Jenny Lake
Jenny Lake was the first area developed for recreation in Grand Teton National Park. Since the early 1900s, Jenny Lake has been a popular place for hiking, boating, swimming and photography. Today, this area holds many reminders of the past.
Jenny Lake’s pristine water and jagged scenery captivated visitors before the establishment of Grand Teton National Park. Recognizing an opportunity, homesteader and entrepreneur Charles J. Wort established a summer boat business in the 1920s through the U.S. Forest Service. He built a boathouse to store his tour boats during the winter. Kenneth Reimer took over operations in 1935 and built a residence near the boathouse. National Park Service designers oversaw construction of this cabin. The boat concessioner still uses these buildings as a summer residence and for storage.
In 1990, South Jenny Lake is redeveloped; roads were removed or realigned and building moved. In 1994, Harrison Crandall’s studio is moved to its current location and restored for use as the Jenny Lake Visitor Center. It rapidly becomes one of the busiest visitor centers in the park.
