How to Get to Grand Teton National Park: Complete Guide

So, you’ve decided to visit Grand Tetons National Park but aren’t quite sure how to go to Grand Teton National Park.  That’s what this guide is here to help you with.  Here you’ll find all you need to know about how to get to Grand Teton National Park.  Let’s take a look. 

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If you are planning to visit Grand Teton National Park in spring, summer or fall, make your planning easy and stress free with a detailed itinerary. I have 1-, 2-, and 3-day itineraries for Grand Teton that include all the park highlights, give you choices based on your preferred activity level, and take all the stress out of planning your trip. 

Check out the three Grand Teton itinerary options 

Where is Grand Teton National Park? 

Grand Teton National Park is in the northwestern part of Wyoming.  Here’s a quick, but important orientation

The park’s most prominent feature is the Teton Range, which runs north-south and forms the western edge of the park.  There are no roads through the mountains.   

At the foot of the mountains is a string of lakes, and beside them winds the Snake River.  There is an inner road (Teton Park Road) between the lakes and the Snake River.  This road is closed to vehicular traffic in winter. On the eastern side of Snake River is the main through road, Highway 191, which is open all year.  Most of the famous Grand Teton viewpoints are along these two roads. 

North of Grand Teton National Park is Yellowstone National Park and south is the main gateway town of Jackson.  Other towns in the area are Teton Village (a major, upscale ski resort) and Wilson. 

The valley to the east of the mountains (and between the Gros Ventre Mountains that lie further east) is Jackson Hole.   

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How to Get to Grand Teton National Park

OK. Now that you’ve got a basic understanding of the lay of the land, let’s take a look at how to get there. 

Flying into Grand Teton National Park 

The main airport servicing the park is Jackson Hole Airport.  In fact, it’s actually inside Grand Teton National Park, making it the only airport inside a national park in the USA!   

Book a flight to Jackson Hole here 

It’s possible to fly into other airports and drive to Grand Teton National Park.  Read my guide The Nearest Airports to Grand Teton National Park for a comprehensive list and description of all of the relevant airports.

Any of the airports that service Yellowstone National Park, if you combine a trip to Grand Teton with a trip to Yellowstone.  Read my guide to all the airports you can take to Yellowstone for more information on those airports. 

Jackson Hole airport grand teton

Other ways to get to Jackson 

In addition to flying, you can also drive or take a bus to Jackson. 

Driving to Jackson 

The drive from Salt Lake City, Utah is approximately 290 miles/ 466 km and takes 4.5-6 hours.  For driving directions, click here

From Denver, Colorado, it is approximately 550 miles/ 885 km and the drive takes about 8.5-10 hours.  Click here for driving directions. 

Bus to Jackson 

There are bus shuttle services between Jackson and Salt Lake City, Utah; Pocatello, Idaho; and Idaho Falls, Idaho. Check out the Salt Lake Express shuttle service and the Jackson Hole Alltrans shuttle service. 


Visiting Grand Teton National Park from Jackson and from the south 

Let’s look at the most Frequently Asked Questions. 

How to get to Grand Teton National Park from Jackson Hole Airport? 

The easiest way to get from the airport – and get around Grand Teton National Park – is to rent a car to pick up at the airport.  I like to rent a car with rentalcars.com because they have a huge inventory of all the major (and many minor) car rental agencies, so you can easily find the cheapest car on one website. 

>> Find a rental car here 

If you don’t want to rent a car, you can take a tour to visit Grand Teton instead of driving.  Check out the tours available here.  If you do that, you will need to get from the airport to your accommodation. 

>> Book a private transfer from Jackson Hole Airport to Jackson or Teton Village here 

>> Book a private transfer to Jackson Hole Airport from Jackson or Teton Village here 

Car and road Grand teton

What’s the best way to get to Grand Teton National Park from Jackson?  

The best way to get to Grand Teton National Park from Jackson is to drive.  From Jackson, take Highway 191 north out of town.  You’ll pass the National Elk Refuge, go through the Gros Ventre Junction traffic circle and drive past Jackson Hole Airport before arriving at the Moose Junction turnoff. Turn left and the Moose Entrance to Grand Teton National Park is one mile further down the road. 

At Moose, there is a gas station, store, restaurants, accommodations and a national park visitor center. It’s also the start of the 42-mile scenic loop drive through the park. 

How long does it take from Jackson to Grand Teton National Park?  

It takes about 20 minutes from downtown Jackson to the Moose Entrance of Grand Teton National Park. 

How far to Grand Teton National Park from Jackson?  

It’s 13.5 miles from Jackson Town Square to the park’s Moose Entrance. 

How to get to Jenny Lake from Jackson? 

To get to Jenny Lake from Jackson, drive north on Highway North, turn left at Moose Junction and enter the park at Moose Entrance.  Continue along the inner Teton Park Road until you get to the southern Jenny Lake turnoff on the left about 7.7 miles from the park entrance.  This takes you to the Jenny Lake Visitor Center. 

You can also continue north along Teton Park Road past the southern Jenny Lake turnoff for another 3.3 miles and you’ll get to the northern Jenny Lake turnoff.  This takes you to String and Leigh Lakes and then on the southbound, one-way Jenny Lake loop drive that goes along the eastern edge of Jenny Lake. 

Driving Grand Teton National park

How to enter Grand Teton National Park from Yellowstone and the north 

Can you visit Grand Teton and Yellowstone together? 

Yes, the parks are extremely close to each other, so it is very common to visit both national parks on the same trip.   

Read my guides on How Many Days to Spend in Grand Teton National Park and How Many Days to Spend in Yellowstone to work out how long you’ll need. 

How far is Grand Teton from Yellowstone National Park? 

The southern border of Yellowstone National Park is just eight miles north of Grand Teton National Park’s northern edge. 

How to get from Yellowstone to Grand Teton? 

From Yellowstone, head south through Grant Village and continue through the south entrance along Highway 191.  This road enters the park; however, you won’t go through an official park entrance and pay the fee until you get to the Moran Entrance.  In fact, if you take the inner Teton Park Road, you wouldn’t get to an entrance until you EXIT the inner part of the park at the Moose Entrance.  


How to get to the Grand Tetons from the east 

What’s the best entrance to Grand Teton National Park from the east?  If you’re coming from Dubois, Casper, and other points further west along Highway 26, you’ll enter Grand Teton National Park through the Moran Entrance. 

Car and road in fall grand teton national park

Visiting the Grand Teton National Park from the west 

The Grand Tetons range runs north-south and forms the western edge of the national park.  The mountains are not accessible by road from the west.   

If you’re coming from the southwest, for example, Idaho Falls, you come around the southern end of the Tetons Range and enter the area via Jackson.   

You can also turn left at Wilson and take Wilson-Park Road to miss Jackson (and go through Teton Village).  However, even though this is technically a shorter route, this will actually take you longer because it’s a narrow winding road and part of the road is dirt.  It’s also closed to RVs and it’s closed completely in winter.  They are planning to surface the entire road in 2022, which will speed things up a bit.  

You can also drive around the north end of the mountains from Ashton, Idaho and hit Highway 191 just south of Yellowstone, at Flagg Ranch.  This road, the Ashton –  Flagg Ranch Road, is also closed in winter. 

Enjoy Grand Teton National Park! 

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About the Author

James Ian Yosemite

James Ian is a national park, camping and hiking expert.

He has dedicated his life to travel, visiting more than 80 countries, all 7 continents and all of the main national parks in the United States. With over 35 years experience in the travel industry, James has worked on cruise ships, at resorts and hotels, and as a travel planner who’s helped hundreds of people plan successful trips to US national parks. 

Based on his experience visiting our national parks multiple times, in-depth research and expertise as a travel planner, James has published detailed itineraries for most of the major national parks in the US. These itineraries, as well as in-depth park guides, comprehensive camping and hiking gear reviews and buying guides, and helpful packing lists and gift guides will help you have your own incredible trip to US national parks without stress and hassle.

As a national park expert, James has contributed to many publications, including Time Business News, Savoteur, Best Trip, and Wired.

Read more…


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