Highlights Of Backpacking Grand Teton National Park:
Grand Teton National Park has hundreds of miles of beautiful wilderness although you are bound to find beauty in every corner of this amazing park here are some must see highlights:
- Cascade Canyon
- Lake Solitude
- Paintbrush Divide
- Teton Crest
- Death Canyon
- Jenny Lake
Backpacking Itineraries Grand Teton National Park
Here are some pre-made backpacking itineraries to help you in planning your trip. I recommend taking a close look at the mileage and elevation gain to make sure the hike is doable for you and your group. If one of these hikes seems like it might be too much mileage or elevation gain look over it with a trail map to work out a variation that would work for you!
Backpack To Marion Lake
Backpack The Teton Crest
Backpack Cascade And Paintbrush Canyon
Backpack To Surprise & Amphitheater Lakes
Necessary Gear:
In addition to standard backpacking gear(which you can find on our backpacking gear blog) other things you may need depend on the time of year you are going as well as the route you are taking. If you are going earlier or later in the season in a region that will typically be snow-covered I would recommend being prepared with crampons as well as ice axes as well as having the knowledge of using this equipment.
Grand Teton National park is also an area of the United States that is known to be inhabited by the grizzly bear so bear canisters, as well as bear spray, are a must-have whenever venturing in the backcountry. Fortunately for those who do not have their own bear canisters you may rent them from the ranger station for free!
As always I would recommend going over your itineraries and necessary gear with the park rangers prior to going into the backcountry. Ranger station information can be found on the Grand Teton National Park Website.
Permits:
All overnight stays in the backcountry of Grand Teton National Park require backcountry permits. There are two different ways you can obtain these permits.
- Advance Backcountry Permits: 1/3 of the available permits are set aside for advanced reservations made from January to May. These requests can be made at recreation.gov where you will be charged a $45.00 nonrefundable processing fee after you complete your reservation.
- First-come, First-serve Permits: The remaining 2/3rds of the backcountry permits are given out on a first come first serve basis. Available at the following locations Craige Thomas Discovery and Visitor Center, Colter Bay Visitor Center, and Jenny Lake Ranger Station you may pick up your permits a day prior to the start of your backpacking trip. First-come, First-serve permits are priced at $35.00 each.
Check out our most important things to know about backcountry permits post to learn more about national park permit systems!
