GRAND TETON NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. — The Jenny Lake Rangers, Grand Teton National Park’s (GTNP) elite search and rescue team, are alerting park visitors to multiple, spontaneous rockfall events that occurred in the Tetons over the Fourth of July weekend.
The Jenny Lake Rangers wrote via social media that most notably, a large part of the Second Tower on the Grand Teton has collapsed. Consistent, intermittent rockfall was observed by multiple parties for at least 48 hours following the event, which was believed to have occurred on Saturday, July 5. At this time, it is not known if the East Ridge climbing route has been impacted. A large debris field is visible from the valley on the Teepe Glacier.
Additionally, there was a large boulder that tumbled across the winter route up to the Lower Saddle.
“While we know that freeze-thaw cycles can contribute to rockfall, and such events have been observed with higher frequency in recent years, these events remain highly unpredictable,” Jenny Lake Rangers wrote. “The best mitigation is to limit your exposure, minimizing the time you spend under areas that may be more prone to rockfall.”
A significant portion of the Second Tower also collapsed in the fall of 2022, according to the Jenny Lake Rangers.
The search and rescue team are advising park visitors to exercise caution while hiking in areas of recent rockfall, because areas with fallen debris can be more active.
