Three Days of Day Hikes
in Grand Teton
The best day hikes in the Grand Tetons over a long weekend, no overnight backcountry permits needed: Jenny Lake, Hidden Falls, Inspiration Point, Cascade Canyon, Taggart and Bradley Lakes, and the climb to Delta Lake.
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One basecamp, the best day hikes in the Grand Tetons.
Grand Teton National Park packs jagged 13,000-foot peaks, glacial lakes, and wildflower meadows into a compact range that rises straight out of the valley floor with no foothills in the way. Almost all of it is reachable on day hikes, which means you can see the headline scenery over a long weekend without ever pulling a backcountry permit.
This 3-day itinerary is built around the best day hikes in the Grand Tetons, all based out of Jackson Hole. You'll start gentle at Jenny Lake with Hidden Falls and Inspiration Point, push deep into glacier-carved Cascade Canyon, loop the quieter Taggart and Bradley Lakes, and finish with an optional climb to Delta Lake for one of the most photographed views in the park.
July through September is prime hiking season. Snow lingers on the high trails into July, so the highest routes like Delta Lake, Amphitheater Lake, and Lake Solitude clear last. This is bear country, so carry bear spray and know how to use it.
The Jenny Lake shuttle boat is a seasonal, paid service that saves about 4 miles of hiking to the Hidden Falls and Cascade Canyon trailheads, and lines build fast by mid-morning in July and August. Lodging inside the park (Colter Bay, Jenny Lake Lodge) books out months ahead, and the Jenny Lake parking lot fills before 8 am in peak season.
Jenny Lake · Hidden Falls & Inspiration Point
Fly into Jackson Hole Airport (JAC), the only commercial airport inside a U.S. national park, pick up the rental, and drive about 20 minutes north to Jenny Lake, the hiking hub of the park. Get there early: the parking lot fills before 8 am in summer.
Take the seasonal Jenny Lake shuttle boat across the water (paid, runs roughly mid-May to late September) and hike up to Hidden Falls and Inspiration Point, about 2 miles round trip from the boat dock with the shuttle, or roughly 5 miles round trip if you walk the lakeshore both ways. Inspiration Point gives a big view back over Jenny Lake and the valley. Spend the rest of the day easing into the altitude.
- Seasonal, paid · saves ~4 mi round trip · lines build by mid-morning
- ~2 mi RT with the boat · ~5 mi RT walking · easy to moderate
- Jenny Lake overlookCathedral Group reflections · best light early morning
- Stay in Jackson HoleTown of Jackson or Moose · 3-night basecamp · book early
- The Jenny Lake shuttle boat is seasonal and paid, but it cuts about 4 miles off the round trip to Hidden Falls and Inspiration Point. Lines build fast by mid-morning.
- The Jenny Lake parking lot fills before 8 am in July and August. Arrive early or use the South Jenny Lake overflow lot.
- This is your acclimatization day. Jackson sits near 6,200 feet and trails climb from there, so go easy and drink plenty of water.
Cascade Canyon · Deep into the Tetons
Take the first Jenny Lake shuttle boat of the morning back across the water and continue past Inspiration Point into Cascade Canyon, a classic glacier-carved valley running straight beneath the Cathedral Group. It is roughly 9 to 10 miles round trip from the boat dock to the canyon forks, mostly gentle grade once you are above Inspiration Point. Turn around whenever you like, the scenery is good the whole way.
Cascade Canyon is prime habitat for moose and black bears, and you may spot marmots and pikas in the rocks. Strong hikers can push on to Lake Solitude at the head of the north fork, a long day of about 14 or more miles round trip from the boat dock, but most people are happy turning back at the forks. Prefer a guided day? Book a naturalist day hike with a local operator below.
- ~9–10 mi RT from the boat dock · moderate · moose & bears
- ~14+ mi RT · strenuous · snow lingers into July
- The Hole Hiking Experience · learn the geology, plants & wildlife
- Take the first boat across · last return boat is early evening
- Take the first shuttle boat of the morning so you have time to reach the Cascade Canyon forks and get back before the last return boat, which runs in the early evening.
- Cascade Canyon is prime moose and black bear habitat. Make noise, hike in a group, and keep bear spray on your hip, not in your pack.
- Lake Solitude is a beautiful but long extension of 14-plus miles round trip. Snow lingers high into July, so check trail conditions at the Jenny Lake ranger station first.
Taggart & Bradley Lakes · or the climb to Delta Lake
For an easier final day, hike the Taggart Lake and Bradley Lake loop from the Taggart Lake trailhead, about 5 to 6 miles round trip for the combined loop (Taggart Lake alone is roughly 3.8 miles round trip). Both lakes sit right beneath the peaks and see fewer crowds than Jenny Lake. String Lake and Leigh Lake nearby are an easy alternative at about 3.7 miles round trip with calm water and a beach.
If your legs have something left, swap in Delta Lake, an unofficial, unmaintained, and strenuous route of about 7.5 miles round trip that climbs steeply and finishes with a rough boulder field scramble to a turquoise glacial lake right beneath the Grand Teton. It is hard and easy to lose, so go only in good weather with good footing. The maintained Amphitheater Lake trail (about 9.6 miles round trip) leaves from the same Lupine Meadows trailhead. Heading home: save sunrise or sunset for the barns at Mormon Row or Schwabacher Landing, or drive up Signal Mountain for a valley-wide panorama before you fly out of Jackson Hole.
- ~5–6 mi RT loop · easy to moderate · quieter than Jenny Lake
- ~7.5 mi RT · steep · rough boulder-field scramble · no signs
- ~9.6 mi RT · strenuous · maintained · same Lupine Meadows start
- Mormon Row & Schwabacher LandingClassic Teton photography · go at sunrise or sunset
- Taggart and Bradley Lakes are a great easier finish, about 5 to 6 miles round trip for the loop, with the peaks right overhead and smaller crowds than Jenny Lake.
- Delta Lake is unofficial, unmaintained, and strenuous, roughly 7.5 miles round trip with a steep boulder-field scramble near the top. It is easy to lose the route, so go only with good footing and good weather.
- Save Mormon Row, Schwabacher Landing, or the Signal Mountain summit drive for sunrise or sunset on your way out for the best Teton light.
Now build your Grand Teton hiking trip.
You've seen all three days of the best day hikes in the Grand Tetons. Open the free drag-and-drop planner and tune it for your dates, your pace, and how hard you want to push each day.
What we actually learned on the trails.
Carry bear spray, every hike
Grand Teton is home to both black bears and grizzlies. Carry bear spray on your hip where you can reach it fast, hike in a group, and make noise in brushy or berry-heavy stretches like Cascade Canyon. You can buy or rent spray in Jackson; it cannot fly home, so plan to return or hand it off.
Use the Jenny Lake shuttle boat
The seasonal, paid shuttle boat across Jenny Lake saves about 4 miles round trip to the Hidden Falls, Inspiration Point, and Cascade Canyon trailheads. It runs roughly mid-May to late September. Take the first boat of the morning for Cascade Canyon and note the last return-boat time.
Arrive at trailheads early
The Jenny Lake and Lupine Meadows lots fill before 8 am in July and August. Get there early, use overflow lots, or start at a quieter trailhead like Taggart Lake. A Grand Teton or America the Beautiful pass is required for park entry.
Match the hike to the season
Snow lingers on the high trails into July. Lower lake loops like Taggart, Bradley, String, and Leigh open first, while Delta Lake, Amphitheater Lake, and Lake Solitude clear last. Check conditions at the Jenny Lake ranger station before any high route.
Know what Delta Lake really is
Delta Lake is an unofficial, unmaintained, and strenuous route of about 7.5 miles round trip. It climbs steeply and finishes with a rough boulder-field scramble, with no trail signs and an easy-to-lose path. It is stunning, but only attempt it in good weather with solid footing and navigation.
Save the valley views for golden hour
The Tetons face east, so they light up at sunrise. Plan Mormon Row, Schwabacher Landing, and the Signal Mountain summit drive around sunrise or sunset for the best light, and watch for moose and elk in the meadows at dawn and dusk.
Everything you'll actually want to know.
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Grand Teton hiking route.
Shuttle-boat timing, which trails clear of snow when, where to sleep in Jackson Hole, trailhead parking, drive times, and trail names, every detail you need to hike the best of the Tetons without backtracking.
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