Grand Teton is the highest mountain in
Wyoming's
Grand Teton National Park, and a classic destination in American mountaineering. Grand Teton, at 4,199 m, is the high point of the Teton Range, and the second highest peak in the U.S. state of Wyoming. The mountain is entirely within the
Snake River drainage basin, which it feeds by several local creeks and glaciers. The Teton Range is a subrange of the Rocky Mountains, which extend from southern Alaska to northern New
Mexico.
Grand Teton's name was first recorded as Mount Hayden by the Washburn-Langford-Doane Expedition of 1870. But by 1931, the name Grand Teton Peak was in such common usage that it was recognized by the USGS Board on Geographic Names. Another shift in usage led the Board to shorten the name on maps to Grand Teton in 1970.
Climbing Routes
Grand Teton can be climbed via the Owen-Spalding route. However, it is highly exposed and experience is recommended. The Owen-Spalding route is named for the climbers who claim to have made the first: William Owen, Franklin Spalding, Frank Peterson, and John Shive. There is some debate as to which person made the first ascent, but many agree this group was the first. Their route begins at the Upper Saddle which is reached by walking from Lupine Meadows Trailhead, up
Garnet Canyon, to the Lower Saddle.
Ski Descent
The Grand Teton has been skied by three routes, each requiring at least one rappel. The first descent on skis was made by Bill Briggs in the spring of 1971 down the Ford Couloir; a route near the Owen-Spalding is now named in his honor. This descent required a free rappel, which was completed with skis on. More casually, skiing is possible from the crest of the saddle between the Grand and the
Middle Teton, continuously into the valley floor.
Elevation: 13,775 ft.
