Visit Jackson - Grand Teton National Park, US

Jackson is a unique old Western styled town surrounded by prairie land, some lakes and the Grand Teton mountains and home to tree-lined squares, designer boutiques, craft shops and art galleries linked by wooden boardwalks. Situated within Jackson Hole, a lush river basin, the town is a great base for exploring Grand Teton National Park just ten miles away.

Although not one of the largest, Grant Teton is one of America's most spectacular and scenic national parks and features towering peaks and sheer cliffs that rise 7000 feet above the valley floor. A string of sparkling lakes lie at the foot of the mountains and wildlife proliferates here, with moose, red tail hawks, ground squirrels, elk, pronghorn antelope and bison frequently sighted. Adjoining the park is the National Elk Refuge, home to the world's largest wintering concentration of elk.

The Shoshone people have lived in these mountains for millennia; the sixth largest mountain in the range is called Teewinot, which means "many pinnacles" in the Shoshone language. The name of the range's tallest peak, Grand Teton, ("large nipple") is believed to have been bestowed by French-Canadian trappers in the 1830s. No roads cross the Tetons but those running along their eastern flank provide stunning views at every turn with Jenny Lake and Grand Teton and Signal Mountains providing outstanding photo opportunities.

There are some glorious walking trails through the park, most notably those around vertiginous Mount Moran and Hidden Falls while longer trails at Cascade Canyon, Lake Solitude and Lupine Meadows are equally spectacular.