Mount Moran

Overview

A Mountain That Commands Respect

Rising with breathtaking authority over the northern end of the Teton Range, Mount Moran stands at 12,610 feet (3,840 m) within Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming. Its name honours Thomas Moran, the celebrated frontier landscape painter whose dramatic canvases helped convince Congress to protect the American West as public land.

What distinguishes Moran from its neighbours is sheer mass. Where the Grand Teton rises in elegant symmetry, Moran presents a broad, monolithic east face that soars nearly 6,000 feet above the mirror surface of Jackson Lake. Several living glaciers cling to its flanks — among them the Skillet Glacier, whose conspicuous shape is visible from miles away. Like the Middle Teton to the south, Moran's face is cleaved by a dramatic basalt intrusion called the Black Dike, a geological signature that makes it unmistakable on any horizon.

Climbing

The Long Road to the Summit

Mount Moran's imposing scale draws mountaineers from across the world — yet it sees far fewer climbers than the Grand Teton or other southern peaks in the range. The reason is simple: access is punishing. No maintained trail leads to the mountain, and any overland approach means forcing through dense undergrowth, fallen timber, and boggy ground skirting Leigh Lake. Most parties instead paddle canoes from String Lake across Leigh Lake before transitioning to foot travel — and even then, route-finding demands skill and patience. Multi-day expeditions are the norm even for technically straightforward routes.

The mountain's first recorded summit came on July 22, 1922, when LeGrand Hardy, Bennet McNulty, and Ben C. Rich of the Chicago Mountaineering Club reached the top via the Skillet Glacier. That glacier route remains one of the most direct lines to the summit today.

Most climbs on Mount Moran tend to take several days — even when the technical difficulty of the climbing itself is comparatively brief.

Climate

Cold, Wind, and Wild Seasons

At nearly 12,000 feet, Mount Moran endures one of the most severe climates in the continental United States. Mean daily temperatures sit below freezing for seven months of the year. Precipitation peaks in the depths of winter and eases only slightly in summer. Climbers must plan around a narrow window of stable alpine conditions. The data below reflects 1991–2020 normals at approximately 11,864 ft elevation.

Source: PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University (1991–2020 normals)

Recorded Incidents

The Mountain's Darker History

Like all serious alpine terrain, Mount Moran has been the scene of tragedy. The incidents below serve as a sobering reminder of the commitment required by anyone who ventures onto its slopes.

• November 21, 1950

  A DC-3C cargo aircraft operated by New Tribes Mission went down on the mountain during a violent storm, claiming all 21 lives aboard. A search party led by Paul Petzoldt found the wreckage on November 25, but the remoteness and severity of the crash site made recovery of the plane or its occupants impossible. The debris remains on the mountain to this day, and the National Park Service discourages visits to the site.

• August 25, 1977

  Gerald and Susan Huntley suffered a catastrophic rappel anchor failure while descending the East Ridge. Gerald fell and sustained grave injuries including fractures to his skull, spine, and wrist. Susan set off for help but fell herself and died from her injuries. Gerald survived.

• July 14, 1986

  Two women lost control on the mountain's upper slopes. Abigail Mackey fell more than 1,000 feet and died from her injuries; Nicola Rotberg survived but was seriously hurt.

• May 17, 2015

  Luke Lynch and Stephen P. Adamson Jr. were ascending the northeast face via the Sickle route when a wet slough avalanche swept them away. Lynch died at the scene; Adamson Jr. succumbed to his injuries in the days that followed.