Grand Teton National Park and the Grand Teton National Park Foundation announced their latest partnership project: $8.5 million in improvements to transform Taggart Lake.
The Reimagining Taggart Lake initiative will enhance one of Grand Teton’s most popular year-round destinations with improved parking, an enhanced visitor plaza and universally accessible trails. The first phases of the initiative have already been completed, with the entire project set for completion by summer 2027.
Leslie Mattson, president of the Grand Teton National Park Foundation, told Cowboy State Daily that this will be the most significant series of improvements at Taggart Lake in several decades. Like a similar series of improvements announced for Mormon Row, the initiative seeks to make Grand Teton more accessible and enjoyable for all visitors.
“It's not unusual for us to raise this sort of money for a project in Grand Teton,” she said. “This initiative is a real improvement for the visitor experience at Taggart Lake and makes it just a little bit easier for everyone to have the high alpine lake experience.”
Too Long For Taggart
Taggart Lake is one of the most popular locations in Grand Teton National Park. According to Mattson, over 65% of first-time visitors will stop at the small lake at the foot of Grand Teton and four miles south of Jenny Lake.
With record-breaking attendance at Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks in the last decade, Taggart Lake’s popularity has steadily increased. However, the infrastructure hasn’t kept up with the visitation.
“The trails are worn,” Mattson said. “There are porta-potties instead of bathrooms. Parking is out of control, with a lot of people parking on the road. It needs a refresh to make it a little bit more welcoming.”
Mattson called Taggart Lake “the gateway to Grand Teton’s backcountry.” She noted that it’s accessible year-round as a popular spot for snowshoeing and backcountry skiing, adding to the need to revamp the area.
“It’s a 12-month-a-year trailhead in the park,” she said. “I've been in this position for 21 years, and there have not been any improvements at Taggart Lake during my time here. It’s overdue for improvements.”
A Modest Proposal
The Reimagining Taggart Lake Initiative has several goals to increase the accessibility and visual integrity of the lake and the multiple trailheads in the vicinity. The bigger projects will include revamping the parking area and constructing a new visitor plaza with bathrooms and running water.
“A lot of families go to Taggart Lake,” Mattson said. “Having a place where you can fill up your water bottle and wash your kids’ hands will be important.”
But the highlight of the initiative will be “increasing universal accessibility” for people with mobility issues and disabilities. Mattson said this will be accomplished by adjusting trail surfaces to make them accessible to every visitor.
“Providing universal access to the lake doesn't mean we're going to pave the trail,” she said. “It means determining how to make the trail easier for people to walk on. We have people of different ages and some people with mobility issues using these trails, so we’re improving that access so people can get up to the lake.”
Dovetail Trail Consulting, a company that assesses trails and offers outdoor recreation accessibility training, has already been hired to assist in strategizing how to increase universal accessibility at Taggart Lake. They’ve already done similar projects in Grand Teton and throughout Wyoming.
Smaller projects to “restore visual integrity” are already underway. A new, more accessible trail bridge over Taggart Lake was completed last fall, and Mattson said another project to bury overhead power lines will start this summer.
“All the compliance work will be signed off on sometime in early fall,” she said. “The plan is for work on the parking lot and visitor plaza to begin next summer, and our hope would be to cut the ribbon in 2027.”
Micro-Geographic Upgrades
At the Reimagining Taggart Lake Initiative's groundbreaking ceremony on June 5, Grand Teton superintendent Chip Jenkins praised the initiative that will transform Taggart Lake into a better place for future visitors.
“Today’s event is a reflection of a strong partnership and a shared commitment to future generations of park stewards,” said Superintendent Chip Jenkins. “Thanks to our dedicated partners, supporters, and park employees, we’re taking a big step toward making the Taggart Lake experience more welcoming for everyone.”
The project aligns with several “micro-geographic improvements” being pursued in Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks. These improvements are small compared to projects like the $118 million Yellowstone River Bridge, but can considerably impact traffic flow and the visitor experience.
A series of similar improvements was announced for Mormon Row earlier this year. They include a larger parking lot, improved signage, distinct walking paths, new restrooms, and additional benches and trash cans.
Mattson said the Mormon Row improvements are another partnership project between Grand Teton National Park and the Grand Teton National Park Foundation.
“Both the National Park Service and the foundation are bringing funds to the table,” she said. “These projects are strategically identified in partnership with the park in our long-range planning process. Our board approves these projects, and we raise private money to make these enhancements.”
Collaborating on smaller projects, like Taggart Lake and Mormon Row, lets Jenkins and Grand Teton staff focus on pursuing big-ticket projects while enhancing some of the park’s most popular areas.
Mattson highlighted several previous projects from the last decade that were accomplished with the foundation’s support.
“We finished redoing all the trails at Jenny Lake in 2017, and we've done an enormous amount of work in the backcountry on the Teton Crest Trail,” she said. “Now, we’re doing the same for two of the highest-visited spots in the park.”
Loving When A Plan Comes Together
As of June 2025, the Grand Teton National Park Foundation has raised over $7 million of the $8.5 million goal for the Reimagining Taggart Lake Initiative.
Mattson said she and the entire Grand Teton National Park Foundation board are excited, as it'll be a personal and professional accomplishment for all involved.
“We spend a lot of time going out onto these areas with our donors and our friends to show them the current condition of the area, whether it's Mormon Row or Taggart Lake,” she said. “We get excited when we see plans on paper come to fruition. It’s amazing to see a renewal project like this completed.”
Mattson was most excited about how the initiative will enhance the family experience at Taggart Lake. By 2027, everyone who visits Grand Teton will be able to access and savor the experience of Grand Teton’s “gateway to the backcountry.”
“When you go out to Taggart Lake, you see three generations of families,” she said. “You see kids holding their parents’ hands alongside people with backpacks embarking into the backcountry. Without too much effort, every visitor can get that wonderful wilderness experience of a high alpine lake in the mountains.”
Andrew Rossi can be reached at arossi@cowboystatedaily.com.
