Teton Crest Trail emergency & health guide: hospitals, rescue, 911 and park rules

Emergency numbers

Phone signal on the Teton Crest Trail is patchy and unpredictable, so the NPS advises a satellite communication device; carry one and know how to send an SOS. Leave your plan with someone at home, check the NPS backcountry and trail conditions page and the forecast before you start, and cross passes early to avoid afternoon thunderstorms.

Rules to know

• Every night inside Grand Teton National Park needs a backcountry permit. In 2026 it costs $20 per permit plus $7 per person per night (refundable up to 5 days before the start); no passes or discounts apply.
• About one third of the quota can be reserved on Recreation.gov: for 2027, from 8:00 am MT on 11 January 2027 for trips between 1 May and 31 October. The rest are walk-up permits, issued in person no more than one day before the start at the Craig Thomas, Jenny Lake or Colter Bay permit desks. Collect a reserved permit by 10 am on your start day or it is cancelled as a no-show.
• Camp only in the zone or site named on your permit. Groups of 1–6 may pitch anywhere between the zone signs, 200 ft (60 m) from water and out of sight of the trail; groups of 7–12 must use group sites. Maximum 2 nights at one site.
• Food, rubbish, toiletries and anything with a smell must be kept in an approved bear-resistant canister day and night; hanging food is prohibited in the park. Permit holders can borrow a canister free. Carry bear spray and keep at least 100 yards (90 m) from bears.
• Campfires are not allowed in any mountain camping zone, nor at Fox Creek Pass, in Alaska Basin or at Sunset Lake. Use a stove.
• Alaska Basin and Fox Creek Pass are in the Jedediah Smith Wilderness (Caribou-Targhee National Forest): no nightly fee, but these nights go on your park permit. Camping is banned within 200 ft of a lake and 100 ft of a stream there.
• Snow: Paintbrush Divide, Hurricane Pass, Fox Creek Pass, Mount Meek Pass and the Sheep Steps can hold steep snow into August. Before late July carry an ice axe and crampons or microspikes and know how to self-arrest, or choose another route.
• Park entrance costs $35 per car or $20 per person on foot (7 days), and from 2026 non-US residents aged 16 and over pay an extra $100 each unless they hold an annual or America the Beautiful pass. The park is cashless.
• Transport: there is no park shuttle. Leave a car at each end, book a taxi or trailhead shuttle, use a ride-hailing app or hitchhike. The Jackson Hole Aerial Tram from Teton Village is a popular shortcut onto the trail (adult summer tickets from $67 in 2026). In 2026 the Death Canyon trailhead is closed for construction.
• Pets and bicycles are not allowed on backcountry trails, and drones may not be flown in the park. Pack out all rubbish and toilet paper, and dig catholes 200 ft (60 m) from water, trails and camps.

Nearest hospital for each stage

Hospitals

Clinics and urgent care

There is no clinic on the trail or at the trailheads. In summer the Grand Teton Medical Clinic beside Jackson Lake Lodge gives emergency and urgent care without an appointment, and St. John's Urgent Care in Jackson (+1 307 739 8999) treats minor injuries. For anything serious go to the St. John's Health emergency room in Jackson (24/7).

Pharmacies, cash and supplies

• Pharmacies:
• ATMs:
• Shops:
• Bus stops:

There is no pharmacy on the trail or at the trailheads, and the US has no duty-pharmacy rota. Buy medicines, a blister kit, water treatment and insect repellent in Jackson before you go; St. John's Health has a pharmacy at 555 E Broadway Ave (+1 307 739 7656). You cannot fly with bear spray, so buy or rent it in Jackson. There is no power on the trail: carry a power bank.

Pharmacies, ATMs, shops and stops: © OpenStreetMap contributors. Hospitals and health centres checked online.