Backcountry Permits -- If you want to sleep in the Yellowstone or Grand Teton backcountry, you have to get a permit, follow limits for length of stay and campfires, and stay in a designated area. The permit is free if you pick it up at the park during the final 48 hours before you begin your trip or on the day of your trip. Or, you can reserve a site by paying a $15 fee to Grand Teton or $20 to Yellowstone. If you wish to make a reservation, you must do so in writing, and you still need to pick up your permit in person upon your arrival in the park. Yellowstone reservations can be made starting on April 1 of the current year and are generally not accepted after early November. In Grand Teton, you can reserve a permit from January 1 to May 15; thereafter all permits are first come, first served. If you're going during the parks' busy season, you'd be wise to make a reservation.
In Grand Teton, permits are issued at the Moose and Colter Bay visitor centers and the Jenny Lake Ranger Station. For a $15 fee, reservations can be made from January to mid-May by writing the Permits Office, Grand Teton National Park, P.O. Box 170, Moose, WY 83012. Phone reservations are not accepted, but information is available by calling tel. 307/739-3602.
Boating Permits -- For motorized craft in Yellowstone, the cost is $20 for annual permits and $10 for 7-day permits. Fees for nonmotorized boats are $10 for annual permits and $5 for 7-day permits. Boating permits are required for all vessels. Motorized boating is restricted to designated areas. Boating is prohibited on all of Yellowstone's rivers and streams except for the Lewis River Channel, where hand-propelled vessels are permitted. (Annual Yellowstone permits are good for a week in Grand Teton, and vice versa.) The fees are the same in Grand Teton, where powerboaters are permitted on Jenny, Jackson, and Phelps lakes; nonmotorized boats are allowed on most park lakes and the Snake River. Sailboats, windsurfers, and jet skis are allowed only on Jackson Lake. U.S. Coast Guard-approved personal flotation devices are required for each person boating.
Fishing Permits -- In Grand Teton, State of Wyoming fishing licenses are required for anyone older than 13 years of age. An adult nonresident license costs $10 per day and $75 for the season. Youth fees (ages 14-18) are $3 per day and $15 for the season. A $10 Conservation Stamp is also required for all licenses except the 1-day variety. The river season generally opens April 1 and ends on October 31; Jackson Lake is closed all of October.
