Jenny Lake in Teton County, Wyoming — The American West (Mountains)
Cascade Canyon
Grand Teton National Park
Jagged peaks tower above Cascade Canyon reminding us that powerful Pleistocene glaciers carved this canyon and sculpted this range. From the shores of Jenny Lake, venture through forest communities, wetlands along Cascade Creek, high meadows filled with wildflowers, and up to the rocky windswept slopes of the alpine community. Both forks of the Cascade Canyon once held glaciers. Schoolroom Glacier clings to a cliff at the head of the south fork, while Lake Solitude fills a glacial cirque at the head of the north fork.
Alpine conditions are harsh. During the brief summer, splashes of colorful wildflowers accent bare rock. Winter brings deep snow, sub-zero temperatures and winds gusting to more than 100 miles per hour.
< Sidebar : >
American Pika
Many animals migrate or hibernate during winter, but pikas gather grass during summer to store as haystacks under rocks for winter forage. Yellow-bellied marmots, however, hibernate up to nine months of the year.
Alpine Forget-me-not
Small, dense mounds of cushion plants grow slowly between rocky outcrops storing nutrients for years before blooming.
Erected by National Park Service.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Natural Features.
Location. 43° 46.389′ N, 110° 42.73′ W. Marker is in Jenny Lake, Wyoming, in Teton County. Marker is on Teton Park Road, on the right when traveling south. Marker is located at the Cascade Canyon Turnout in Grand Teton National Park. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Moose WY 83012, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Fault Scarp (approx. 0.2 miles away); Jenny Lake (approx. 0.4 miles away); The Cathedral Group (approx. 1.2 miles away); a different marker also named The Cathedral Group (approx. 1.2 miles away); The Park’s First Visitor Area (approx. 1.6 miles away); The Crandall Studio (approx. 1.6 miles away); Capturing Dudes (approx. 1.6 miles away); A Lake Named Jenny (approx. 1.6 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Jenny Lake.
More about this marker. A photograph of Cascade Canyon appears on the marker. The sidebar features pictures of a pika and forget-me-nots.
Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on September 7, 2015, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. This page has been viewed 338 times since then and 8 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on September 7, 2015, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey.