Quick Facts About The Yellowstone - Grand Teton Loop

• Yellowstone was the world's first national park, created in 1872 -- 18 years before Wyoming became a state.
• Yellowstone - Grand Teton National Park was created in 1929 and greatly expanded in 1950 due to the determined efforts of John D. Rockefeller, who purchased and then donated a great deal of the land that is under protection today.
• Over 60 species of mammals, over 100 species of birds, and a half-a-dozen game fish can be found in the Yellowstone - Grand Teton Loop. Most notable are big game such as elk, moose, bison, deer, antelope, mountain lion, grizzly and black bears, and coyote; rare birds such as the bald eagle, trumpeter swan, blue heron, and osprey; and native game fish such as the Snake River cutthroat trout and mackinaw lake trout.
• Jackson Hole was originally named Jackson's Hole for Davey Jackson, a mountain man who trapped in the area during the late 1800s. "Hole" was a term used in that day to describe a high mountain valley.
• The National Elk Refuge, located just outside the town of Jackson, is the largest established elk preserve in North America. Up to 9,000 elk winter on the refuge and visitors can enjoy close-up views on daily sleigh rides from December through April.
• Some 97% of the 3,826,407 acres in Teton County are federally owned or state managed, including the Grand Teton National Park, the Bridger-Teton National Forest, and the National Elk Refuge. Only 3% of the land in the Jackson Hole area is privately owned.
• The Bridger-Teton National Forest is the largest national forest in the lower 48 states, encompassing 1,694,574 acres.

Unleash Your Imagination In The Yellowstone - Grand Teton National Parks

Discover the wonder and charm of America’s most scenic drives. Use the Top 10 Scenic Drives in the Northern Rockies to plan truly unforgettable Yellowstone - Grand Teton tours.