The Grand Teton Lodge Company (tel. 800/628-9988 or 307/543-3100 for reservations, tel. 307/543-2811 for information; www.gtlc.com) runs half- and full-day bus tours of Grand Teton ($33 adults, $16 children 3-11) and Yellowstone ($52 adults, $30 children 12-16; free for those under 12) from late May to early October, weather permitting.
The Teton Science Schools, P.O. Box 68, Kelly, WY 83011 (tel. 307/733-4765; www.tetonscience.org), has an excellent curriculum for students of all ages, from integrated science programs for junior-high kids to adult seminars covering everything from botany to astronomy. Classes take place at the newly renovated Stokes Family Learning Center in Kelly, and younger students can stay on-site in log cabins for some of the programs. The school's Wildlife Expeditions (tel. 800/WILD-567 or 307/773-2623; www.wildlifeexpeditions.org) offers tours that bring visitors closer to the park's wildlife. These trips range from a half-day to a week, covering everything from bighorn sheep to the wolves of Yellowstone.
Within the park, there are several interesting ranger programs. These include a ranger-led 3-mile hike from the Colter Bay Visitor Center to Swan Lake, as well as a relaxed evening chatting with a ranger on the deck of the Jackson Lake Lodge while you watch for moose and birds through a spotting scope. There are numerous events during the summer at Colter Bay, South Jenny Lake, and the Moose Visitor Center. Check the daily schedules in the park's newspaper, The Teewinot, which is available at any visitor center.
From Moose, rangers lead visitors out to the "lek" -- the mating ground of the strutting grouse, whose males' displays are dramatic, to say the least, during the springtime mating season. In winter, guided snowshoe hikes begin at the Moose Visitor Center.
At the Taggart Lake trail head, there are wildflower walks led by rangers who can tell you the difference between lupine and larkspur, daily in June and July, and guided morning hikes to Hidden Falls from Jenny Lake (you take the boat across the lake), among other activities.
Youngsters 8 to 12 can join Young Naturalist programs at Colter Bay or Jenny Lake and learn about the natural world for 2 hours while hiking with a ranger. Signups are at the visitor centers (the fee is a mere $1), and the kids will need basic hiking gear.
There are also evening campfire gatherings at the Gros Ventre, Jenny Lake, Signal Mountain, Lizard Creek, and Colter Bay campground amphitheaters on a variety of park-related topics.
