It wasn't long after the Lewis and Clack Expedition when trappers began to show up in the Grand Tetons area looking for beaver pelts and other fur bearing animals. The basis for fashionable beaver hats during the early 1800s, the idea of western fur trade attracted trappers Jim Bridger, Jedediah Smith, William Sublette, and David Jackson. It was Jackson who's name was given to Teton Valley when he spent the winter of 1829 on the shores of Jackson Lake. A big thanks to John D. Rockefeller, Jr. when a century later the Grand Teton National Park was established, preserving the majestic Grand Teton Range, a beautiful string of lakes and a section of the Snake River.
   National Park visitors, looking for dinner and a place to stay will discover the marvelous views from Jackson Lake Lodge. Here the lodge complex sits up on a rise and offers a perfect view of Willow Flats and the Grand Tetons. One can't imagine a better backdrop for dining room guests.
   This awesome view from Colter Bay Marina gives a good idea of the scenery surrounding Jackson Lake, all capped off by snow-covered mountain peaks and Wyoming's clear valley air. The lake is 15 miles in length and is over 400 feet in depth. One of the largest high altitude lakes in the United States, this scenic setting is already at elevation 6500 feet and still requires visitors to look up to the Grand Tetons.
   One of the first major National Park lodges designed in a modern style of architecture, large picture windows afford extraordinary views from the time of early breakfast through supper. But it's the early morning sun that lights up the Teton Mountain Range, one of the most memorable sights at Grand Teton National Park.

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