When to Go

When to Go

In July and August all the roads, trails, and visitor centers are open, and the Snake River's float season is in full swing. To have full access to services without competing with peak use by summer visitors, plan a trip between May and June or September and October.

The lowest rates and smallest crowds can be found in spring and fall, but services and roads are more limited. Grand Teton Lodge Company, the park's major outfitter, winds down its activities in September, and most of Teton Park Road closes from late October through early May.

Towns just outside the park rev up in winter. Teton Village and Jackson both buzz with the energy of Snow King Resort and Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, the former being the older of the two, also conveniently in town, and the latter an international skiing hot spot deep in the valley. (Prices, accordingly, rise along with the hotel occupancy rates.) Because of this onslaught of skiers, U.S. Highway 26/191/89 stays open all winter.