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Grand Teton National Park to Begin Closures After Labor Day in Five Major Areas

As anticipated, Grand Teton National Park will be closing portions of the park to complete necessary repairs to crucial roadways and waterways. The repairs will begin after Labor Day, Monday, September 5, and will cover the following five areas: Jackson Lake Dam, Jenny Lake Scenic Drive, Laurance S. Rockefeller Preserve Access Road, Moose-Wilson Road and Signal Mountain Summit Road. All of the construction is a part of a road improvement project that will hopefully improve the safety and experience of Grand Teton tourists.

For future fall visitors, this may mean that they will have to adjust their itineraries before entering Grand Teton National Park. In the meantime, here are the changes you can expect from these portions of the national park.

Jackson Lake Dam Boat Launch

  • Closing date: September 6
  • Reopening date: tentative spring 2023

According to the national park’s release, “The Jackson Lake Dam Boat Launch area in Grand Teton National Park (located below the dam on the north side) will close to all access, including boating, fishing, and parking, beginning September 6.”

The multi-year project will improve river access points along the Snake River. Crews will continue working through spring 2023 in order to finish phase two of the “Snake River Gateways Project.”

Jenny Lake Scenic Drive

  • Closing date: September 12
  • Reopening date: September 17

Among the shorter closures to occur at Grand Teton National Park is the Jenny Lake Scenic Drive which park officials claim will only be off-limits to the public for less than a week. From September 12 to September 16, the Jenny Lake One-way Scenic Drive will undergo “road striping operations occur to improve cyclist safety in the area.”

The park also stated that the project is “contingent on dry weather and closure dates may change.” Crews will also install new road signs this fall.

Grand Teton National Park Road Closures Includes Major Roadway Moose-Wilson Corridor

Laurance S. Rockefeller Preserve Access Road

  • Closing date: September 26
  • Reopening date: September 30

Similar to Jenny Lake Scenic Drive, the Laurance S. Rockefeller Preserve Access Road will only be unavailable for a short time. From September 26 to September 30, crews will be overlaying the roadway with new asphalt.

Moose-Wilson Road

  • Closing date: September 6
  • Reopening date: partial reopening December to March 2023

The largest component of the national park-wide construction project is the Moose-Wilson Road improvements which will span from Granite Canyon Entrance to the Laurance S. Rockefeller Preserve. In this area, the park will create greater access to the trails. This includes Granite Canyon, Marion Lake and the Teton Crest Trail.

During the closures, visitors can access the Grand Teton Village trails by parking in the Ranch Lot and walking or taking the shuttle to the base area.

Signal Mountain Summit Road

  • Closing date: September 14 at 8 a.m.
  • Reopening date: September 15 at 8 a.m.

The shortest closure to occur will be on Signal Mountain Summit Road which will allow “safe transport of a new radio tower to the top of Signal Mountain.”

This new radio tower is vital to communications during emergency situations.