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I'm sure more than a few people have backpacked this trail.
A friend of mine is going to be doing it in June. She's looking for any info she may need or want to know from others who have hiked this trail. Her group is doing it over 5 days, so they'll have time for small side trips.
Thanks
start with the tram up on the first day at the hole.
This saves huge vert on the first day, that is if you go that way instead of starting in the park.
My lady thought I was crazy when I suggested it, and if you ask her today she will tell you it is the only way to start that trail.
Some sections are usually pretty snowy through June, although with the warm weather up that way lately snow might not be much of an issue this year.
I haven't done the whole trail, although I can tell you that there are some campsites with spectacular views in the south fork of Cascade Canyon.
Um...if it's early June this thread could be very "Skiing Related". The snow line is around 7,500-8,000' right now, and probably higher on the west side of the ridge where it snows more... Even in the end of June, all the passes will have snow on them, so that's something to be prepared for.
Where's she planning on starting/ending? It's not uncommon to drive to the top of Teton Pass and start up Glory, though it adds a good dozen miles or so. Certainly gives you an appreciation for the range, though...
I did it solo, last in aug 2002. Took the JH tram up. Came out at the last canyon (paint brush maybe ?). Two nights but if I were to do it again, 3-4 nights because the views are spectacular and allows time for side trips. Highly recommend a side trip down cascade canyon and some lesser known ones.
Had to hitch a ride back from the national park at the end back to Teton village. Not super easy (probably took an hour waiting with dozens of cars passing by), especially with a large backpack. I think they had a taxi you could call for the return but I may be wrong.
Thunderstorms, high on the ridge were a problem. Saw black bears from distance but nothing dangerous.
Coming from PNW, snow situation didn't look bad. There was only a small patch that was marked some glacier "schoolboy" or "school room" may be.
Probably July/ Aug would be better than early June in a heavy snow year.
Brought back memories because I backpacked ~1000 miles that summer.
Bumping this thread. My dad and I are planning to hike it early September and looking for any general suggestions/advice.
Bring your 3wt if you're a fisherman. There are eager fish in the Alaska Basin, NF Cascade Creek, Lake Solitude and Grizzly Lake. The water is so clear in Lake Solitude that you can see the fish twenty feet below the surface slowly rise up to eat your fly.
If you can't get a campsite at Marion Lake, you can just hike right outside the park boundary and camp, its only about a quarter mile beyond the lake.
Great bump!
I have a few questions for anyone familiar with this trail/area....
After a quick search using the google machine it would seem that to do the trail proper you would start from the Teton Pass (up the Glory Bowl?) and end at the Jenny Lake trailhead, yes?. The trail looks to be approximately 40 miles, correct? What would be the best maps to use for the TCT and all the side trails that encompass the area? Thanx in advance :biggrin:
You could hike out to the Jenny Lake Trailhead, especially if you hiked out Cascade Canyon, but to do the whole thing you have to go over Paintbrush Divide and hike out Paintbrush Canyon, so String Lake Trailhead is the better option. I like the Earthwalk Press map of GTNP, which includes the southern part of the crest trail from Teton Pass (you don't start at the top of the pass, but rather from Phillip's Bench).
This seems like a fun one day objective. If I can't get enough climbing time in this summer maybe I'll go for this instead of the Cathedral Traverse.
Thank you! I fly fish so am definitely considering bringing my rod.
A few more quick questions:
-We plan on hiking from Granite Canyon to String Lake/Leigh Lake and are staying in Jackson Hole the Night before and night after the hike. Any advice on getting back from the exit point? Hitch hike? Shuttle?
-Total gaper question but seeing as how I'm coming from the East Coast and have never been out West before, does anyone have advice on the best mode of transportation to get to Jackson? Flying is obviously expensive but not out of the question. I would love to car road trip but my dad's car is in declining condition and not sure about relying on the ol' Civic for a few thousand miles. We checked into rental cars but it seems as expensive as flying. If we do decide to fly to Jackson, we still need to figure out the best way to get to/from the Crest Trail.
Any additional advice will be greatly appreciated. So stoked for this!
Bump. Leaning towards driving out!
If you're driving, can you bring bikes? Riding is fun to do in and of itself, even if all you do is cruise the sweet bike path from town to Jenny Lake & back. If so, here's how I'd handle your backpack logistics : night before you leave, drive to String Lake, park there & ride your bike home (~25 miles). Next day Start bus from town to Teton Village, hike Valley trail to Granite Canyon from the base (start up Teewinot run) or pay for the Tram and hike to the Crest Trail from the top. Hike to your waiting car. Early exit option (weather,injury, blister) hike out Cascade Canyon, more complete Crest trail hike out Paintbrush. Both options end at String Lake. Hitching from the park back to town is doable, and recently made fully legal.
Note that if you start at Granite Canyon you'll need to visit GTNP Moose visitor center (15 miles north of town, it's *not* on the way to your starting point so you probably need to do it the day before - another reason the car shuttle logistics I described can work well), to get a camping permit and borrow a free and mandatory bear canister if you don't already own one. You can skip park regulations and camping permits if you study a map and camp outside the park boundary on the west side, but you lose some great options for your last night or two in the forks of Cascade Canyon & into Paintbrush - you'll need to do all of that in a day if you don't have a camping permit.
Early September - keep track of the weather, if you don't have a bomber high pressure window make sure you have clothes/gear that can handle some unexpected snow & cold nights.
Excellent, thank you so much for all the helpful info!
bring an ice axe
Hm, I hope not! Maybe crampons would suffice?
Off the thread, but you think you need cramps, then you should also have an ice axe.
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Unless you want to intentionally seek out some lingering snow patches to practice your self arrests, no need for any snow/ice tools in September on the crest trail. June & early July over some of the passes, sure.
Roughly one more month so excited to go!!! I'm gonna bring my fly rod and get some flies locally the day before we hike. OM
The alltrans shuttle runs pic ups and srop offs from the JAC airport as well as the SLC airport for cheaper flight options. They also run drop offs and pick ups in the park for people in your exact situation. Their number is 307-733-3515 give them a call and check your options.