Grand Teton tours from Jackson: all six, compared
The row nobody else publishes
Six tours, six sticker prices, and they are not like-for-like. One of them has the park entrance fee built into what you pay; the other five assume you have sorted entry out yourself, or that the operator will collect it, or simply do not raise the subject. I drove a shuttle and then a tour van out of Jackson for nine seasons and I watched this catch people out every summer, so here is the whole catalogue with that one column filled in.
| What it is | From | Park entrance fee |
|---|---|---|
| Guided wildlife tour — 4 h, dawn or dusk | $159 | Not included |
| 7-mile Snake River float — 3 h | $125 | Not included; launches outside the fee area |
| 13-mile scenic float — 3.5 h listed | $109 | Not included |
| Sunrise safari — 4 h | $170 | Not included |
| Eco safari — 4 h, max 7 people | $215 | Included, but the vehicle fee only |
| Full-day tour with lunch — 8 h | $279 | Not included |
Read that column before you read the prices. The eco safari looks like the dearest thing here until you notice it is the only one carrying the vehicle fee, and the cheapest float looks cheaper than it is if you were planning to drive into the park the same day anyway.
The trap in the words “park entry included”
This is the part I care most about. Since 1 January 2026 visitors who are not US residents pay a surcharge of $100 per person on top of the normal entrance fee, at Grand Teton and ten other parks, and it is checked against photo ID matching the pass holder’s name. A tour that says it includes park entry is talking about the vehicle fee — one pass, one car. It is not talking about your surcharge, because the surcharge is assessed per head against your passport, not against the van you happen to be sitting in. A French or German or Italian family reading “park entry included” will reasonably assume they are covered. They are not. If you are visiting from outside the United States, read the non-resident fee page before you book anything at all, and then work out whether the annual International Pass beats paying at the gate, because for two people doing Grand Teton and Yellowstone it is not close.
The six tours
Four are land safaris in a vehicle with a naturalist aboard, running 4 to 8 hours out of Jackson with hotel pickup in the Jackson Hole area. Two are scenic floats on the Snake River, which are a different purchase again — calm water, no rapids, and no serious claim to be wildlife tours. Where they differ is length, group size, what time of day they run, and whether anybody on board is going to explain what you are looking at.
Most bookedJackson: Grand Teton National Park Guided Wildlife Tour
Most popular floatJackson: 7-Mile Snake River Float with Teton Views
Lowest priceJackson: 13-Mile Scenic Float with Teton Views
Best lightJackson: Grand Teton Sunrise Safari with Naturalist Guide
Park fee includedFrom Jackson: 4-Hour Eco Safari in Grand Teton National Park
Longest dayFrom Jackson: Grand Teton Wildlife & Scenery Tour with Lunch
The flagship, and it is not close
The guided wildlife tour is the most-reviewed product on this site by a distance: 4.8 from 695 reviews, four hours, dawn or dusk, from $159, with a naturalist guide, binoculars, a spotting scope, snacks and drinks, and hotel pickup in winter. The other five put together do not come near that review base, which matters more than a decimal point on a rating. Nico sailed out with Anthony, who he said knew how to get them to the wildlife, and came back having seen moose rutting, a pronghorn harem, two bald eagles and a pelican. Christy wrote that her guide was able to put them on some wildlife right away. Kayla said Jeff prioritised what they wanted to see in the Tetons. Stacie is the one I quote for the shoulder season: even in off-season, she wrote, Kevin was able to take them to multiple locations to spot bison, elk and a moose or two. If you want one recommendation and no further reading, that is the one.
The rest, briefly
The sunrise safari, from $170 and rated 4.8 from 74 reviews, is the same four hours moved to first light, which is when the animals move. Katie saw multiple moose, a herd of bison and blue herons; Aubrey called it a good way to view a lot of places and work out where to go back and spend more time, which is the reconnaissance argument for doing it on day one. The eco safari, from $215 and rated 4.9 from 35 reviews, is the small one: a maximum of seven people, a guaranteed window seat, a 4x4 with roof hatches and sliding windows, organic snacks and a light breakfast, and the entrance fee inside the price. Judy saw bear, elk, bison, moose and antelope on it. Thirty-five reviews is a thin base and I would rather you knew that than were impressed by the 4.9. The full-day tour with lunch, from $279, runs eight hours with a certified guide and a picnic or restaurant lunch, and rates 4.9 from just 21 reviews — the thinnest base of the six. Autumn’s review is the one I trust most on it, and all she says is that lunch was decent and it was thoughtful of them to make sure the sandwiches were not soggy. All four are pulled apart properly on the wildlife tours page.
The two Snake River floats are the outliers. The 7-mile float, from $125 and rated 4.7 from 195 reviews, is the most-booked of the pair; the 13-mile scenic float, from $109 and rated 4.8 from 105 reviews, is the cheapest thing on this site. Both are scenic, both are calm, and neither is a wildlife safari — Scott went out on the 7-mile hoping for a bear and saw several eagles instead. Christina, on the 13-mile, wrote that the actual length of the outing did not match the details and that they were on the water about an hour and a half. Both of those are on the floats page, with the timing caveat spelled out.
The three most people shortlist
| Jackson: 13-Mile Scenic Float with Teton Views | Most bookedJackson: Grand Teton National Park Guided Wildlife Tour | From Jackson: 4-Hour Eco Safari in Grand Teton National Park | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price, per person | $109 | $159 | $215 |
| Park entrance fee | Not included | Not included | Included, vehicle fee only |
| Non-resident surcharge | Never covered | Never covered | Never covered |
| Length | 3.5 h listed | 4 h | 4 h |
| Group | Shared boat | Shared vehicle | Max 7, window seat |
| Rating | 4.8 (105) | 4.8 (695) | 4.9 (35) |
| Best for | The lowest price on the site | Most people, on the review base | Small groups, and one less thing to buy |
| View → | Book this → | View → |
The park takes card only — no cash at the entrance stations. If you are driving in before or after a tour, have a card in the front of the vehicle rather than in a bag in the boot, and remember the pass covers the car for a week, so keep the receipt on the dashboard rather than buying it twice.
How I would choose
If you want the safest bet, take the guided wildlife tour; nothing else here has a review base that size. If you are three or four travelling together and would rather not think about entry at all, the eco safari puts the vehicle fee inside the price and caps the group at seven. If you have one full day and want it filled, take the eight-hour tour and accept the thin review count. If it is your first morning and you are trying to work out where to go back to, take the sunrise safari. If what you actually want is a quiet three hours on the water rather than an animal hunt, take a float. And if you are not sure you need a guide at all, that is a fair conclusion to reach on this page. Every one of the six has a longer write-up with the complaints left in at the reviews.
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Frequently asked questions
Which Grand Teton tour from Jackson should I book?
For most people, the guided wildlife tour: four hours at dawn or dusk with a naturalist, binoculars and a scope, from $159, and rated 4.8 from 695 reviews — more than the other five put together. If your group is small and you would rather have the park entrance fee inside the price, the eco safari caps at seven people and rates 4.9, though from only 35 reviews. Both are compared above, and the four land safaris are pulled apart on the wildlife tours page.
Do Grand Teton tours include the park entrance fee?
Only one of the six does. The eco safari has the vehicle fee inside its price; the guided wildlife tour, the sunrise safari, the full-day tour and both Snake River floats do not. Even the one that includes it covers the vehicle pass, not a non-US resident’s per-person surcharge, which is assessed against photo ID and cannot be bought on your behalf by a tour operator. That trap is set out on the non-resident fee page.
How much do Grand Teton tours cost?
The floats start at $109 and $125, the guided wildlife tour is from $159, the sunrise safari from $170, the eco safari from $215 and the full-day tour with lunch from $279. All are “from” prices per person and the booking widget re-prices by date and party size. Park entry is separate on five of the six, and is a vehicle pass rather than a ticket — see what entry actually costs.
Can I see Grand Teton without booking a tour?
Yes, and plenty of people should. Buy the seven-day vehicle pass, drive the loop, stop at Oxbow Bend and the Mormon Row barns and walk at Jenny Lake, and you have seen a great deal of the park for the price of the pass. What a guide adds is knowing where the animals were this week and a scope to look at them through, which is a real thing to buy and a small thing to skip. The four land safaris are pulled apart on the wildlife tours page.