Parking
Park at the Craig Thomas Discovery and Visitor Center in Moose. The trail access begins just south of the center entrance. Park admission applies; there is no separate activity fee for this hike.
Overview
About Murie Ranch Trail
Why go
- A flat, short walk ends at a meaningful historic site.
Heads up
- The narrow dirt path is a short destination walk, not a substantial hike.
Murie Ranch Trail is a 1.1-mile out-and-back from Craig Thomas Discovery and Visitor Center to the historic Murie Ranch. The trail is flat but narrow, with about 50 feet of gain; allow 30 to 60 minutes for the walk, plus time at the ranch. It’s a good choice for an easy dose of local history, not a big mountain hike.
Parkwolf’s verdictAn easy walk with a worthwhile destinationMap & elevation
The route
Loading the Grand Teton map
Full mapElevation6,447–6,463 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
2 active Grand Teton alerts
- ClosureConstruction closures and delaysConstruction is causing current road and area closures and delays across Grand Teton; use the signed Taggart Trail detour. - Moose-Wilson Road is closed between Moose and Laurance S.Official details
- ClosureJackson Lake boat ramps closed; Signal launch riskColter Bay and Leeks boat ramps are closed; Signal Mountain Boat Ramp is open, but water is below the ramp edge and loose cobbles make launching risky.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Grand Teton Tour Guide
Your drive to Murie Ranch Trail, narrated.
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 trailhead
Murie Ranch: Cabins Behind the Wilderness Movement0:00 / 0:33
“Murie Ranch is ahead, a cluster of log cabins where conservationists helped shape the movement behind the Wilderness Act of nineteen sixty-four.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Grand Teton Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Craig Thomas Center: Maps and Mountain Views
- Moose Landing: Float-Trip Access
- Dornans: A Meal with a Homestead Story
- Chapel of the Transfiguration and Menors Ferry
- 118 audio storiesacross Grand Teton’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Grizzly Bear, Brown Bear, Gray Wolf, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 70 trails, 121 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“…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.”
Trail guide
Hiking Murie Ranch Trail
Follow the path through woods and meadowStart at the trail access just south of the visitor-center entrance and follow the dirt path to…
Start at the trail access just south of the visitor-center entrance and follow the dirt path to the ranch. It winds through forest with small meadow openings, then you return the same way. The mapped corridor is about 0.56 mile each way; 1.1 miles is the full return walk. The narrow tread is the main thing to know before setting out.
A home at the center of conservation historyThe ranch is a National Historic Landmark district of 17 cabins at the meeting of sage, forest,…
The ranch is a National Historic Landmark district of 17 cabins at the meeting of sage, forest, and riparian habitats. Mardy and Olaus Murie bought the former STS dude ranch in 1945 and made it their home and a gathering place for conservationists. The Wilderness Society’s western headquarters met here for two decades, and the ranch is closely tied to the movement behind the Wilderness Act of 1964.
Give the ranch a little timeVisitors can explore the historic grounds.
Visitors can explore the historic grounds. Host-led tours run seasonally from June through September; ask at the visitor center for the current schedule. Pets aren’t allowed on the trail. There’s no separate activity fee, though Grand Teton’s park entrance fee applies.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Grand Teton
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.
