Idaho State University (ISU) and the National Park Service (NPS) staff will collaborate in the interpretation and documentation of the recreation history of Grand Teton Nation Park, including access and use of the Scenic Snake River Corridor, the Teton Mountain Range, and overall management of outdoor
recreation within Grand Teton National Park (GRTE).
Few previous studies have explored this topic in depth and provided documentation of this important part of the park’s outdoor recreation and management history, making this part of the park’s cultural history difficult to access and interpret.
Consequently, NPS planners and decision-makers are disadvantaged in allocating limited resources to effectively manage the Snake River use and understand its historical background for patterns that may inform current and future decisions about the park.
In addition, increasing visitor use of high elevation resources and mountain peaks also proves to be a challenge for park managers since data collection has decreased over the years.
Visitors and the general public similarly lack an accessible means of viewing spatial and historical information about historic use and management of recreation in Grand Teton for educational and interpretive purposes.