The new multi-use pathway in Grand Teton National Park is scheduled to make its debut this Saturday, May 23. Bikers, rollerbladers and other nonmotorized recreationalists will be able to check out the eight-mile stretch meandering through the park.

The mulitmillion-dollar pathways project is partially funded by federal money secured by the late Sen. Craig Thomas, a Repulican from Wyoming. The section that opens on Saturday is the first in what designers plan as a continuous loop connecting downtown Jackson with the national park.

The paved pathway did not come without its fair share of controversy. Some locals and nonresidents criticized the project as adding more asphalt to a scenic and wild national park. Advocates for the project say it will increase the opportunity for more people to enjoy the Teton Range.

We met up with Jackie Skaggs to talk about the project. (We even jumped on the start of the trail, but don’t tell anyone.) Check out our conversation in this video.

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Grand Teton National Park officials received a super-sized Earth Day present when the National Park Service announce Wednesday that it would be receiving some $18.8 million in stimulus funds to begin a remodel of the Moose complex buildings and other projects.

The money comes as part of a total of $750 million allotted for 800 National Park Service projects across the country through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

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Grizzly bear. Photo by Latham Jenkins/circumerrostock.com

The Greater Yellowstone area’s grizzly bear population is being threatened by hunters and climate change, a recent Associated Press story reports.

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Bear No.399's two cubs near the Oxbow Bend in Grand Teton National Park. Photo by Gary Pollock, NPS.

Jackson Hole’s grizzly and black bear populations have begun to stir around after a long winter’s nap with at least one grizzly already spotted around the Craig Thomas Discovery and Visitor Center in Grand Teton National Park.

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Renny Jackson. photo courtesy of Grand Teton National Park

The way Renny Jackson sees it, scamming climbers spirited the evolution of advanced search and rescue techniques in Grand Teton National Park.

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The heated blogging about Stephen Koch’s firing from Exum Mountain Guides has reached a national audience. Last week after The Associated Press picked up the story from the Jackson Hole News and Guide, Outside magazine’s online version posted a retelling of the story on their blog, and readers weighed in.

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Grand Teton National Park will be featured on a new $0.98 stamp from the U.S. Postal Service. The stamp will be released sometime on or before May 11, the day the post office increases its rates to $0.44 for regular mail, according to a press release from the postal service.

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Yellowstone National Park has joined the ranks of Grand Teton National Park in greening their guest services among other things, according to a story in the Casper Star-Tribune.

Park officials tell the paper that they are adopting ecofriendly initiatives and sustainability program after urgings from the Department of Interior. Devil’s Tower National Park is also jumping on the bandwagon.

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