Jackson Lake Lodge

Gilbert Stanley Underwood's 1955 modernist masterpiece, featuring sixty-foot picture windows that frame the Teton Range.

Jackson Lake Lodge stands as a mid-century monument of concrete and glass, deliberately designed to frame the Teton Range like a living gallery. Completed in 1955, this International Style landmark was the final National Park creation of architect Gilbert Stanley Underwood, commissioned by John D. Rockefeller, Jr. to make Grand Teton National Park accessible to a new generation of post-war travelers. Rather than repeating the rustic log cabin style of earlier eras, Underwood pioneered a modern aesthetic. The exterior features textured concrete known as "Shadowood," which was meticulously cast and stained to mimic the grain of rough-sawn wood. Inside the grand lobby, sixty-foot panoramic windows draw the eyes directly toward the willow flats and the sheer, rising profiles of Mount Moran and the Grand Teton. Giant textured concrete pillars support the ceiling, while a massive stone fireplace anchors the room, creating a space that celebrates the monumental scale of the valley.

The history of the property is deeply tied to the conservation of Jackson Hole. In 1926, John D. Rockefeller, Jr. and park superintendent Horace Albright stood nearby on Lunch Tree Hill, a picnic spot that inspired Rockefeller to purchase and preserve the surrounding land. Today, the lodge serves as a historic hub, displaying an impressive collection of authentic Native American artifacts and Western art. The culinary centerpiece is the Mural Room, one of the most celebrated dining rooms in the American West. Here, guests dine alongside massive, historically significant murals, including Charles Banks Wilson's "The Trapper's Bride," which Rockefeller commissioned to honor the fur-trading era of the valley. The dining room features floor-to-ceiling windows that offer unobstructed views of the peaks, making every meal a visual event.

Accommodations at the lodge are split between the main building and a series of surrounding low-profile cottages. The lodge features 385 guest rooms in total. While the rooms in the main building offer immediate access to the lobby and restaurants, the classic cottages are arranged in single-story clusters among the lodgepole pines. These cottages are intentionally kept free of televisions and air conditioning to encourage guests to focus on the natural world, with many featuring private patios that open directly to the mountain air. To preserve this National Historic Landmark, a major restoration was completed to repair the aging "Shadowood" concrete facade. Because the original acid stain could not be replicated on the weathered concrete, restoration teams used a specialized three-coat silicate glaze process to painstakingly match Underwood's original 1955 finish, ensuring the lodge continues to harmonize with its wild surroundings for decades to come.

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