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Wyoming 2023 Trip➤

In September of 2023, my husband 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. While in Grand Teton National Park, we visited the Chapel of the Transfiguration.

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, Wyoming, 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.

Chapel of the Transfiguration➤

The Chapel of the Transfiguration is a quaint log chapel tucked into the community of Moose, inside Grand Teton National Park. Built in 1925, this rustic gem was carefully sited to frame the breathtaking Cathedral Group peaks through a picture window behind the altar. The chapel, with its exposed log interior and Western Craftsman design, offers visitors a serene place of worship while celebrating the natural beauty of the Tetons. Owned and operated by St. John’s Episcopal Church in Jackson, it remains an iconic blend of spiritual and architectural harmony.

This historic chapel was constructed to serve the guests and workers of the dude ranches scattered along the Teton Range. The land was a gift from Maud Noble, who owned the nearby Menor’s Ferry, years before Grand Teton National Park’s establishment in 1929. Inspired by a mission church on the Wind River Indian Reservation, the chapel came to life thanks to the contributions of local ranchers, who provided labor, materials, and funding. Over the years, it has earned a spot on the National Register of Historic Places and even had a Hollywood moment in the 1963 film Spencer’s Mountain.

We visited the Chapel of the Transfiguration near the end of our time in Grand Teton National Park, and it was a fittingly peaceful stop. Walking up the boardwalk, we admired the rustic, handcrafted details of the structure against the backdrop of the Tetons. Inside, the simplicity of the log walls and the soft light filtering through amber glass windows created an intimate atmosphere. But the true centerpiece was the view: the Cathedral Group peaks framed perfectly in the altar window. It was a moment of quiet reflection and awe, reminding us of the park’s powerful ability to connect nature and the human spirit.

Grand Teton Posts➤

• Snake River Overlook
• Lakeshore Trail
• Jackson Lake
• Oxbow Bend
• Schwabacher Landing
• Jenny Lake
• Teton Wildlife Sunset Tour
• Signal Mountain
• Hidden Falls
• Mormon Row
• National Elk Refuge
• Taggart Lake
• Chapel of the Transfiguration
• Menors Ferry Historic District
• Jackson National Fish Hatchery

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Location: Moose, Wyoming
Designation: National Park
Date designated/established: February 26, 1929
Date of my visit: September 30, 2023