Places to HIKE: Death Canyon @ Grand Teton National Park, WY

In terms of popular Grand Teton National Park hiking, Death Canyon isn't probably the most well-known. But it is a beautiful hike into some amazing country, and a good, moderate hike to start with, especially if it's your first day in the park.

Overlooking Phelps Lake from the trail

Accessing the trail is a bit of a pain. You have to take the Moose-Wilson Road (which can be quite bumpy) to the cutoff for the trailhead, which is clearly marked but another short drive. GTNP does a great job of marking roads and trails, so if this is your first visit to the park, you'll be able to figure out where you need to go.

Once you hit the trail, it's pretty easy going for a while. You travel through some heavily-forested areas with only mild incline. For the first 1.5 miles, there aren't really any great overlooks, but it's a peaceful bit of trail. It's a great warm-up. 

View up the peaks as you climb the Canyon

Then, you reach a beautiful clearing where you can look out over the marvelous Phelps Lake. It's really stunning, especially after being in the trees for a while. Then, you start to hike downhill through a series of switchbacks. There is quite a bit of elevation loss here, but don't worry; you're still on the right trail. Once you're nearly down to lake-level, there's a cutoff to the lake itself. We decided to skip the walk around the lake in favor of the Death Canyon trail. 

From this point, it's about two miles to your destination. Because we were on the trail in early June, we still encountered some snow fields. If you don't feel comfortable on this snow, don't proceed! If you can pass the snow (or just don't encounter any), the rest of the trail is really beautiful. You'll have to do some elevation gaining through some switchbacks, but the views at the end are always worth it! From the end of the Canyon, you have a great view back down the valley and over Phelps Lake. 

A few things to remember:

Looking back down the valley

• This is bear country! Once you get to the Tetons, you will be bombarded with signs reminding you of the bear threat. But I still feel obligated to put that on this post. We didn't encounter any bears, but this isn't the most traversed trail, so be on the lookout. Be smart; bring your bear spray. 
• You will have some uphill trail on the way back to the trailhead as you climb out of the lake valley. Just keep that in mind as you hike. 
• For more info on the trail, take a look at the NPS map of the area. 

We really loved the Death Canyon Hike at Grand Teton National Park. Overall, it's only about an 6-mile hike, but it's a solid day hike. Plus, there are lots of opportunities to add more miles through trails branching off of the main trail. 

FYI - I'll be posting more about GTNP and the Jackson Hole area in the weeks to come. So be on the lookout for more hikes, bike rides, and general travel tips for this region!

AND - if you've done this hike (or something similar) please comment! It'll help build our community of Wanderers.

Happy wanderings! - GG

The Tetons and Phelps Lake from the trail