August thunderstorm over the Grand Teton Range
| Msgr. Patrick S. Brennan |
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Grand Teton National Park includes the major peaks of the 40-mile-long Teton Range. The park is named for Grand Teton, the tallest mountain in the Teton Range. The naming of the mountains is attributed to French-speaking trappers ("les trios tétons" [the three teats]). Grand Teton (see the peak at left) is 13,775 feet, 850 feet taller than the second highest summit in the range, Mount Owen. Though in a serious state of recession, a dozen small glaciers persist at the higher elevations. Some of the rocks in the park are the oldest found in any American national park and have been dated at nearly 2.7 billion years old.