Signal Mountain is an isolated summit standing above

sea level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical datuma standardise ...

. The mountain is located in

Grand Teton National Park Grand Teton National Park is an American national park in northwestern Wyoming. At approximately , the park includes the major peaks of the Teton Range as well as most of the northern sections of the valley known as Jackson Hole. Grand Teton ...

in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

Wyoming Wyoming () is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the southwest, and Colorado to the sou ...

. The next closest higher summit is more than distant, and this isolation provides sweeping views of the

Teton Range The Teton Range is a mountain range of the Rocky Mountains in North America. It extends for approximately in a north–south direction through the U.S. state of Wyoming, east of the Idaho state line. It is south of Yellowstone National Park and ...

, much of the northern

Jackson Hole Jackson Hole (originally called Jackson's Hole by mountain men) is a valley between the Gros Ventre and Teton mountain ranges in the U.S. state of Wyoming, near the border with Idaho, in Teton County, one of the richest counties in the Unite ...

area as well as the

Snake River The Snake River is a major river of the greater Pacific Northwest region in the United States. At long, it is the largest tributary of the Columbia River, in turn, the largest North American river that empties into the Pacific Ocean. The Snak ...

. Though located adjacent to the Tetons, Signal Mountain was not formed in the same manner or period. The mountain originally was formed by volcanic ashfall from one of the eruptions of the

Yellowstone hotspot The Yellowstone hotspot is a volcanic hotspot in the United States responsible for large scale volcanism in Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, and Wyoming, formed as the North American tectonic plate moved over it. It formed the eastern Snake Riv ...

. The peak is also partially a glacial

moraine A moraine is any accumulation of unconsolidated debris ( regolith and rock), sometimes referred to as glacial till, that occurs in both currently and formerly glaciated regions, and that has been previously carried along by a glacier or ice sh ...

formed by a receding glacier that came south out of the

Yellowstone icecap Yellowstone National Park is an American national park located in the western United States, largely in the northwest corner of Wyoming and extending into Montana and Idaho. It was established by the 42nd U.S. Congress with the Yellow ...

.'Creation of the Teton Landscape' by David D. Love & John C. Reed This same glacier also created neighboring Jackson Lake. Signal Mountain has a long road providing vehicular access to an observation area located just below the main summit. The

Signal Mountain Trail The Signal Mountain Trail is a long roundtrip hiking trail in Grand Teton National Park in the U.S. state of Wyoming. The trail begins near Signal Mountain Lodge on Jackson Lake and provides hiking access to the summit of Signal Mountain. The ...

is a hiking trail that goes from Signal Mountain Lodge to the summit and covers a distance of . The trail splits mid-way for a portion of approximately , allowing hikers to take either a trail along the lower part of the ridge or south of the ridge past a series of small ponds. The trails then rejoin and steepen over the last mile to reach the secondary summit of the mountain, the Jackson Lake Overlook. The trail rises approximately from the lodge to the overlook, though on the ridge trail there is quite a bit of up and down that adds a few hundred feet to the

cumulative elevation gain In running, cycling, and mountaineering, cumulative elevation gain refers to the sum of every gain in elevation throughout an entire trip. It is sometimes also known as cumulative gain or elevation gain, or often in the context of mountain travel ...

. The trail is a hiking only trail,

mountain biking Mountain biking is a sport of riding bicycles off-road, often over rough terrain, usually using specially designed mountain bikes. Mountain bikes share similarities with other bikes but incorporate features designed to enhance durability and p ...

and

horseback riding Equestrianism (from Latin , , , 'horseman', 'horse'), commonly known as horse riding (Commonwealth English) or horseback riding (American English), includes the disciplines of riding, Driving (horse), driving, and Equestrian vaulting, vaulting ...

are not permitted by the park service. The road is a popular biking destination due to the difficult climb up and then (after turning around at the summit) continuous downhill experienced on a portion of the road.

References

{{Mountains of Wyoming Mountains of Grand Teton National Park Mountains of Wyoming Mountains of Teton County, Wyoming

See also

References