For short rides with a guide you can rent saddle horses at Jenny Lake, Colter Bay, Flagg Ranch, and Jackson Lake Lodge. Jenny Lake Lodge and the Triangle X Ranch have horses for guests only. A short horseback ride gives you a leisurely look at the park and a sample of Jackson Hole’s Old West flavor. If you’ve never ridden, or have not ridden in years, _make the first ride short_. Your first steps after first riding a horse for an hour or more feel very strange! The concessioners offer a variety of wagon rides and hay-rides to cowboy cookouts. Guided trips of several days can be arranged with park concessioners. Or you can write the chamber of commerce address for information about area outfitters. If you plan to bring your own stock, write the chief ranger at the park address for information on saddle and pack animal use regulations. Also read the Backcountry Basics section. Please note that no grazing is permitted in the park; processed feed must be packed in. Saddle and pack animal facilities are available only at String Lake Parking Area, Whitegrass Ranger Station, and the Granite Canyon, Sheffield Creek, Arizona Creek, and Pilgrim Creek trailheads. Many highcountry trails are blocked by snow until mid-July and are impassable to saddle and pack animals. For this reason many horse parties camp on the adjoining national forests and take day-trips into Grand Teton National Park. [Illustration: _Overnight backcountry travel with horses requires a backcountry permit. Please observe the regulations on horse use. They are designed to protect fragile landscapes._] Mountaineering This is one of the country’s finest areas for general mountaineering. The rock is mostly excellent, snow slopes mostly moderate, and the range unusually accessible. Still, many climbers pack in and set up their camps in a highcountry location. Mountaineering guide service and instruction are available at Jenny Lake. Write to: Exum Guide Service and School of American Mountaineering, Box 56, Moose, WY 83012. Jackson Hole Mountain Guides also offers guide services in the park; write to Box 7477, Jackson, WY 83001. Climbing guidebooks and individual route guides are available by mail from the Grand Teton Natural History Association address or can be purchased at park visitor centers and the Jenny Lake Ranger Station.