Facility Opening Dates for 2009 Summer Season

April 27, 2009
09-20
Superintendent Mary Gibson Scott announced today the official opening dates for facilities throughout Grand Teton National Park and the John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Memorial Parkway for the 2009 season.

Roads
The following roads will open to motorized vehicles on Friday, May 1:
Teton Park Road
Moose-Wilson Road

The Antelope Flats Road reopened to vehicle traffic in mid April. The gravel road and parking area to the Laurance S. Rockefeller Preserve will remain closed to public entry until the road can sufficiently dry out and harden to handle vehicles, and work can be completed on the accessibility trail to the Preserve Center. The Grassy Lake Road, in the John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Memorial Parkway, will open June 1.

Motorists are advised to drive cautiously and be aware that wildlife are migrating throughout the park and crossing roads, especially during dawn and dusk. In addition, springtime repair work may be underway on any park roads. For current information, call the park’s road conditions hotline at 307.739.3614.

Entrance Stations
The Moose, Moran and Granite Canyon entrance stations are open. Fee options include:
$12 -- 7-day permit for foot/bicycle entry into Grand Teton & Yellowstone national parks
$20 -- 7-day permit for motorcycle entry into Grand Teton & Yellowstone national parks
$25 -- 7-day permit for vehicle entry into Grand Teton & Yellowstone national parks
$50 -- Grand Teton/Yellowstone Annual Pass valid for one-year entry into both parks
$80 -- Interagency Annual Pass valid for one year entry to all fee areas on federal lands

Personal checks may not be used for payment at entrance stations, and personal identification is required for entering the park with any pass that requires a signature. Bicyclists are reminded that they must stop and show an entry pass before proceeding through the gates, just as vehicles are required to do.

Visitor Centers
The Craig Thomas Discovery and Visitor Center is open daily, year-round. Other visitor information centers will open on the following dates:
Colter Bay Visitor Center -- May 9
Jenny Lake Visitor Center -- May 15
Jenny Lake Ranger Station -- May 16
Laurance S. Rockefeller Preserve Center -- May 24
Flagg Ranch Information Station -- June 1

Ranger-led activities begin Monday, June 1. An activity schedule can be found in the park's newspaper, Teewinot, or online at www.nps.gov/grte.

Campgrounds
The following campgrounds will open:
Gros Ventre -- May 8
Signal Mountain -- May 8
Jenny Lake -- May 15
Flagg Ranch RV Park -- May 18
Colter Bay -- May 22
Colter Bay RV & Trailer Park -- May 22
Lizard Creek -- June 5

Fees for individual campsites are $19 per night, and hiker/bicyclist camping fees are $7.00 per site, at any of the following concession-operated campgrounds within Grand Teton National Park: Colter Bay, Gros Ventre, and Jenny Lake. Campsites at Lizard Creek campground run $18.00 per night and $20.00 per night at Signal Mountain. All these campgrounds operate on a first-come, first-served basis.

Group sites at Colter Bay and Gros Ventre campgrounds are available by reservation at a cost of $5.00 per person, per night. Reservations may be made by calling either 307.543.3100 or 800.628.9988. Tent sites, including showers, are available at Flagg Ranch Resort for $30.00 per night with a charge of $5.00 for each additional person over two. Reservations for these may be made by calling either 307.543.2861 or 800.443.2311.

Reservations can also be made for RV camping at either Colter Bay or Flagg Ranch RV Parks; additional fees are charged for RV campgrounds with hook-ups.

Camping is also available outside the park in nearby forest areas and at other public and private facilities.

Backcountry campsite reservations may be made until May 15 with a $25 non-refundable fee. Reservations can be made online at www.nps.gov/grte/, by fax at 307.739.3438, or by mail to Grand Teton National Park, Backcountry Permits, P.O. Box 170, Moose, WY 83012. After May 15, all backcountry site permits are issued on a first-come, first-served basis.

Lodging
The following concessioner-operated facilities will open:
Signal Mountain Lodge -- May 8
Flagg Ranch Resort -- May 18
Jackson Lake Lodge -- May 18
Colter Bay Cabins -- May 22
Jenny Lake Lodge -- May 30

For additional information about activities and services within Grand Teton National Park or the John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Memorial Parkway, please visit the park's Web site www.nps.gov/grte, stop by any visitor center and ranger station, or call 307.739.3300.