The TRAVELER'S JOURNAL: December twenty-eighth, with the essential Grand Tetons.

Other mountain ranges may be larger, higher and snowier than this string of pointed peaks that tower 6000 precipitous feet over the Snake River in northwest Wyoming, but few of them are as perfectly proportioned. Standing alone, with no intervening foothills to block the view, the Tetons seem to have been created in a single geological stroke, fully formed in the ideal of steep, stony mountains.

Named Les Trois Tetons, the three teats, by early French-Canadian trappers, Grand, Middle and South Teton lie in the middle of a 310,000 acre National Park. The valley they define is called Jackson Hole, with its booming town, airport and popular ski area. The Tetons attract lovers of the outdoors to hike, bike, camp and paddle. Sound rock and steep, long routes from easy to advanced have made the Tetons a cradle of North American mountaineering and climbing.

These human activities share the Tetons with herds of bison, elk, moose, antelope, bighorn sheep, along with black and grizzly bears and at least two packs of wolves, who have migrated from Yellowstone in the north or Jedediah Smith Wilderness to the west. All told, the area has 18 million acres of semi-wild country, enough to show what nature once was and, in the 21st century, may just be again.

This issue of National Geographic Traveler, a supporter of our program, presents the essential Grand Tetons, the first of a series of insider's guide to the National Parks. Six local experts and a portfolio of topo maps and photography provide the insight and direction to make the most of any Teton visit.

FMI For Grand Teton National Park information 307-739-3300 or www.grand.teton.national-park.com

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