Search continues for missing kayaker in Grand Teton National Park
Wesley Dopkins' kayak was found off Moose Island on Saturday night. Anyone with information on the missing person or who saw his possible belongings is asked to contact the Teton Interagency Dispatch Center at 307-739-3301.
Grand Teton National Park offers beautiful glacial lakes, incredible wildlife
FOX Weather Correspondent Robert Ray visits Grand Teton National Park where the beautiful landscape offers mountain views and six glacial lakes.
MORAN, Wy. – Grand Teton National Park rangers in Wyoming are searching for a missing kayaker who was last seen on Saturday in Jackson Lake.
Rangers at Grand Teton National Park said 43-year-old Wesley Dopkins from St. Paul, Minnesota, left Colter Bay with a friend on Saturday. The pair were headed toward Waterfalls Canyon on the west shore of Jackson Lake, but the friend said they lost contact with Dopkins around 2 p.m.
![Wesley Dopkins, 43, was reported missing on Saturday, June 15, 2024.](https://images.foxweather.com/static.foxweather.com/www.foxweather.com/content/uploads/2024/06/668/376/Missingkayaker.png?ve=1&tl=1)
Wesley Dopkins, 43, was reported missing on Saturday, June 15, 2024.
(NPS)
Rangers said the friend attempted to return to Colter Bay, but winds gusting up to 25 mph prevented them from returning. The friend stopped at Leeks Marina, north of Colter Bay, to report their missing friend.
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![Weather conditions in Colter Bay on Saturday, June 15.](https://images.foxweather.com/static.foxweather.com/www.foxweather.com/content/uploads/2024/06/668/376/Colter-Bay-Conditions-Map.png?ve=1&tl=1)
Weather conditions in Colter Bay on Saturday, June 15.
(FOX Weather)
Rangers said they began searching Jackson Lake by boat and helicopter. Around 8 p.m., Dopkin's Oru folding kayak, paddle and dry bag were found floating off Moose Island, northeast of Colter Bay and just south of Leeks Marina.
Rangers continue to search for the missing kayaker on Moose Island. As the search continues on Tuesday, temperatures in Jackson, Wyoming, will struggle to reach the mid-50s. By Wednesday, conditions for search teams will warm into the upper 60s.
![](https://images.foxweather.com/static.foxweather.com/www.foxweather.com/content/uploads/2024/06/668/376/32178840236_65ffca5e8b_c.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)
Jackson Lake in Grand Teton National Park.
(NPS/Tobiason)
Dopkins was last seen wearing a red hat with a NASA Kennedy Space Center logo, a blue t-shirt and black shorts. He did not have a personal flotation device.
Rangers said Dopkins has blue eyes, brown hair and is 5 feet 11 inches tall.
Anyone with information on the missing person or who saw his possible belongings is asked to contact the Teton Interagency Dispatch Center at 307-739-3301.