This Summer Is Too Dry for Grand Teton Cruises

Visitors hoping to tour Grand Teton National Park on a cruise this summer are out of luck on its biggest lake. Scenic and dinner cruises on Jackson Lake have been called off for the rest of the season because the water has dropped too low for larger vessels to safely use the Colter Bay boat ramp, SFGate reports. The tours, run by Grand Teton Lodge Company and priced between $39 and $95, quietly announced an "early 2026 season closure," with meal cruises ending July 13 and scenic trips wrapping July 16

Vail Resorts, which owns the tour operator, declined to comment, but the mechanics are straightforward: once the lake falls near 6,753 feet in elevation, boats over 30 feet can't be launched. As of July 16, the lake was only about five feet above that threshold. Smaller craft—kayaks, canoes, and aluminum boats—remain available "subject to change" as levels continue to drop.

The shutdown underscores broader water worries in the region: the Upper Snake River system is at just 41% of capacity, and managers have warned this summer could challenge a century-old low for Jackson Lake, a key reservoir for irrigators across Idaho, Wyoming, Utah, and Nevada. The Colorado River system is also under severe pressure. Earlier this year, Wyoming authorities ruled out tapping Snake River water to ease the Colorado River crisis, WyoFile reports.