The Snake River near the John D. Rockefeller Memorial Parkway

Between Yellowstone National Park and Grand Teton National Park is a 27-mile section of road that is officially designated the John D. Rockefeller Memorial Parkway. The Parkway is surrounded by 24,000 acres of former Forest Service land that is now administered by Grand Teton National Park. To the east is Bridger-Teton National Forest and the Teton Wilderness. To the west is Caribou-Targhee National Forest and Jedediah Smith Wilderness. The property was transferred to the National Park Service to give them an unbroken connection between Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks.

The John D. Rockefeller Memorial Parkway crosses the transition zone between the younger volcanic materials of Yellowstone and the geologically much-older granitic materials of the Grand Tetons. The headwaters of the Snake River flow across this property, allowing anglers the opportunity to enjoy some world-class trout fishing. The Snake in this area is also a favorite among the whitewater rafting set. In the winter, snowmobile tour operators use the parkway as a staging site for guided tours into Yellowstone.

Located in the heart of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, the countryside around the John D. Rockefeller Memorial Parkway is filled with elk, moose, deer, black bear, grizzly bear, gray wolf, Canadian lynx, wolverine, bighorn sheep and bison. The huge forest fires that struck Yellowstone and affected parts of the parkway area in 1988 have only served to enhance wildlife habitat and the populations of larger mammals have grown since then.

The parkway was named in honor of John D. Rockefeller as thanks for his generosity to such National Parks as Great Smoky Mountains, Acadia, Virgin Islands and Grand Teton.