GRAND TETON NATIONAL PARK

spectacular glaciated mountain region in northwestern Wyoming, U.S. In 1950 most of Jackson Hole National Monument (a fertile valley) was incorporated into the park, which was established in 1929 and now covers 484 square miles (1,254 square km). The snow-covered peaks of its Teton Range (q.v.) reach a height of 7,000 feet (2,100 m) above the nearby Snake River valley. The range, whose highest peak, Grand Teton, is 13,766 feet (4,196 m) above sea level, began as a gigantic fault block uplifted from the Earth's crust; it is traversed by great glaciers that have slowly crunched their way down the stream-cut canyons. Melting as they reached the bottom, they deposited their cargo of rock and debris into accumulations known as moraines. These are often forested with the sharp-pointed Engelmann spruce and with straight, tall lodgepole pines. These woody stands line the shores of frigid glacial lakes of varying sizes that dot the region. The best known of these is Jenny Lake, but there are others, such as Leigh, String, and Bradley lakes, some of which are fed from roaring torrents. The largest body of water in the park, Jackson Lake, is formed by a dam across the Snake River. The streams abound in fish, while herds of buffalo, elk, and antelope roam at will. Throughout the warmer months a succession of different varieties of wildflowers appear, some beginning their bloom while still underneath the snow.