Sight · Grand Teton National Park
A spring-fed beaver pond with a 1920s sawmill story.
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
Sawmill Ponds: Wildlife and an Old Lumber Mill“You’re approaching Sawmill Ponds Overlook, a quick roadside stop above a spring-fed beaver pond and marsh.”
Plays as you drive up to Sawmill Ponds Overlook 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
Sawmill Ponds Overlook is a roadside viewpoint over a spring-fed beaver pond and marsh near Moose. It's a quick stop for a close look at wetland habitat and local history, not a guaranteed wildlife sighting. Dawn and dusk are the best times to look for animals. A parking area serves the overlook. It is listed as wheelchair accessible, though the route surface and grade aren't specified.
Al Young moved his sawmill to the marsh near Moose in 1923, producing lumber for buildings in the area. He operated beside a spring-fed beaver pond until Grand Teton became a national park in 1929. The name remembers that early local sawmill.
Moose, waterfowl, beavers, and other wildlife use these wetlands. For a photo, if the branch-built lodge is visible, frame it low with reeds and water in front and wooded hills behind; that shows how it sits in the wetland.
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
EasyMurie Ranch Trail1.1 mi · 45 min · 1 mi awayA flat, wooded walk to a landmark of conservation history.
EasyMenor's Ferry Trail0.4 mi · 45 min · 1.2 mi awayA riverside loop visits a replica of Jackson Hole’s historic ferry.
ChallengingBlacktail Butte Peak Trail6.1 mi · 4 hr · 2.1 mi awayA steep climb earns a broad Teton view from an open ridge.
ChallengingStatic Peak Divide Trail16 mi · 10 hr · 2.2 mi awayA full-day climb to a high pass above Alaska Basin.
EasyPhelps Lake Overlook2 mi · 1.5 hr · 2.2 mi awayA short climb to a high view over Phelps Lake
ModeratePhelps Lake Trail from Death Canyon Trailhead3.7 mi · 2.5 hr · 2.2 mi awayA lake overlook and shore stop, with a steep climb back.
ChallengingDeath Canyon-Static Peak Divide Junction Trail7.7 mi · 6 hr · 2.2 mi awayA steep canyon walk to iron-stained cascades and an alpine patrol cabin.
ChallengingOpen Canyon to Mount Hunt Divide14.8 mi · 10 hr · 2.2 mi awayA full-day climb from a lake overlook into high alpine country.Sight · 0.5 mi awayMurie RanchA ranch home where the Muries helped shape modern conservation.
Visitor center · 1 mi awayCraig Thomas Discovery & Visitor CenterStart with the map, stay for the mountain reveal inside.
Sight · 1.2 mi awayChapel of the TransfigurationThe altar window frames the Tetons from inside.
Sight · 1.2 mi awayMoose Landing Boat LaunchThe park’s main Snake River take-out and hand-launch.
Sight · 1.3 mi awayMenors Ferry Historic DistrictSee how a simple ferry linked the early valley.
Food · 1.4 mi awayDornansFuel, groceries, and a meal share a stop with Teton views.
Scenic pullout · 1.7 mi awayWindy Point TurnoutA quick view of the central Tetons, with pathway access.
Scenic pullout · 1.8 mi awayAlbright View TurnoutA Teton pullout with a worthwhile Horace Albright story.Parkwolf’s Grand Teton ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
