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Grand Teton National Park is on track for its busiest year since 2021

A big lake with waves on it, with a few forested islands in the distance and tall mountains with a light dusting of snow in the background.
Hannah Habermann
/
Wyoming Public Media
The view of Jackson Lake from Leeks Marina in Grand Teton National Park in November.

This story is part of our Quick Hits series. This series will bring you breaking news and short updates from throughout the state.

More than 3.5 million people made their way to Grand Teton National Park between January and October this year. It’s the second busiest year in the park’s history, behind nearly 3.9 million visitors in 2021.

This year, there was a bigger bump in visits during the shoulder season months, including April, May and October. More people got out on hiking trails this summer than ever before, and more cars came through the Moose Entrance as two fires affected Highway 26/287 east of the park.

Grand Teton National Park is figuring out how to respond to these sorts of changes in when and how people come to visit. They sought out public comment about the park’s future this summer and are currently reviewing those responses.

The agency also recently asked for input on how to improve visitors’ experiences at the Taggart Lake trailhead, a popular year-round stop that’s struggled with overflowing parking, insufficient bathrooms and significant erosion.

Hannah Habermann is the rural and tribal reporter for Wyoming Public Radio. She has a degree in Environmental Studies and Non-Fiction Writing from Middlebury College and was the co-creator of the podcast Yonder Lies: Unpacking the Myths of Jackson Hole. Hannah also received the Pattie Layser Greater Yellowstone Creative Writing & Journalism Fellowship from the Wyoming Arts Council in 2021 and has taught backpacking and climbing courses throughout the West.

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