Highway Administration Recreational Trails Program Grant managed by the State of Wyoming. For grooming updates, call the park’s road information line at 307-739-3682.

The use of wheeled vehicles, including bicycles, snow/fat/electric bikes, are not permitted on roads designated for winter recreation activities. Bikes are only allowed on roadways open to motor vehicles.

Dogs are welcome to recreate alongside their owners on the Teton Park Road. For the safety of wildlife, visitors and their pets, dogs must always be leashed, are not allowed in the backcountry, and must be picked up after. Dog sledding and skijoring are prohibited within Grand Teton National Park and the John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Memorial Parkway.

Additional Winter Recreation Activities

• Backcountry camping permits are available 24 hours in advance. Call the park’s permit office at 307-739-3309 Mondayt through Friday.  On weekends, call Teton Interagency Dispatch Center at 307-739-3301.
• Ranger-led snowshoe hikes are offered daily December 27—30, 2022, and on Wednesdays and Saturdays January 4—March 11, 2023. Reservations are required by calling 307-739-3399 Monday—Friday. Hikes are scheduled for 1:30 p.m.—3:30 p.m.
• Winter activities at Colter Bay include primitive camping, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and ice fishing on Jackson Lake. Primitive winter camping is allowed in the Colter Bay Visitor Center parking lot from December 1—April 15, with a $5 per night fee (starting Dec. 15) which can be paid at the Moran Entrance Station.

Snowmobile use in Grand Teton is limited to the frozen surface of Jackson Lake for ice fishing access only. Access to the frozen surface of the lake is limited to the Colter Bay Swim Beach as posted there. Best Available Technology snowmobiles are required for operation in the park. Snowmobiles older than 2015 model years are not approved. Model year 2015 snowmobiles must have less than 6,000 miles on the odomoter to be approved.

Limited services and seasonal closures make a winter visit very different from a summer experience. Be sure to plan ahead, recreate responsibly and help ensure this iconic landscape may be enjoyed by future generations. Visit the Winter in Grand Teton webpage for helpful winter planning tools and follow Grand Teton on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for more information.