Ranger station · Grand Teton National Park
A 1925 homestead cabin still handles climbing questions.
Overview
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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
South Jenny Lake: Shore or Shuttle“You're nearing South Jenny Lake, where you can enjoy the mountain view from a paved lakeshore path or take the seasonal shuttle across the water.”
Plays as you drive up to Jenny Lake Ranger Station 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
Jenny Lake Ranger Station is a small historic log cabin in the South Jenny Lake area, best known today as a base for Grand Teton's climbing rangers. If you're climbing, considering a strenuous Teton route, or camping overnight, ask the rangers about route conditions, safety information, and the permits handled here. Every overnight backcountry stay requires a permit; climbing and mountaineering permits, along with permits for camping in Garnet Canyon, are handled at this station. For maps, exhibits, or a bookstore, use the separate Jenny Lake Visitor Center in the nearby Crandall Studio. From the park road, turn west at Jenny Lake Junction into the South Jenny Lake area.
Lee Manges built this cabin as his homestead near Windy Point in 1925. Rangers moved it to South Jenny Lake in 1930 and made it the park's first ranger station and museum. It was one of the park's earliest visitor facilities, and its individual historic listing dates to 1990. The broader Jenny Lake Ranger Station Historic District covers the surrounding group of buildings and was listed later, in 1998.
The station operates seasonally, so check the current schedule before planning a permit pickup around its service desk. Parking for the wider South Jenny Lake area is limited and can fill in summer. The developed area has restrooms and a general store with snacks and drinks, but those are separate from the ranger station itself.
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
EasyMoose Ponds Loop Trail3.4 mi · 2 hr · 0.1 mi awayWillow ponds and a Lupine Meadows loop under Teewinot’s peaks.
ModerateJenny Lake Loop Trail7.1 mi · 4 hr · 0.2 mi awayThe full-lake loop brings the Cathedral Group into view.
ModerateForks of Cascade Canyon9.4 mi · 7 hr · 1.5 mi awayA high canyon walk whose hardest steps come before the big views.
EasyHidden Falls Trail1 mi · 1.5 hr · 1.5 mi awayA short, rocky climb to a snowmelt-fed waterfall.
ChallengingCascade Canyon to Death Canyon via Static Peak Divide23.4 mi · 16 hr · 1.5 mi awayA high, rugged traverse links Cascade and Death canyons via Alaska Basin.
ChallengingAvalanche Divide Trail20.8 mi · 13 hr · 1.5 mi awayA 20.8-mile alpine out-and-back to the divide below The Wall.
ChallengingLake Solitude Trail15.1 mi · 11 hr · 1.5 mi awayA full-day climb through Cascade Canyon to a high alpine lake.
ModerateInspiration Point Trail1.8 mi · 2.5 hr · 1.5 mi awayA short, steep climb above Jenny Lake to a full Teton panorama.
Store · At the trailheadJenny Lake StoreHandy snacks and outdoor supplies beside the Jenny Lake Visitor Center.
Visitor center · 0.1 mi awayJenny Lake Visitor CenterStep into Crandall’s photo studio before a boat ride or hike.
Sight · 0.1 mi awayTeewinot OverlookSee why Teewinot means “many pinnacles” from the easy lakeshore.
Sight · 0.2 mi awayJenny Lake East Shore Boat DockA ten-minute crossing shortcuts the walk to the west-shore trails.
Campground · 0.3 mi awayJenny Lake CampgroundTent-only camping near Jenny Lake; some sites face the Tetons.
Sight · 1 mi awayMoose PondsA short Jenny Lake walk to moose country.
Sight · 1.1 mi awayJenny Lake OverlookA classic lake-and-canyon view with almost no walking.
Sight · 1.5 mi awayCascade Canyon TurnoutA quick roadside glimpse into glacier-carved Cascade Canyon.Parkwolf’s Grand Teton ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
