Grand Teton in winter.

The highway you can drive.

The park's main roadways, US 89/191 and US 26/287, are plowed and open for winter travel from the town of Jackson to Flagg Ranch, just south of Yellowstone. That highway runs past Jackson Hole Airport, the only commercial airport inside a national park, where Alaska, American, Delta, and United fly all year. Driving in from Idaho Falls, NPS gives a choice of Teton Pass or the Snake River Canyon, depending on season, vehicle size, and driving experience.

Two park roads close on a schedule. The Teton Park Road is closed to cars November 1 to April 30 from Taggart Lake Trailhead to Signal Mountain Lodge, and the Moose-Wilson Road closes November 1 until mid-May. Antelope Flats, Deadmans Bar, Grassy Lake, Pilgrim Creek, Schwabacher, and Two Ocean roads close seasonally based on conditions. Every road's dates, and the 2026 construction closures, are on our Grand Teton road closures page.

NPS says park roads are often snow-covered and icy. Use winter or all-season tires, carry tire chains for mountain passes, and keep a winter safety kit in the car. For real-time road status NPS points to WYDOT: call 1-888-WYO-ROAD, dial 511 from a cell phone, or check wyoroad.info. Gas is pay at the pump at Dornans, Signal Mountain, Jackson Lake Lodge, and Headwaters Lodge at Flagg Ranch, and the Flagg Ranch convenience store is open December to February. Restrooms or portable toilets are at Dornans, Taggart Lake Trailhead, Signal Mountain Lodge, Jackson Lake Lodge, Colter Bay Visitor Center, and Headwaters Lodge at Flagg Ranch.

Flagg Ranch is as far north as the plowed highway goes. Yellowstone closes its roads to motorized vehicles in winter, except Mammoth Hot Springs to Cooke City, so there is no winter drive on through its South Entrance. Our Yellowstone in winter page covers that trip.

Skiing and snowshoeing.

From November 1 to April 30 the Teton Park Road between Taggart Lake Trailhead and Signal Mountain Lodge is open for non-motorized use only. NPS grooms it now and then to pack a surface for snowshoeing and cross-country touring, from mid-December to mid-March per the park roads page. Once the road is snow covered, bikes and fat tire bikes are not allowed. Leashed pets (six-foot leash at most) can use the unplowed Teton Park Road and Moose-Wilson Road, as well as plowed roads and parking areas.

NPS also names Colter Bay, Antelope Flats Road, Taggart Lake, and Flagg Ranch for skiing and snowshoeing; its skiing and snowshoeing page has more. In September 2026, NPS listed the Taggart Lake Trailhead and Trail as only partly open for construction, so check the NPS alerts page before you count on starting there. To ski or snowshoe the Moose-Wilson Road, park at the Granite Canyon Trailhead. NPS also suggests the Death Canyon Road junction, but Death Canyon Road is closed to all use for a rebuild that runs to June 2027, so ask before you count on that spot.

Snowshoe with a Ranger ran Tuesdays and Thursdays from January 6 to March 12, 2026, with phone reservations at 307-739-3399 opening December 1. The walks cover 1 to 2 miles with little or no elevation gain, snowshoes are provided, and children must be 8 or older. NPS had not posted dates for winter 2026-27 when we checked in September 2026, so look at the NPS winter page before you plan around a walk.

Snowmobiling is limited in Grand Teton and the John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Memorial Parkway. Grassy Lake Road, west of Flagg Ranch, is unplowed in winter and opens to oversnow use by snowmobiles, skiers, snowshoers, and hikers once NPS decides there is enough snow; the NPS snowmobiling page has the rules. For an overnight trip, free winter backcountry permits come by phone: the Permits Office at 307-739-3309, Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., or on weekends and holidays the Teton Interagency Dispatch Center at 307-739-3301, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

If you head into the backcountry, plan for avalanches. NPS tells winter backcountry travelers to check the local avalanche forecast and avoid known avalanche paths, and says skiers and climbers in avalanche terrain should carry, and know how to use, a beacon, probe, and shovel. For current conditions call the U.S. Forest Service avalanche report at 307-733-2664 or read the Bridger-Teton Avalanche Center forecast. Cold is the other risk: NPS warns that hypothermia and frostbite can set in quickly and are hard to treat in the backcountry. Hypothermia comes from exposure to cold and gets worse with wind, exhaustion, and wet clothing, so watch your group for uncontrollable shivering, incoherent speech, lethargy, and exhaustion.

Winter is hard on animals, and harassing wildlife is prohibited. If an animal is in your path, retrace your steps or detour. Seasonal and temporary closures protect wintering moose, elk, bighorn sheep, and waterfowl, so check the NPS wildlife closures page for the latest closures and maps before you set out.

Where to sleep.

Plan to sleep outside the park. Apart from the gas, restrooms, and Flagg Ranch store above, NPS says all concession facilities, including lodging, campgrounds, restaurants, and stores, are closed until spring, and it points to the Jackson Hole Chamber of Commerce for lodging in the Jackson Hole area. The one exception to ask about is Triangle X Ranch: the NPS lodging page lists it as open mid-May through mid-October and also for peak winter season, with details by phone. No park campground is open, and car camping or sleeping in your vehicle in pullouts, parking areas, or picnic grounds is not allowed. Overnight parking at trailheads needs a backcountry permit. Our Grand Teton camping page has the summer campground seasons.

Park visitor centers and ranger stations close for winter and reopen between March and May. The Craig Thomas Discovery and Visitor Center in Moose closes for winter too: the winter page says it opens May through October, and the park's 2026 hours page lists April 10 to October 31. The National Elk Refuge and Greater Yellowstone Visitor Center, in the town of Jackson, is open year-round. For trip planning, rangers answer 307-739-3399 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday to Friday.

How quiet winter really is.

December is the quietest month at Grand Teton, averaging about 49,000 recreation visits against 732,000 in July. November runs 7% of July's visits, December 7%, and January through March 8% to 9%.

So is Grand Teton worth visiting in winter? Yes, if you want the range under snow, far fewer people on the highway than in summer, and a day on skis or snowshoes on a road closed to cars. It is the wrong season if you want to drive the Teton Park Road, sleep in a park lodge or campground, or stop at a park visitor center. Read the best time to visit Grand Teton page to see how winter compares with the shoulder months.

Daylight and cold.

On December 21 the sun rises at 7:53 a.m. and sets at 4:49 p.m. at Moose, per the U.S. Naval Observatory, which leaves 8 hours 56 minutes of daylight. By March 21 sunset is 7:37 p.m., on daylight time. Plan ski days to finish well before dark.

NOAA 1991-2020 normals at the Moran 5WNW station (USC00486440, 6,805 ft), near Jackson Lake, put January's average high at 24°F and low at 1°F, with about 40 inches of snow in each of December and January. Treat those as preview numbers: we have not finished reviewing that station for this park. For its ranger snowshoe walks NPS asks for warm waterproof boots, layers, sunscreen, water, and snacks, which is a good kit for any winter outing here.

Common questions.

Is Grand Teton National Park open in winter?

Yes. The park is open 24 hours a day, year-round. The main highway, US 89/191 and US 26/287, is plowed from Jackson to Flagg Ranch. The Teton Park Road is closed to cars November 1 to April 30 and open to skiers and snowshoers, and nearly all park lodging, the campgrounds, and park visitor centers close for the season.

Is Grand Teton colder than Yellowstone?

At the NOAA stations we use, yes. Moran, in Grand Teton at 6,805 feet, averages a January high of 24°F and a low of 1°F. Mammoth, in Yellowstone at 6,194 feet, averages 31°F and 12°F (1991-2020 normals). Those are single stations, not whole parks, and the Moran numbers are a preview. See Yellowstone in winter for that park.

Where these facts come from

Winter access, ski and snowshoe areas, Snowshoe with a Ranger, snowmobiling, gas, restrooms, the Flagg Ranch store, visitor centers, backcountry permits, avalanche and hypothermia guidance, wildlife and pet rules, and the closure of concession lodging come from the NPS Winter in Grand Teton page (last updated February 12, 2026). Road closure dates, grooming dates, the plowed highway, the bike rule, winter driving advice, and WYDOT come from the NPS park roads page; the Death Canyon Road rebuild from the NPS road construction page. Triangle X Ranch's season comes from the NPS lodging page; the car camping rule from the NPS camping page; the 24-hour, year-round opening and the Craig Thomas center's 2026 dates from the NPS hours page; the Taggart Lake construction status from the NPS alerts and conditions page; the Teton Pass choice from the NPS directions page; Jackson Hole Airport's location from the NPS Jackson Hole Airport page, and its year-round airlines and distance to town from the airport's FAQ. Sunrise and sunset come from the U.S. Naval Observatory for 2026 in local clock time. Temperatures and snowfall are NOAA 1991-2020 normals at Moran 5WNW (USC00486440), a preview station; the Yellowstone comparison uses Mammoth (USC00489905). Road lines are OpenStreetMap geometry routed by OSRM (© OpenStreetMap contributors). Crowd numbers are five-year monthly means (2021 to 2025) of recreation visits from the NPS Visitor Use Statistics Data Package on NPS IRMA Stats. Independent site, not affiliated with the National Park Service.