trail restoration

A420-mile trail system is Grand Teton's recreational centerpiece with popular routes hosting many of this top-ten national park's 3.8 million annual visitors. Whether fly-fishing, kayaking the rivers and lakes, camping, climbing, or shooting photos, the park's trails are the gateway to one of the world's most majestic landscapes and a multitude of outdoor adventures.

Trail conditions have declined dramatically in the past twenty years and will soon reach a critical state. The Foundation's large-scale restoration program will begin in 2012 and will initially focus on the Jenny Lake trail. The project will extend from the parking lot, around the lake, and include the spurs that lead to Hidden Falls and Inspiration Point.

The Jenny Lake restoration will be the park's signature project that honors the National Park Service's 100th anniversary in 2016 and will launch a wider-spread effort that will upgrade Grand Teton's most prominent trails and provide for their long-term care. Jenny Lake is the park's most traveled route and is heavily impacted due to the extensive traffic and limited maintenance it receives each year. Massive erosion and denuded soils have created a dangerous experience for visitors and result in many injuries each summer as well as the degradation of natural resources.

jenny lake trail restoration highlights

• Rebuild over 9 miles of trail and create trail sustainability
• Replace 4 aging bridges and replace/create multiple stone retaining walls
• Incorporate numerous interpretive wayside exhibits
• Rehabilitate thousands of square feet of denuded landscape
• Create a sustainable, low-impact viewing area for Hidden Falls
• Redesign the confusing Jenny Lake complex to provide clear access to the sights