Grand Teton National Park and Jenny Lake

Established in 1929, Grand Teton National Park (GTNP) is known for its iconic landscape of the Teton Range, as well as its glacial lakes that dot its foothills and wildlife that fill the Jackson Hole valley. Jenny Lake, lying at the foot of the mountains, has long been a jumping-off point for visitors eager to explore the park’s many attractions.

Grand Teton National Park (GTNP) is located in northwestern Wyoming and often attracts visitors eager to experience the West’s scenery and “rustic” qualities. Homesteaders entered the area in the 1800s, but soil and climate conditions made it hard to raise cattle and crops. The area turned to outdoor recreation activities as its economic drivers, attracting upper-class East Coasters looking for the authentic “Western” experience. Hurried cabins, saloons, and large advertisements sprang up in the 1920s. The area’s natural environment was in quick danger of overdevelopment when John D. Rockefeller, Jr., emerged on the scene.

            The East Coast philanthropist wanted to protect the Tetons under the model Yellowstone had set in 1872. President Theodore Roosevelt established the Teton National Forest in 1908, but plans of damming lakes and residential constructions still threatened the area. Local ranchers and hoteliers strongly opposed federal encroachment on their ventures. After touring the area in 1926, Rockefeller was determined to conserve the Tetons regardless of political opposition, quietly buying up large plots of land to give to the federal government. President Calvin Coolidge established GTNP in 1929 at half its current size. After some legal and political difficulties questioning the billionaire’s influence, President Franklin D. Roosevelt took Rockefeller’s land and turned it into the Jackson National Monument in 1943. President Harry Truman combined the monument with GTNP in 1950 to complete the park as it is today.

            Although such actions protected the Tetons from rampant development, concessionaires were still permitted to build visitor services. Jenny Lake, the largest undammed lake in the park, was recognized for its natural beauty long before the park was officially created. During the 1920s, Charles J. Wort had already been renting motor and row boats to visitors under a National Forest Special Use Permit. Along with his Jenny Lake operations, Wort had also built lodges across the park. After Congress established GTNP, the National Park Service (NPS) granted him the first concession in Grand Teton and included him in its first Master Plan, which outlined plans for development in the park. After Wort’s death, Kenneth Reimer took over boating concessions on Jenny Lake in 1935. Civilian Conservation Corps crews had developed Jenny Lake’s trail system and west boat dock in the 1930s, encouraging the expansion of shuttle boat services across the lake. Following the “rustic” architectural guidelines set by NPS, Reimer also built a personal residence near Wort’s boathouse.

The Jenny Lake area is still a hub for NPS administration facilities and recreation. Along with other visitor infrastructure in the area, the west boat dock at the mouth of Cascade Canyon has been renovated multiple times over the last century. Most prominently, the Jenny Lake Renewal Project in 2018 improved the west boat dock for easier access to trails and lookouts. Along with rental boats, the current boat concession shuttles mountaineers intent on scaling the range’s world-famous faces, as well as visitors of all backgrounds looking to enjoy Jenny Lake’s scenery. Just as they did in the park’s early days, passengers can step on foot the shuttle, peering up at the towering Teton Range, eager to embark on their adventures. 

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