Road plowing along Teton Park Road in Grand Teton National Park is set to begin April 1. (NPS photo – click to enlarge)
From Staff Reports
Grand Teton National Park road crews will begin their annual spring plowing of the Teton Park Road from Taggart Lake parking area to Signal Mountain Lodge on Monday, April 1, 2013.
As plowing operations get underway, recreation on this winter trail will cease for the season. Visitors may continue to use other winter trails, or areas adjacent to the Teton Park Road, for skate-skiing, cross-country skiing, and snowshoeing until conditions are no longer favorable.
For safety reasons, park visitors may not access the Teton Park Road while rotary snow removal equipment and plows are working; the roadway is closed to all users during this time.
Skiers and snowshoers using areas adjacent to the Teton Park Road are cautioned to avoid the arc of snow being blown from the rotary equipment because pieces of ice and gravel can be mixed with the spray. Park rangers will enforce the temporary closure to ensure safe conditions for plow operators and visitors alike.
Depending on weather, snow conditions and plowing progress, the roadway should become accessible to traditional spring activities by mid-April. Once the Teton Park Road opens to non-motorized use, people should be alert for park vehicles that occasionally travel for administrative purposes and for snow plowing operations that continue as a result of late-season snowstorms.
The Teton Park Road will open to vehicle traffic on Wednesday, May 1, 2013.
Due to budget reductions from sequestration, the Moose-Wilson Road, Antelope Flats, Death Canyon and Signal Mountain Summit roads will not be plowed this spring. Vehicles can access these roads once they have naturally melted out and road closure signs are removed. Grassy Lake Road in the John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Memorial Parkway is closed for the winter and will remain closed to all vehicles from April 1 to May 31, due to springtime grizzly bear activity. Although the Grassy Lake Road will be open to vehicles for the 2013 summer season, dispersed campsites and vault toilets along the road will not open due to budget reductions.
Leashed dogs are permitted on the Teton Park Road and other park roads; however they are restricted to roads and turnouts—they are not permitted to travel beyond the roadbeds, into the park’s backcountry, or on the multi-use pathways. Owners are required to keep pets on a leash (six foot maximum length). Dog waste disposal stations are in place at the Taggart Lake parking area and pet owners are required to use these disposal bags.