You could have the opportunity to own 640 acres of stunning national park

07 December 2023 , 14:06

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For a starting bid of nearly £70 million a Wyoming national park property could be yours (Image: Getty Images)

If you've always dreamed of having a place to escape to in one of America's stunning National Parks, then an incredible opportunity could be coming your way.

An incoming vote will decide whether Wyoming state will sell off chunks of the Grand Teton National Park for extortionate sums, after decades of threatening to flog the land.

Large parts of the pristine Grand Teton National Park may be sold to the highest bidder, with the auction’s starting bids kicking off at $80 million (£63.7 million). This will act as a prod for the US government to step in and pay the millions needed to conserve the national park.

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Wyoming leaders may finally sell the lands as they have threatened to do for decades in a vote for whether they should auction off the last of the land, arguably the most valuable square-mile.

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Wyoming leaders hope the auction will prod the government to invest in the national park (Getty Images)

The property has views of the park and road access. State Lands Director Jenifer Scoggin has recommended auction, in a report for the Wyoming Board of Land Commissioners (WBLC). Scoggin said state law requires her to get the highest value from state-owned lands to raise revenue for public schools.

Scoggin works under Gov. Mark Gordon, a Republican who has been quietly nudging Interior Department officials to conclude a series of purchases of land Wyoming has owned since statehood and that has existed within- but is technically not part of -Grand Teton since a park expansion in 1950.

You could have the chance to escape to the beautiful Grand Tetons (Getty Images)

Gov. Mark Gordon plans to hear what his constituents have to say about the auction. He has not decided whether to vote to approve auction, according to spokesman Michael Pearlman.

Hundreds of Wyoming residents have crowded public meetings and submitted comments to the state Office of Lands and Investments to oppose the auction. If Wyoming residents have any influence - the auction will not go ahead. Environmental groups have also organized online opposition within Wyoming and beyond.

Part of a square-mile section of state land in Grant Teton Park could be auctioned off (AP)

“This area should not be destroyed by the construction of luxury houses and other development,” reads a form statement for submission to the state on the National Wildlife Federation Action Fund website. “Too much development has already encroached on critical winter habitat near the park.” As of Wednesday, a counter showed more than 12,500 submissions of the form.

Meanwhile, at least one member of the all-Republican land board plans to vote no: Secretary of State Chuck Gray, an outspoken Donald Trump supporter who doubts President Joe Biden was legitimately elected. Gray questions whether the $62.4 million value in an appraisal for the state was high enough for land he considers “invaluable.”

Gray also wondered whether the 60-day public comment period for the auction proposal was long enough. “There has been very little time for adequate public input from around the state. Given the permanence and magnitude of such a decision, more time should have been provided for public input,” Gray said in a statement Tuesday.

Emilia Randall