Picnic area · Grand Teton National Park
Picnic tables, the Manges cabin and fall aspens below the Tetons
Overview
Map
Plan your stop
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Grand Teton Tour Guide
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Grand Teton National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Grand Teton audio tourRecorded for this place
Cottonwood Creek: Lunch beside the Pack Meadow“You're coming up on Cottonwood Creek Picnic Area, where five tables sit among cottonwoods above the creek. If you've brought lunch, this is an easy place to break the drive.”
Plays as you drive up to Cottonwood Creek Overlook and Picnic Area in the Parkwolf Grand Teton Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
“…We have been driving around with the audio tour and it has been informational and spot on. The whole family has been impressed. We used it for Yellowstone and Grand Teton.”
Guide
Cottonwood Creek Overlook and Picnic Area is a small roadside stop on Teton Park Road, just north of the Moose Entrance Gate. Five picnic tables sit among cottonwoods above the creek, and there is a vault toilet. The multi-use path passes the turnout too. It makes an easy lunch break or a short pause on the drive.
A fenced meadow lies across the road, with the park's pack animals kept there in summer when they're not in the backcountry. The Jimmy Manges cabin stands beyond the meadow. It is thought to be the first two-story cabin in the valley. Please don't feed or touch the horses and mules.
The classic scene brings together the cabin, the pack-animal meadow and Grand Teton. In fall, golden aspens on the moraine above the cabin make the foreground; frame the cabin and stock beneath the mountain if you stop for a photo. The creekside cottonwoods give the place its name.
Wildlife
172 sightingsGrizzly BearMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
195 sightingsBrown BearMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
32 sightingsGray WolfMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
1,816 sightingsMooseMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
614 sightingsBisonMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
738 sightingsElkMost seen around 7 PMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Grand Teton. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
Keep exploring
EasyTaggart Lake - Beaver Creek Loop3.8 mi · 2.5 hr · 0.3 mi awayA 3.8-mile lake loop with a moraine climb and creekside return.
EasyTaggart Lake Trail3 mi · 1.5 hr · 0.3 mi awayA mellow climb through aspens to a lake under the Tetons.ModerateTaggart Lake–Bradley Lake Loop5.6 mi · 2.8 hr · 0.3 mi awayTwo alpine lakes and a ridge walk beneath the high Tetons.
ChallengingDelta Lake Trail7.6 mi · 6 hr · 2.7 mi awayA steep boulder climb to turquoise water below the Tetons.
ChallengingGarnet Canyon Trail8.2 mi · 5 hr · 2.7 mi awayA steep approach to a boulder field below Middle Teton.
EasyMenor's Ferry Trail0.4 mi · 45 min · 2.7 mi awayA riverside loop visits a replica of Jackson Hole’s historic ferry.
ChallengingBlacktail Butte Peak Trail6.1 mi · 4 hr · 2.9 mi awayA steep climb earns a broad Teton view from an open ridge.
EasyMurie Ranch Trail1.1 mi · 45 min · 3.1 mi awayA flat, wooded walk to a landmark of conservation history.
Lodging · 0.6 mi awayGrand Teton Climbers’ RanchA rustic climbers’ base with shared bunks and Teton views.
Sight · 1.1 mi awayTeton Glacier TurnoutA roadside chance to spot the park’s largest glacier.
Sight · 1.3 mi awayTaggart LakeA three-mile hike ends at a glacial lake under the Tetons.
Sight · 1.4 mi awayLucas-Fabian HomesteadA homestead stop with Teton views and a 58-year-old climber's story.
Scenic pullout · 1.4 mi awayWindy Point TurnoutA quick view of the central Tetons, with pathway access.
Sight · 1.5 mi awayBradley LakeA second alpine lake with a strong view of Garnet Canyon.
Sight · 1.7 mi awayBar BC Dude RanchWalk among cabins from Jackson Hole's early dude-ranch era.
Sight · 2.7 mi awayBlacktail Ponds OverlookPatient scanning may pay off with moose or elk.Parkwolf’s Grand Teton ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
