Bill Schneider - Grand Teton National Park

Best Easy Day Hikes Series

Best Easy Day Hikes Grand Teton

Third Edition

Bill Schneider

Copyright 1999, 2005, 2011 by Morris Book Publishing, LLC

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Project editor: David Legere

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file.

ISBN 978-1-4930-0284-9

The author and Globe Pequot Press assume no liability for accidents happening to, or injuries sustained by, readers who engage in the activities described in this book.

Contents

The Hikes

Introduction

Grand Teton National Park probably has the most famous mountain skyline in the country. It shows up every year on millions of postcards, calendars, magazine and book covers, and television ads. But just looking at it is not enough. You need to go there to feel the true essence of these mountains. For outstanding mountain scenery, Grand Teton is, quite simply, the best. When you go there, you have to really try hard not to have a memorable hike.

What Is a Best Easy Day Hike?

One of the beauties of hiking is that there are hikes for virtually anyone, whether beginner or experienced, overnight backpacker or day-tripper. Of all the hiking Ive done over the past forty years, the hikes in this book are among my all-time favorite relatively easy day hikes in the Rocky Mountains.

Best Easy Day Hikes Grand Teton is a companion volume to my comprehensive Hiking Grand Teton National Park, which covers every trail in the park, including those that are neither best nor easy. In contrast, Best East Day Hikes includes only modestly strenuous hikes. Most of these hikes are short, and only a few have steep upgrades. In other words, there are no long hikes with big hills. All hikes are on easy-to-follow trails, and there are no off-trail sections.

Some of the hikes in this book might seem easy to some hikers but not as easy to others. To help you find the level of difficulty that suits your level of fitness and time schedule, Ive ranked them from easiest to hardest. In addition, each hike has an estimation of how long it takes an average hiker to cover the route. This means total walking time, not time spent taking a nap, watching wildlife, photographing wildflowers, eating lunch, and all the other things people do when enjoying the wilderness.

Watch the Weather

It can snow any day of the year in Grand Teton National Park, so always be prepared for it. The normal summer weather pattern (if there is such a thing) is clear mornings with thundershowers in the midafternoon, followed by clear, coolish evenings. This means early-morning hikers usually enjoy better weather. June can frequently (but not always) be a fairly wet month in Grand Teton.

Leave No Trace

Going into Grand Teton National Park is like visiting a famous museum. You obviously do not want to leave your mark on an art treasure in the museum. If everybody going through the museum left one little mark, the piece of art would be quickly destroyedand what is the value of a big building full of trashed art? The same goes for a pristine wilderness such as Grand Teton, which is as magnificent as any masterpiece by any artist. If we all left just one little mark on the landscape, the wilderness would soon be despoiled.

A wilderness can accommodate human use as long as everybody behaves. But a few thoughtless or uninformed visitors can ruin it for everybody who follows. All wilderness users have a responsibility to know and follow the rules of Leave No Trace hiking.

Today most wilderness users want to walk softly, but some arent aware that they have poor manners that can leave long-lasting scars on the wilderness. Such behavior is absolutely unacceptable. The wilderness is shrinking, and the number of users is mushrooming. More and more hiking trails show unsightly signs of heavy use.

Consequently, a new code of ethics has developed from the necessity of coping with the waves of people who want a perfect wilderness experience. Today we all must leave no clues that we have gone before. Canoeists can look behind the canoe and see no trace of their passing. Hikers should have the same goal. Enjoy the wildness, but leave no sign of your visit. The Falcon book Leave No Trace is a valuable resource for learning more about these principles.

Three Leave No Trace Principles:

• Leave with everything you brought.
• Leave no sign of your visit.
• Leave the landscape as you found it.

Most of us know better than to litterin or out of the wilderness. Be sure you leave nothing, regardless of how small it is, along the trail. This means you should pack out everything, including orange peels, flip tops, cigarette butts, and gum wrappers. Also, pick up any trash that others leave behind. Follow this pack-in/pack-out rule: If you carry something into the backcountry, carry it out.

Follow the main trail. Avoid cutting switchbacks and walking on vegetation beside the trail. Dont pick up souvenirs, such as rocks, antlers, or wildflowers. The next person wants to see them, too, and collecting souvenirs along the trail violates park regulations. Avoid making loud noises that may disturb others. Remember, sound travels easily to the other side of a lake. Carry a lightweight trowel to bury human waste 6 to 8 inches deep, and pack out used toilet paper. Keep human waste at least 200 feet from any water source. Be courteous.

Finally, put your ear to the ground in the wilderness and listen carefully. Thousands of people coming behind you are thanking you for your courtesy and good manners.

Day Hiking Checklist

You may find someor allof these items useful on your hike:

• day pack
• water and water bottles
• food; high-energy snacks
• first-aid kit
• map, compass, and GPS unit
• sunscreen and sunglasses; wide-brimmed hat or ball cap
• rain gear
• warm hat and gloves
• insect repellent
• backpackers trowel, toilet paper, and resealable plastic bags
• flashlight
• pocketknife
• camera
• guidebook
• watch

How to Use This Guide

This guide is designed to be simple and easy to use. Each hike is described with a map and summary information that delivers the trails vital statistics, including distance, approximate hike time, and best months. Directions to the trailhead are also provided, along with a general description of what youll see along the way. The Miles and Directions section lists distances between key landmarks along the trail.