The Enclosure (13,280')

 The western spur of the Grand Teton, the second highest point in the Teton Range, holds a curious man-made structure within a few feet of its summit. Discovered in the course of the controversial attempt to climb the Grand Teton on July 29,1872, it was originally described as an "enclosure" by Nathaniel P. Langford in his now-famous 1873 article in Scribner's Monthly. It consists of an elliptical arrangement of flat rocks placed on edge, 7 by 9 feet across and 3 feet high. This "enclosure" was most likely built by Native Americans at a time ancient or recent (19th century), perhaps as a part of a "visionquest" or other ceremony. Today, the Enclosure not only offers the non-technical climber a summit second only to the Grand Teton, but dozens of multi-pitch alpine and mixed routes for the seasoned alpinist.