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Todd Arndt above the Schoolroom Glacier and the South Fork Cascade Canyon on the Teton Crest Trail. See the “ 5 Reasons You Must Backpack the Teton Crest Trail.” If you’ve backpacked in the Tetons or have other thoughts or suggestions about the best backpacking trips there, I’d appreciate you sharing those in the comments section at the bottom of this story. See my Custom Trip Planning page to learn how I can do that for you. And I’ve helped many readers of my blog plan a successful and memorable backpacking trip in the Tetons. My e-guides “ The Complete Guide to Backpacking the Teton Crest Trail in Grand Teton National Park” and “ The Best Short Backpacking Trip in Grand Teton National Park” will tell you everything you need to know to plan and pull off either trip.

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See my stories “ How to Get a Permit to Backpack the Teton Crest Trail,” “ 10 Tips for Getting a Hard-to-Get National Park Backcountry Permit” and “ How to Get a Last-Minute, National Park Backcountry Permit.” High demand makes walk-in permits hard to get. However, the park issues reservations for only about one-third of permits in advance-leaving two-thirds available each night during the hiking season for people seeking walk-in permits, issued no more than one day in advance of starting a trip. Mountain Time the first day reservations open, because many campsites that are available in reserve, especially along the Teton Crest trail, disappear quickly (and the process can feel maddeningly chaotic). The park accepts permit reservation requests for backpacking trips from the first Wednesday in January through May 15, at after that, all permit requests are handled first-come, first-served.

Some high passes, most notably Paintbrush Divide, can remain snow-covered and potentially dangerous into late July, depending on the previous winter and spring’s snowpack and weather in spring and early summer.ĭavid Gordon backpacking the Teton Crest Trail in the North Fork Cascade Canyon. The peak backpacking season in the Tetons generally begins in mid-July, when higher elevations and passes become mostly snow-free, and runs well into September. This list includes my favorite itinerary for a Teton Crest Trail hike, the best short (two- or three-day) backpacking trip in the park, and various options that offer different distances, varying levels of solitude, and opportunities to see different areas of the park. The five backpacking trips described below, ranging from nearly 20 miles to about 39 miles, represent my picks for the best multi-day hikes in Grand Teton National Park-a place I have dayhiked, backpacked, and climbed extensively. Click photo for my expert e-guide to the Teton Crest Trail. Jeff Wilhelm backpacking the Teton Crest Trail, Grand Teton National Park. Click here to learn how I can help you plan your next trip. Click here for my e-guides to classic backpacking trips.

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Click here to sign up for my FREE email newsletter. Hi, I’m Michael Lanza, creator of The Big Outside. It will very likely feature some of the most scenic backcountry campsites you’ve ever slept in a couple of Tetons camps populate my personal list of all-time favorite backcountry campsites. While I rank the Teton Crest Trail among the 10 best backpacking trips in America-a list that draws on more than three decades of backpacking all over the United States, including 10 years as a field editor for Backpacker magazine and longer than that running this blog-the truth is, any backpacking excursion into the Tetons will probably hold a cherished place among the prettiest and most memorable multi-day treks of your life. I’m pretty sure I could backpack through Grand Teton National Park 20 more times without the experience ever growing ordinary. Walking for days through these mountains, with their endless fields of wildflowers, long alpine vistas, and hypnotic mountain lakes, creeks, and waterfalls never grows old. Here’s a truth I’ve learned from more than 20 visits to the Tetons since my first backpacking trip on the Teton Crest Trail three decades ago: That incomparable, jagged skyline of peaks never fails to ignite a sense of awe and joy.