Comments on: Trip of the Month: Teton Crest Trail

By: mackdaddy

mackdaddy — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 19:57:29 +0000

from death canyon to fox creek first day (10miles) dump water on the ground to be sure it rolls west…..you can have a fire in Idaho but not teton park. next morning into alaska basin and up onto hurricane pass…….hard to believe there are people all thier lives in jackson and never been up there……..its like going to heaven. Stand right at the actual beginning water fall for cascade creek. Yep…. just 10 feet away from the awesome raging watermass!! then down the tail behind the teton cathedral group and to the left fork to Lake Solitude to camp. If the sky is clear, you won’t be able to count the shooting stars. up paint brush in the morning (10000+ feet) and down and out to strng lake. thats the real deal…….. 3 days.

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By: Kate Showalter

Kate Showalter — Wed, 19 May 2010 23:31:07 +0000

The last time I did an overnighter in the Tetons in June, I hit snow at higher elevations. I don’t remember exactly how high … maybe 9,000 feet? I remember doing most of that hike in shorts and a tee (70+ degrees?). But we camped in snow, so obviously temps were at or below freezing that evening and night. Hope that helps a little bit, Naomi.

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By: Naomi

Naomi — Mon, 10 May 2010 19:27:13 +0000

Hi, my husband and I are looking to do a 3 night backcountry trip in the grand tetons. We will be there early June. Is this too early in the summer for a lot of the snow to melt? Are we going to be able to do a backcountry loop, or will a lot of the higher elevations be snowed out? We are coming from California, and are not prepared for snow-camping and ice-picking our way through.
Also, what do you expect the average day/night temperatures to be?

Thanks for any help you can give!

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By: Jason

Jason — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 03:20:22 +0000

hey what a great set up! I did notice that you suggested the use of the “wag bag” system for packing it out. Although this system works I would like to point out a better product for this use. Its called the Biffy Bag. It comes with everything you need to pack it out so you don’t need to carry equipment around and its very comfortable and there is never any mess. check them out it gives me a lot for my peace of mind

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By: Janis Marona

Janis Marona — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 04:27:13 +0000

By far the most concise and up to date information I found on this topic. Sure glad that I navigated to your page by accident. I’ll be subscribing to your feed so that I can get the latest updates. Appreciate all the information here

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By: Scott

Scott — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 05:31:05 +0000

I live in Jackson and have hiked the full length of the Teton Crest Trail several times.

I would say the best time is mid-July (after the snows melt) to late-September (when the snows can return). I prefer a south -> north path, entering up Granite Canyon (or Jackson Hole Mountain Resort tram, if you wish). That way, you have the Cathedral Group, including Grand Teton, in front of you as you move up the TCT. You can easily create 2-5 day trip options.

Water is plentiful throughout the TCT, but it must be purified.

Bear canisters are mandatory and can be borrowed (free) from the rangers when you pick up your backcountry permit (also required). Bears can be regular visitors below about 9,000 feet. Bear spray is optional, but most folks carry it.

Mosquitoes can be annoying at lower elevations in mid-summer.

There are several good outfitters in the town of Jackson (Teton Mountaineering, Jack Dennis, Sports Authority) where you can buy fuel, bear spray and other supplies. There are two excellent grocery stores (Albertson’s and Smith’s) with extensive food offerings.

Although public transportation is good, I strongly recommend you have access to a car (own or rent). It is easy to hitch a ride between entering and exiting trailheads.

Hope you find this information helpful and come hike the Teton Crest Trail.

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By: bo

bo — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 01:48:36 +0000

Some friends and I met out there last year for a hike – It was great, however, fires are not allowed and I think it rains every night (it sure did when we were there. I had a great time – but would much rather do the North Cascades again. There are very few people in the Tetons and plenty of filterable water that is nice and clear. Also there are some metal bear proof containers – I do think that it is nice to take a bear container anyway (I use the Garcia) to use as a stool while you are out there.

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By: Jess

Jess — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 22:23:41 +0000

I grew up hiking all around the Tetons, in fact our family is notorious for saying, “Yellowstone, where?” Anyway, I’ve done this trip and it is absolutely amazing! There is tons of water, but we used Iodine tablets in ours. September is tricky, you could get snow, you could get 70 degree days but with low to mid 30′s at night. Thanks for giving the Tetons some props Backcountry Beacon!

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By: Ann

Ann — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 21:14:02 +0000

I would like to know more about the water resources along the trails. Is the water drinkable? How much purification is required? (In northern Canada we just dip our cups in the lakes. No purification required.)

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By: Michael

Michael — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 18:20:47 +0000

Along with a couple of friends, I packed parts of this trail in 1978. We saw but a couple of people on the entire route until we were almost back at the car. More importantly, in July there were myriad wildflowers, small snow patches to glissade, and one particularly large moose in camp one morning. The trip remains as one of my favorite experiences.

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