Cathedral Group facts for kids
The Cathedral Group is a collection of the tallest mountains in the Teton Range. These amazing peaks are all found inside Grand Teton National Park in the state of Wyoming, USA. They look like classic alpine mountains, with pointy, pyramid-like shapes. This special shape was carved out by huge sheets of ice called glaciers moving slowly over time.
The highest mountain in this group is Grand Teton. It stands more than 7,000 feet (about 2,134 meters) above the Jackson Hole valley below. Grand Teton is also the second tallest mountain in all of Wyoming, right after Gannett Peak. The Cathedral Group is separated from other tall peaks in the Teton Range by two deep canyons: Cascade Canyon to the north and Avalanche Canyon to the south.
About half of all the glaciers left in the Teton Range are located right here among these high peaks. This includes the Teton Glacier, which is the biggest one in the whole range! Other glaciers like the Middle Teton Glacier, Teepe Glacier, and Schoolroom Glacier are also found here. The Cathedral Group has many cool landforms created by glaciers. These include high, bowl-shaped hollows called cirques, sharp ridges called arêtes, and valleys that hang high up or are shaped like a "U".
At the bottom of the Cathedral Group, you'll find several beautiful glacial lakes. These include Jenny, Bradley, and Taggart Lake. They formed when the glaciers from the last ice age melted and moved back. They left behind piles of rock and dirt called terminal moraines, which acted like natural dams, holding the water in. You can also find a few smaller lakes scattered high up among the peaks.
Meet the Mountains of the Cathedral Group
Besides Grand Teton, which is near the northern end of the group, there are many other important peaks here. These include Mount Owen, Middle Teton, South Teton, Teewinot Mountain, Teepe Pillar, Cloudveil Dome, Nez Perce Peak, and Buck Mountain. Most of these mountains are over 12,000 feet (about 3,658 meters) above sea level. In fact, eight of the ten highest summits in the Teton Range are part of this amazing group!
Some people who study geography might only include Grand Teton, Mount Owen, and Teewinot Mountain as being part of the "Cathedral Group." However, because all these major peaks look very similar and are separated from other tall mountains by the deep Cascade and Death Canyons, most experts agree. They generally include all the big peaks located between these two canyons within the Cathedral Group.
