Jackson Things to Do Tips by KaiM

Mammoth Hot Springs is famous for its limestone terraces. About 50 hot springs are located in the area. Several key ingredients combine to make the Mammoth Hot Springs Terraces: heat, water, limestone, and a rock fracture system through which hot water can reach the earth's surface. Hot water is the creative force of the terraces. The source of the water is rain and snow that seeps deep into the earth. This cold ground water is warmed by heat radiating from the magma chamber before rising back to the surface. A system of small fissures carries water and an acidic solution filled with limestone upward. Once exposed to the open air, limestone can no longer remain in solution. A solid mineral reforms and is deposited as the travertine that forms the terraces.

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Directions: Mammoth Hot Springs is located in the Northern part of Yellowstone National Park. To get there from Jackson you have to drive all the way through Grand Teton National Park and Yellowstone.
Website: http://www.nps.gov/yell/tours/mammoth/

Beside the natural beauty of the hot spring terraces you can also find historical points of interest. The old Fort Yellowstone is located in the small village of Mammoth Hot Springs. And there is a visitor center. By the way, if you walk a few steps north from Mammoth Hot Springs you cross the state border and enter Montana.

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Directions: norther part of Yellowstone National Park
Website: http://www.nps.gov/yell/tours/mammoth/

The landscape of the National Park is dominated by the Teton Range, a 40 miles long mountain front. The highest peak of the the Tetons is Grand Teton with an elevation of 13,770 feet (4198 meters). There are eleven other peaks with an elevation of 12,000 feet and higher. The lowest temperature recorded is -43 degrees Celcius (-46 Fahrenheit) and the park receives an average snowfall of 191 inches (490 cm) each year. But there is a lot more to see in the national park than just mountains and winter scenary. The Snake River cuts through the park and there are seven morainal lakes at the base of the Teton Range: Jackson, Leigh, String, Jenny, Bradley, Taggart, and Phelps. Over 100 alpine and backcountry lakes are also within the park borders. Hiking, snowmobiling, cross-country skiing and of course wildlife watching are the main activities at Grand Teton National Park. Black bears, grizzly bears, mooses, elks, deers, wolves, coyotes, bats, reptiles, amphibians and 300 species of birds can be found in the park.

The photo is a free download from the National Park

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Phone: 307-739-3300
Directions: just north of Jackson, south of Yellowstone
Website: http://www.nps.gov/grte/home.htm
Other Contact: www.grand.teton.national-park.co

Old Faithful is one of the biggest attractions of Yellowstone National Park - and one out of 300 geysirs in Americas oldest National Park. The geysir got its name because of its predictable, regular eruption. The length of the eruption varies from 1:30 to 5 minutes. The average interval between eruptions is 94 minutes. You shouldn't come too close, because water at the vent reaches 204° F / 95.6° C. Old Faithful's height ranges from 106 feet to more than 180 feet, averaging 130 feet. But its average eruption length, height and interval will change again--often as a result of an earthquake. A very informative visitor center is located just 200 yards from the Geysir. At the center you can watch a film about Old Faithful and buy a lot of souvenirs.

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Directions: In the middle of Yellowstone National Park
Website: http://www.nps.gov/yell/home.htm

10,000 years old, 20 miles long, 1000 ft deep, and 2500 ft wide - that is the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. One of the major attractions of Yellowstone National Park. Maybe one driving hour north of Jackson. You can take a good look at the canyon from numerous view points. There are two giant water falls - lower and upper falls. Take a hike down into the canyon to the point where the waters of the Yellowstone River pass the edge and fall down a few dozen feet deeper into the canyon.

The Photo is a free download from the National Park Service.

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Directions: At Yellowstone National Park north of Jackson