National Park ServiceU.S. Department of the Interior
Grand Teton National Park American White Pelicans
Nature & Science
Environmental Factors
Home
Accessibility
Activities
Facts
For Kids
History & Culture
In Depth
Management Docs
Nature & Science
News
Plan Your Visit
Bookstore »
Employment »
Volunteer »
Search »
Contact Us »
 
Overview
Animals
Plants
Environmental Factors
Disturbed Lands
Fire Regime
Geologic Activity
Nonnative Species
Weather
Natural Features and Ecosystems
Photo Gallery
Natural Resource Management Documents
Related Links
 
Highlights
Fire Management Program »
Greater Yellowstone Inventory and Monitoring Network »
The Tetons and the Snake River

The Tetons and the Snake River Ansel Adams photo courtesy Library of Congress
On a sunny day the Tetons seem ageless and constant. Stand by a river during the spring run-off and listen to the clack as one stone tumbles over another. Hike a mountain trail in the summer and see the tops of sub-alpine fir broken by an avalanche the previous winter. Watch the clouds build along the crest as you race a thunderstorm down from Paintbrush Divide on a summer afternoon. Witness the re-growth of grasses, wildflowers, and sapling lodgepole pines following a fire. Soon you begin to realize that the park is constantly changing.

Some of these forces are incredibly powerful and their impact is easily and readily observed. Some, however, work on a time-scale imperceptible to our understanding, but change the landscape in no less dramatic a fashion. Some changes are the result of natural processes and some are the result of human actions. It is certain, however, that change is a constant in the Teton Range.


Related Information

Greater Yellowstone Inventory and Monitoring Network
The Greater Yellowstone Inventory and Monitoring Network (GRYN) is one of 32 NPS inventory and monitoring networks created to provide oversight, planning, and consistency in monitoring the long-term health of the nation’s parks. The parks of the GRYN include Yellowstone National Park, Grand Teton National Park, John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Memorial Parkway, and Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area.
ParkNet U.S. Department of the Interior FOIA Privacy Disclaimer FirstGov