Grand Teton National Park: Snake River Overlook

Welcome back to National Parks and other public lands with T!

Wyoming 2023 Trip➤

In September of 2023, my husband and I set out to explore some National Park units in the state of Wyoming. We visited Yellowstone, Grand Teton National Park, The John D. Rockefeller Parkway, and Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area. In Grand Teton National Park, we stopped at the Snake River Overlook.

Grand Teton National Park➤

The Tetons are the youngest of all the mountain ranges in the Rocky Mountain chain. Most other mountains in the region are at least 50 million years old but the Tetons are less than 10 million and are still rising. The Jackson Hole valley is of the same age and continues to sink. The tallest peaks tower almost 7,000 feet above the valley floor, already at an elevation of about 6800 feet. With no foothills, the resulting landscape is dramatic and breathtaking.

In the 1920s, John D. Rockefeller Jr. agreed to acquire thousands of acres around Jackson Hole and then donate this land to the government for a national park. At the urging of Horace Albright, then director of the National Park Service, Rockefeller formed a company called the Snake River Land Company to buy up property around the Snake River in secret. Rockefeller wanted to keep his name out of it to keep the price lower.

Meanwhile, in 1929, President Calvin Coolidge signed the act creating Grand Teton National Park, at half its present size. The park only protected the Teton Range and 6 lakes at the foot of the mountains. Rockefeller encountered resistance from locals when he tried to donate his land to expand the park.

In 1943, Rockefeller told President Franklin Delano Roosevelt he would sell to the highest bidder if the government didn’t use his land for the park. Roosevelt used the Antiquities Act and declared additional land in the valley to be Jackson Hole National Monument. The two units were combined to become the present Grand Teton National Park in 1950.

Snake River Overlook➤

In 1942, Ansel Adams captured the Snake River and the Tetons in a photograph that has become synonymous with the Teton Range’s grandeur. His iconic image showcased the unparalleled beauty of this location, drawing worldwide attention to the pristine wilderness of Grand Teton National Park. Adams’ photography helped garner support for protection of the area.

While visitors today seek to recreate Ansel Adams’ masterpiece, it’s important to note that the landscape has evolved over time. Trees have grown, and the exact location from which Adams took his famous photograph remains somewhat of a mystery. Despite these changes, it’s a beautiful scene. We stopped at the overlook right after our plane landed, a great introduction to the park.