Jenny Lake: what it is and how people actually do it

Jenny Lake sits inside the fee area, so what gets you there is the ordinary vehicle pass — currently $35 and valid seven days — and not a ticket to the lake. There is no reservation and no timed entry. One thing worth clearing up straight away: neither of the river trips sold here goes anywhere near it. Both floats run on the Snake River, which is a different body of water and launches outside the fee area. The lake is a driving-and-walking stop, and it appears on the wildlife itineraries as one. The fee figure is current at the time of writing and the NPS fee page is where to check it.

What it isA lake inside the park

AccessThe vehicle pass

ReservationNone

Timed entryNone

Floats sold hereSnake River, not Jenny

On tour itinerariesYes

How people do it

They drive to it and they walk from it. It is one of the named stops on a Grand Teton morning, usually late in the loop after the valley floor at dawn, Oxbow Bend and the Mormon Row barns. Guided wildlife tours from Jackson take it in; so does anybody with a car and a pass. I am not going to print trail distances or shuttle timetables here, because those change and the park publishes the current version. What I can tell you is that nothing about the lake requires a booking, and that the earlier you arrive the easier the whole thing is.

The float confusion

People search for a Jenny Lake boat trip and find a Snake River float, book it, and are surprised. The two floats on this site — 7-mile and 13-mile — are scenic river trips with Teton views, and the shorter one launches outside the fee area entirely, which is also why neither includes park entry. If a river morning is what you want, they are good at it and they are set out on the floats page. If the lake is what you want, drive there on your pass — the fee stack is on the entrance fee page.

What works

Covered by the same vehicle pass as the rest of the park, with nothing to book
A named stop on the guided wildlife itineraries out of Jackson
Works as a self-drive stop on any of your seven pass days

Worth knowing

The floats sold here are on the Snake River, not on this lake
Arriving late in the day is the mistake people make most often
Non-residents still owe the per-person surcharge to be in the park at all

Insider tip

Treat the lake as the calm end of a wildlife morning rather than the start of it. The animals are out on the valley floor at first light, and the lake is still there at nine.

Check Snake River float dates

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Frequently asked questions

Do I need a ticket for Jenny Lake?

No. It is inside Grand Teton, so the ordinary vehicle pass covers it. There is no separate ticket, no reservation and no timed entry.

Is the Snake River float the same as a Jenny Lake boat trip?

No, and this is the most common mix-up here. Both floats sold on this site run on the Snake River, and the shorter one launches outside the park fee area — the detail is on the floats page.

Do guided tours stop at Jenny Lake?

The wildlife itineraries out of Jackson take it in, usually towards the end of the morning after the valley floor and the barns.