GRAND TETON NATIONAL PARK — This holiday weekend, do a little time traveling.
Grand Teton National Park (GTNP) shared some throwback photos of the Colter Bay visitor area as it gears up for the beginning of a busy summer season.
“Colter Bay Village was designed with visitors in mind,” GTNP shared to social media. “In the 1950s and 60s, a nationwide effort called Mission 66 set out to improve aging park infrastructure ahead of the National Park Service’s 50th anniversary in 1966. Colter Bay Village became the prototype.”
According to the park, the park service worked with the Grand Teton Lodge Company to create a visitor hub that centralized development in one location so the rest of the park could be preserved. The village includes campgrounds, cabins, a visitor center, a marina, restaurants, grocery options, a laundromat, showers, a gas station and modern utilities, originally designed to support the increase in park visitors.
“Today, when you launch a boat, set up camp, or explore the lakeshore at Colter Bay, you’re stepping into a chapter of Park Service history that reflects a turning point in how we plan for visitors and preservation,” GTNP posted. “Next time you visit, take a look around. Mid-century design, big ideas, and a growing love for national parks all came together right here.”
GTNP is encouraging visitors to enjoy Colter Bay this summer as a less-congested alternative to the southern half of the park, which will undergo a suite of road construction projects.
