The

canyon A canyon (from ; archaic British English spelling: ''cañon''), or gorge, is a deep cleft between escarpments or cliffs resulting from weathering and the erosion, erosive activity of a river over geologic time scales. Rivers have a natural tenden ...

s of the

Teton Range The Teton Range is a mountain range of the Rocky Mountains in North America. It extends for approximately in a north–south direction through the U.S. state of Wyoming, east of the Idaho state line. It is south of Yellowstone National Park and ...

lie almost entirely within

Grand Teton National Park Grand Teton National Park is an American national park in northwestern Wyoming. At approximately , the park includes the major peaks of the Teton Range as well as most of the northern sections of the valley known as Jackson Hole. Grand Teton Na ...

in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...

Wyoming Wyoming () is a U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the south ...

. Ranging from to less than in length and up to deep, the canyons were carved primarily by

glacier A glacier (; ) is a persistent body of dense ice that is constantly moving under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its Ablation#Glaciology, ablation over many years, often Century, centuries. It acquires dis ...

s over the past 250,000 years. The canyons in the Teton Range descend in altitude generally west to east and many have lakes at their outlets. The lakes were created by

terminal moraine A terminal moraine, also called end moraine, is a type of moraine that forms at the terminal (edge) of a glacier, marking its maximum advance. At this point, debris that has accumulated by plucking and abrasion, has been pushed by the front edge ...

s left behind by the now retreated glaciers. A few of the canyons have small glaciers that were created mostly during the

Little Ice Age The Little Ice Age (LIA) was a period of regional cooling, particularly pronounced in the North Atlantic region. It was not a true ice age of global extent. The term was introduced into scientific literature by François E. Matthes in 1939. Ma ...

(1550-1850). Fast retreating

Schoolroom Glacier Schoolroom Glacier is a small glacier in Grand Teton National Park in the U.S. state of Wyoming. This Teton Range glacier lies adjacent to the south Cascade Canyon trail at an altitude of , approximately from the trailhead at Jenny Lake. The gl ...

is a tiny glacier located at the head of the South Cascade Canyon. Most of the canyons have streams from which rain and snowmelt flow towards

Jackson Hole Jackson Hole (originally called Jackson's Hole by mountain men) is a valley between the Gros Ventre and Teton mountain ranges in the U.S. state of Wyoming, near the border with Idaho, in Teton County, one of the richest counties in the Unite ...

valley, and due to the sometimes rapid altitude descent,

waterfall A waterfall is a point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf. Waterfalls can be formed in several wa ...

s are common. The canyons offer the easiest

hiking Hiking is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century.AMATO, JOSEPH A. "Mind over Foot: Romantic Walking and Rambling." In ''On Foot: A Histor ...

access into the Teton Range.

Teton Range canyons within Grand Teton National Park

Webb Canyon Webb Canyon is located in Grand Teton National Park, in the U. S. state of Wyoming. The canyon was formed by glaciers which retreated at the end of the last glacial maximum approximately 15,000 years ago, leaving behind a U-shaped valley. Webb Cany ...

is long and originates at several alpine lakes near the western boundary of Grand Teton National Park. Moose Creek flows through the canyon and empties into Jackson Lake. * Colter Canyon is long and originates north of Ranger Peak. * Waterfalls Canyon is long. Several cascades near the head of the canyon descend from an unnamed lake. *

Snowshoe Canyon Snowshoe Canyon is located in Grand Teton National Park, in the U. S. state of Wyoming. The canyon was formed by glaciers which retreated at the end of the last glacial maximum approximately 15,000 years ago, leaving behind a U-shaped valley. Sno ...

has a north and south fork. This long canyon lies between

Eagles Rest Peak Eagles Rest Peak () is in the northern Teton Range, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming Wyoming () is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota a ...

and

Rolling Thunder Mountain Rolling Thunder Mountain () is in the northern Teton Range, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming Wyoming () is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South D ...

to the north and

Raynolds Peak Raynolds Peak () is in the northern Teton Range, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming Wyoming () is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and ...

Traverse Peak Traverse Peak () is in the northern Teton Range, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming. The mountain rises abruptly above Moran Canyon to the south and the south fork of Snowshoe Canyon to the north. From Moran Bay on Jackson Lake, the south slope ...

and

Bivouac Peak Bivouac Peak () is in the northern Teton Range, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming Wyoming () is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Ne ...

to the south. * Moran Canyon is long and is situated south of Raynolds Peak, Traverse Peak and Bivouac Peak and north of

Mount Moran Mount Moran () is a mountain in Grand Teton National Park of western Wyoming, USA. The mountain is named for Thomas Moran, an American western frontier landscape artist. Mount Moran dominates the northern section of the Teton Range rising above ...

. The canyon outlet is at Moran Bay on Jackson Lake. *

Leigh Canyon Leigh Canyon is located in Grand Teton National Park, in the U. S. state of Wyoming. The canyon was formed by glaciers which retreated at the end of the last glacial maximum approximately 15,000 years ago, leaving behind a U-shaped valley. Leigh Ca ...

is long and lies between Mount Moran to the north and

Mount Woodring Mount Woodring () is located in the Teton Range, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming. The mountain is immediately west of Leigh Lake and is sandwiched between Paintbrush Canyon to the south and Leigh Canyon to the north. The best access to the sum ...

to the south. The canyon outlet is at

Leigh Lake Leigh Lake is located in Grand Teton National Park, in the U. S. state of Wyoming. The glacially formed lake is wide and long from north to south. Situated just southeast of Mount Moran, the lake is at the terminus of both Paintbrush and Leigh Ca ...

. * Paintbrush Canyon is long and the canyon outlet is near Leigh Lake. The popular but very strenuous Paintbrush-Cascade Loop hike traverses through the canyon. *

Hanging Canyon Hanging Canyon is located in Grand Teton National Park, in the U. S. state of Wyoming. The canyon was formed by glaciers which retreated at the end of the last glacial maximum approximately 15,000 years ago, leaving behind a U-shaped valley. Hangi ...

is a long canyon which is immediately south of Mount Saint John. *

Cascade Canyon Cascade Canyon is located in Grand Teton National Park, in the U.S. state of Wyoming. The canyon was formed by glaciers which retreated at the end of the last glacial maximum approximately 15,000 years ago. Today, Cascade Canyon has numerous ...

is long and splits into the North Cascade and South Cascade canyons from its outlet at

Jenny Lake Jenny Lake is located in Grand Teton National Park in the U.S. state of Wyoming. The lake was formed approximately 12,000 years ago by glaciers pushing rock debris which carved Cascade Canyon during the last glacial maximum, forming a terminal mo ...

. The canyon is more than deep in places as the north slopes of Mount Owen and

Grand Teton Grand Teton is the highest mountain in Grand Teton National Park, in Northwest Wyoming, and a classic destination in American mountaineering. Geography Grand Teton, at , is the highest point of the Teton Range, and the second highest peak in t ...

tower above the canyon. One of the most visited canyons in Grand Teton National Park, Cascade Canyon can be accessed by trail via a loop hike around Jenny Lake or a boat shuttle which provides easier access to Inspiration Point and the nearly cascade known as Hidden Falls. Schoolroom Glacier is located at the head of the South Cascade Canyon while Lake Solitude lies at the end of the North Cascade Canyon. *

Valhalla Canyon Valhalla Canyon is located in Grand Teton National Park, in the U. S. state of Wyoming. The canyon was formed by glaciers which retreated at the end of the last glacial maximum approximately 15,000 years ago, leaving behind a U-shaped valley. Valh ...

extends northward from the northwestern slopes of Grand Teton and ends within Cascade Canyon. Grand Teton Death Canyon WY1

Garnet Canyon Garnet Canyon is located in Grand Teton National Park in the U.S. state of Wyoming. The canyon was formed by retreating glaciers which reached their last glacial maximum around 15,000 years ago. While Garnet Canyon is a less popular destination ...

is long and is the most commonly used canyon by mountaineers to access the upper slopes of Grand Teton,

Middle Teton Middle Teton () is the third-highest peak in the Teton Range, in the U.S. state of Wyoming. Located within Grand Teton National Park, the peak is immediately southwest of Grand Teton, from which it is separated by a broad high ridge at , known to ...

and other peaks of the

Cathedral Group The Cathedral Group is the group of the tallest mountains of the Teton Range, all of which are located in Grand Teton National Park in the U.S. state of Wyoming. The Cathedral Group are classic alpine peaks, with pyramidal shapes caused by glaci ...

. The terminal moraine at the outlet of Garnet Canyon impounds

Bradley Lake Bradley Lake is located in Grand Teton National Park, in the U. S. state of Wyoming Wyoming () is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and ...

. *

Avalanche Canyon Avalanche Canyon is located in Grand Teton National Park, in the U. S. state of Wyoming. The canyon was formed by glaciers which retreated at the end of the last glacial maximum approximately 15,000 years ago, leaving behind a U-shaped valley. To ...

is long. Both Snowdrift Lake and Lake Taminah are within the canyon.

South Teton South Teton () is the fifth-highest peak in the Teton Range, Grand Teton National Park, in the U.S. state of Wyoming. The peak is south of Middle Teton and just west of Cloudveil Dome and is part of the Cathedral Group of high Teton peaks. The T ...

and Cloudveil Dome are to the north and

Mount Wister Mount Wister () is located in the Teton Range, Grand Teton National Park, in the U.S. state of Wyoming. The peak is located west of Taggart Lake and to the south of Avalanche Canyon. The mountain is named after famed author Owen Wister Owen W ...

is to the south of the canyon. The terminal moraine at the outlet of Avalanche Canyon impounds

Taggart Lake Taggart Lake is located in Grand Teton National Park, in the U. S. state of Wyoming. The natural lake is located at the terminus of Avalanche Canyon. A number of hiking trails can be found near the lake including a roundtrip hike commencing from ...

. *

Death Canyon Death Canyon is located in Grand Teton National Park, in the U.S. state of Wyoming. The canyon was formed by glaciers which retreated at the end of the last glacial maximum approximately 15,000 years ago, leaving behind a U-shaped valley. The trai ...

is a popular hiking destination. More than long, the canyon provides access from Phelps Lake to the Teton backcountry region. * Open Canyon is long and extends from Mount Hunt to Phelps Lake. *

Granite Canyon Granite Canyon is located in Grand Teton National Park, in the U. S. state of Wyoming. The canyon was formed by glaciers which retreated at the end of the last glacial maximum approximately 15,000 years ago, leaving behind a U-shaped valley. The ...

is the southernmost canyon in Grand Teton National Park. Granite Canyon is almost long and is flanked to the south by

Rendezvous Mountain Rendezvous Mountain () is a large mountain massif located in the southern Teton Range in the U.S. state of Wyoming. The highest point on Rendezvous Mountain is Rendezvous Peak (). The western and northern flanks of the mountain are in Grand Teton ...

Teton Range canyons outside Grand Teton National Park

* Jensen Canyon is located to the south of Grand Teton National Park in Bridger-Teton National Forest. *

Phillips Canyon Phillips may refer to: Businesses Energy * Chevron Phillips Chemical, American petrochemical firm jointly owned by Chevron Corporation and Phillips 66. * ConocoPhillips, American energy company * Phillips 66, American energy company * Phil ...

is located to the south of Grand Teton National Park in Bridger-Teton National Forest. * Teton Canyon is on the west slopes of the Teton Range and within Caribou-Targhee National Forest. * Darby Canyon is on the west slopes of the Teton Range and within Caribou-Targhee National Forest.

References

{{reflist Canyons and gorges of Grand Teton National Park Canyons and gorges of Wyoming

Teton Range canyons within Grand Teton National Park

Teton Range canyons outside Grand Teton National Park

See also

References