Grand Teton National Park

The entrance to this famous park is a short drive from Jackson. The park has a fascinating history: John D. Rockefeller, Jr. visited the area in the 1920s and was so taken by its natural beauty that he bought up enough land to create a large ranch for his family and still be able to donate tens of thousands of acres to what became a federal park encompassing some 310,000 acres (or about 485 square miles).

Outdoor types come to hike the 200 or so miles of trails or to scale the 13,770-foot-high Grand Teton, the tallest mountain in the Teton range. Part of the greater Yellowstone ecosystem, the park supports around three hundred species of birds, 61 species of mammals (including bears, mountain lions, coyotes, bison, moose, pronghorn and elk), plus more than two dozen species of fish. Beyond hiking and climbing, park pursuits include fly-fishing, wildlife viewing and kayaking and canoeing.