National Parks Traveler | The Grand Teton National Park Foundation

If you’ve spent time in the National Park System, you’ve seen a mix of conditions in terms of a park’s infrastructure. Some are in great condition, some not so great. Recently my wife and I had the opportunity to stop by Grand Teton National Park and the Jenny Lake area. The trails that lead around the lake and up onto the flanks of the Tetons are in wonderful condition. But it wasn’t always so.

When the Civilian Conservation Core built the original trails and overlooks, they weren’t expecting millions of feet to pound them each year. Fortunately, the Grand Teton National Park Foundation stepped up to help the National Park Service raise millions of dollars to pay for projects at the Jenny Lake area as a gift for the National Park Service’s centennial. But that’s just one example of how the Foundation has been able to help Grand Teton National Park. This year is the foundation’s 25th anniversary, and we have president Leslie Mattson with us to discuss the work the foundation has accomplished.