Upon returning to our backpacks, we continued hiking down to pretty little Sunset Lake and then up toward Hurricane Pass.
Grand Teton & Kit Lake From The Wall Brooke At Snowdrift Lake Overlook On The Wall From this vantage, we could look up at the craggy Teton peaks and down at the turquoise water of Snowdrift Lake. The tundra slope abruptly ended at a tall, vertical, mile-long limestone cliff called The Wall. Looking South Across Alaska Basin Hiking Up Tundra Slope Toward The Wall Each basin and meadow seemed to be competing for the best color display! The big surprise for all of us, however, was the marvelous variety of wildflowers still blooming in mid-August. There were also enough beautiful alpine lakes to provide ample swimming and/or gazing opportunities. We all expected the trail to offer spectacular views of the major Teton peaks, and these expectations were met or exceeded in abundance every day delivered stunning new mountain scenery. We found drinking and cooking water to be available near all campsites, as well as at many other locations along the entire trail, although this could change later in the season. Permits are required for all sites and zones within Grand Teton National Park, but no permits are needed for Fox Creek Pass and Alaska Basin, which lie within the Jedediah Smith Wilderness outside of the park. Teton Crest Trail Route Profile – Complete Traverse Campsites & WaterĬamping along the Teton Crest Trail is limited either to specific tent sites-of which there are many-or to several delineated zones. The average trail elevation is approximately 9500 feet. It attains a maximum elevation of 10,700 feet at Paintbrush Divide and a local minimum elevation of 7800 feet at Cascade Forks. Instead, it travels primarily along the western slope of the Teton Range, wandering back and forth across numerous spur ridges, crossing over several high passes, and dropping into several basins and valleys.
If given an extra day, we might have chosen to start at the Coal Creek Trailhead just for the sake of “completeness and purity.” Route & Terrainĭespite its name, the Teton Crest Trail does not really follow any sort of topographic crest. Our group elected to do a south-to-north traverse starting at Teton Village because this allowed us to ride the Jackson Hole Aerial Tramway up Rendezvous Mountain, thereby saving us many miles and more than 4000 feet of elevation gain. In contrast, there are multiple options for the southern terminus these include the Granite Canyon Trailhead, Teton Village, Phillips Canyon Trailhead, Phillips Bench Trailhead, and Coal Creek Trailhead. Either way, the logical northern terminus is the String Lake / Leigh Lake Trailhead off Jenny Lake Loop Road. The Teton Crest Trail Traverse can readily be done in a north-to-south direction or a south-to-north direction. Summit: Paintbrush Peak (ascent & descent via South Ridge)Īpproximate Stats (excluding sidetrips): 35 miles traveled on foot 6300 feet gained 9900 feet lost.Īpproximate Stats (including sidetrips): 37 miles traveled on foot 7600 feet gained 11,000 feet lost. Sidetrip: The Wall / Snowdrift Lake Overlook (off-trail hike) 10,700 feet)Ĭampsites: Death Canyon Shelf & South Fork Cascade Canyon & Upper Paintbrush Meadow Meek Pass & Alaska Basin / South Fork Teton Creek & Sunset Lake & Hurricane Pass & South Fork Cascade Basin & South Fork Cascade Canyon & Cascade Forks & North Fork Cascade Canyon & Lake Solitude & Paintbrush Divide & Upper Paintbrush Meadow & Lower Paintbrush Meadow & Paintbrush Canyon & Leigh Lake Outlet Bridge & String Lake (trail hike)Įnding Point: String Lake / Leigh Lake Trailhead on Jenny Lake Loop Road (Elev. Way Points: Rendezvous Mountain crest (gondola ride) South Fork Granite Creek & Middle Fork Granite Creek & North Fork Granite Creek & Marion Lake & Fox Creek Pass & Death Canyon Shelf & Mt. Starting Point: Jackson Hole Aerial Tramway base station at Teton Village (Elev.
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