Active Pursuits

Biking

Bikes are banned from all hiking trails in the park, and on the paved roads below. The problem is safety -- there are huge RVs careening about, and some roads have only narrow shoulders. Construction has widened Teton Park Road a bit, but traffic on it is still heavy. Instead, road bikers should try Antelope Flats, beginning at a trail head a mile north of Moose Junction and going east. Sometimes called Mormon Row, this paved route crosses the flats below the Gros Ventre Mountains, past old ranch homesteads and the small town of Kelly. It connects to the unpaved Shadow Mountain Road, which actually leaves the park and continues into national forest, climbing through the trees to the summit. After a total distance of 7 miles and an elevation gain of 1,370 feet, you'll be looking at Mount Moran and the Tetons across the valley.

Mountain bikers have a few more options: Try Two Ocean Lake Road (reached from the Pacific Creek Rd. just north of Moran Junction) or the River Road, a 15-mile dirt path along the Snake River's western bank. Ambitious mountain bikers might want to load their overnight gear and take the Grassy Lake Road, once used by Indians, west from Flagg Ranch on a 50-mile journey to Ashton, Idaho.

Books and maps with bicycle routes are available at visitor centers, or from Adventure Sports, at Dornan's in the village of Moose (tel. 307/733-3307), which is inside the boundaries of Grand Teton National Park. You can also rent mountain bikes here, $32 for a full day and $22 for half a day, as well as road and performance bikes for a few dollars more. Children's bikes are also available.

Boating

If you bring your own boat, you must register it: For human-powered craft, it's $10 for 7 days, or $20 for a yearlong permit; motorized skippers pay $20 for 7 days and $40 for an annual permit, which you can buy at the Colter Bay and Moose visitor centers. Boat and canoe rentals, tackle, and fishing licenses are available at Colter and Signal Mountain Lodge (tel. 307/543-2831). Rental fees are $28 per hour for motorboats; kayaks, canoes, pontoon boats, and deck cruisers are also available. Signal Mountain also offers guided half-day sailboat tours for $280 for two people.

Motorized boats are allowed on Phelps, Jackson, and Jenny lakes, but on Jenny Lake the motor can't be over 8 horsepower. Only human-powered vessels are permitted on Emma Matilda, Two Ocean, Taggart, Bradley, Bearpaw, Leigh, and String lakes. Rafts, canoes, dories, and kayaks are allowed on the Snake River within the park. No boats are permitted on Pacific Creek or the Gros Ventre River.

Scenic cruises of Jackson Lake are conducted daily by the Grand Teton Lodge Company (tel. 307/543-2811; www.gtlc.com). Breakfast cruises run Saturday through Thursday and dinner cruises run Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Both depart from the Colter Bay Marina from May to September. You'll travel to Elk Island, where they cook up a pretty good meal: trout and steak for dinner, and pancakes and eggs for breakfast. The scenic trips are 1 1/2 hours long, and cost $21 for adults and $10 for kids 3 to 11; the meal cruises are twice that length and run $33 (breakfast) or $55 (dinner) for adults, and $21 or $33, respectively, for kids 3 to 11.

Jenny Lake Boating Company (tel. 307/734-9227; www.jennylakeboating.com) takes visitors on scenic cruises in Jenny Lake; the cost is $14 adults, $7 children. The tours are scheduled throughout the day and last about an hour. Reservations are strongly recommended. The company also rents kayaks for $12 an hour or $60 a day.

Additionally, you can rent kayaks and canoes at Adventure Sports at Dornan's in the town of Moose (tel. 307/733-3307), which is in the boundaries of Grand Teton National Park. Rentals run $10 an hour or $46 per day.

Climbing

Mountaineering in Grand Teton is wildly popular, but it's important to stay within the limits of your skill level. Every single year, there are rescues of climbers who fall or get trapped on Teton rock faces, and many years there are fatalities. Yet the peaks have a strong allure for climbers, even inexperienced ones, perhaps because you can reach the top of even the biggest ones in a single day, albeit not without a serious workout. The terrain is mixed, speckled with snow and ice even in midsummer -- knowing how to self-arrest with an ice axe is a must -- and the weather can change suddenly. The key is to get good advice, know your limitations, and, if you're not already skilled, take some lessons at the local climbing schools. If you go without a professional guide, you should have experienced companions who know the mountain.

Climbers who go out for a day do not have to register or report to park officials, but they should be sure to tell friends where they're going and when they'll be back. Overnight climbers must pick up a free permit. Climbing rangers who can lead rescue efforts are on duty at the Jenny Lake Ranger Station at South Jenny Lake from late May to late September. The American Alpine Club provides inexpensive dormitory beds for climbers at the Grand Teton Climbers' Ranch (tel. 307/733-7271; www.americanalpineclub.org). A pair of long-standing operations offer classes and guided climbs of Grand Teton: Jackson Hole Mountain Guides in Jackson (tel. 800/239-7642 or 307/733-4979; www.jhmg.com) and Exum Mountain Guides in Moose (tel. 307/733-2297; www.exumguides.com). Expect to pay around $500 to $600 for a guided 2-day climb of Grand Teton or $125 to $150 for a class.

The Jenny Lake Ranger Station (tel. 307/733-3392), which is open only in summer, is the center for climbing information; climbers are encouraged to stop in and obtain information on routes, conditions, and regulations.

Fishing

The lakes and streams of Grand Teton are popular fishing destinations, loaded with lively cutthroat trout, whitefish, and mackinaw (lake) trout in Jackson, Jenny, and Phelps lakes. Jackson has produced some monsters weighing as much as 50 pounds, but you're more likely to catch fish under 20 inches, fishing deep with trolling gear from a boat during hot summer months.

The Snake River runs for about 27 miles in the park and has cutthroat and whitefish up to about 18 inches. It's a popular drift-boat river for fly fishermen. If you'd like a guide who knows the holes, try Jack Dennis Sports (tel. 800/570-3270 or 307/733-3270; www.jackdennis.com), Triangle X Float Trips (tel. 307/733-2183; www.trianglex.com), or Westbank Anglers (tel. 800/922-3474 or 307/733-6483; www.westbank.com). The going rate is $425 for a full day for two people. Signal Mountain Lodge (tel. 307/543-2831) offers guided half-day trips on motorized craft in Jackson Lake for one or two people for $250. As an alternative, stake out a position on the banks below the dam, where you'll have plenty of company and just might snag something. While special fishing permits are issued by the Park Service in Yellowstone, a Wyoming fishing license is required of anglers in Grand Teton (nonresident $11 for 1 day, $76 for season; $3 per day, $15 per season for youngsters 14-18; no license required for kids under 14). An $11 Conservation Stamp is also required for all licenses except the 1-day variety.

Float Trips

The upper end of the Snake River in the park can be deceptive -- its smooth surface runs fast during the spring, and there are deadly snags of fallen trees and other debris. Without a local guide or past experience, you might want to think twice about dropping your personal raft in. Check in with rangers, and let them discourage you if they think your skills might not match the river. There are plenty of commercial-rafting outfitters that will help you get acquainted. If you want white water, there are a dozen commercial outfitters offering white-water trips down Snake River Canyon, outside the park.

The park's 27-mile stretch of river attracts all sorts of wildlife, with moose, eagles, and other animals coming to the water's edge. There are many commercial float operators in the park that generally run trips from mid-May to mid-September (depending on weather and river flow conditions). These companies offer 5- to 10-mile scenic floats, some with early-morning and evening wildlife trips. Try Solitude Float Trips (tel. 888/704-2800 or 307/733-2871; www.grand-teton-scenic-floats.com), Barker-Ewing Float Trips (tel. 800/365-1800 or 307/733-1800; www.barkerewingscenic.com), Grand Teton Lodge Company (tel. 307/543-2811; www.gtlc.com), or Signal Mountain Lodge (tel. 307/543-2831; http://signalmountainlodge.com). Scenic float trips cost about $50 for adults, with discounts for children under 12.

Horseback Riding

Horseback riding is as popular in Grand Teton as it is in Yellowstone. The Grand Teton Lodge Company (tel. 307/543-2811; www.gtlc.com) offers tours from corrals at Colter Bay and Jackson Lake Lodge. Guided trail rides run $33 to $48; breakfast or dinner rides are $63 per adult and $53 per child. An experienced rider might find these tours too tame; wranglers refer to them as "nose and tail" tours.

Winter Sports & Activities

Park facilities pretty much shut down during the winter, except for a skeleton staff at the Moose Visitor Center, and the park shows no signs of becoming a winter magnet, a la Yellowstone. That may be just as well -- you can enjoy some quiet, fun times in the park without the crowds.

Winter Road Conditions

Teton Park Road opens to conventional vehicles and RVs around May 1. The Moose-Wilson Road opens to vehicles about the same time. Park roads close on November 1 for the winter season. They are open to snowshoers and cross-country skiers after mid-December.

Sporting Goods & Equipment Rentals

Jackson has enough sporting equipment places to keep everyone in Wyoming outfitted. The Jack Dennis Outdoor Shop, on the south side of Town Square (tel. 800/570-3270 or 307/733-3270; www.jackdennis.com), has all the skis and outdoor clothing you can possibly need. Teton Mountaineering, 170 N. Cache St. (tel. 800/850-3595; www.tetonmtn.com), is the equipment shop of choice for the knowledgeable and advanced skier or ice climber; Hoback Sports, 520 W. Broadway Ave. (tel. 307/733-5335; www.hobacksports.com), is another good option. Skinny Skis, at 65 W. Deloney Ave. off the Town Square (tel. 888/733-7205 or 307/733-6094; www.skinnyskis.com), is a year-round specialty sports shop focusing on Nordic skiing. For a great supply of seconds (same quality of material as "firsts"), stop at Moosely Seconds (tel. 307/739-1801) in Moose.

Cross-Country Skiing

You can ski flat or steep in Grand Teton; the two things to watch out for are hypothermia and avalanches. As with climbing, know your limitations, and make sure you're properly equipped. Check with local rangers and guides for trails that match your ability. Among your options is the relatively easy Jenny Lake Trail, starting at the Taggart Lake Parking Area, about 13km (8 miles) of flat and scenic trail that follows Cottonwood Creek. A more difficult ski is the Taggart Lake-Beaver Creek Loop, a 5km (3.1-mile) route that has some steep and icy pitches coming back. About 6.5km (4 miles) of the Moose-Wilson Road -- the back way to Teton Village from Moose -- is unplowed in the winter and is an easy trip through the woods. You can climb the windy unplowed road to the top of Signal Mountain -- you might encounter snowmobiles -- and have some fun skiing down. There is an easy ski trail from the Colter Bay Ranger Station area to Heron Pond -- about 4km (2.5 miles), with a great view of the Tetons and Jackson Lake. Get a ski trail map from the visitor centers.

Snowmobiling

Snowmobiling is a popular winter option. The main roads in Grand Teton are groomed, providing access to trails in the nearby Bridger-Teton National Forest, the area to the immediate east of Grand Teton National Park, and to the Continental Divide Trail, which runs 320 miles through the Rockies.