GRAND TETON NATIONAL PARK is located in northwestern Wyoming. The Park consists of approximately 310,000 acres and includes the major peaks of the 40-mile (64 km) long Teton Range. Only 10 miles south of Yellowstone National Park, the two parks are connected by the National Park Service managed by John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Memorial Parkway. These 3 protected areas in conjunction with surrounding National Forests constitute the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, which at almost 18,000,000 acres, is one of the largest intact mid-latitude temperate ecosystems in the world.

Human history of the Grand Teton region dates back at least 11,000 years, when the first nomadic hunter-gatherer Paleo-Indians would migrate into the region during warmer months in pursuit of food and supplies. In the early 19th century, the first Caucasian explorers encountered the Eastern Shoshone natives. Between 1810 and 1840, the region attracted various fur trading companies which vied for control of the lucrative beaver fur. U.S. Government explorations to the region commenced in the 1870s as an offshoot of exploration in Yellowstone and shortly thereafter it became a National Park.