Colter Bay Lakeshore Trail

Within the first 100 feet on the trail, you are greeted with the stunning view of the peaks of Grand Teton reflecting off of Jackson Lake. Here you can enjoy lunch or a small snack at one of the picnic tables before or after the short hike.

Continue following the Colter Bay Lakeshore Trail along the edge of Jackson Lake, and you will find yourself crossing a section of the trail to a loop that will take you around a small “island”. I love this portion of the hike because you can choose to walk out to the rocky shores of the lake and enjoy the hike along the lake’s edge if you prefer that to the forest scenery provided by the trail.

What we did was hike the Colter Bay Lakeshore Trail about an hour before sunset so that we can enjoy the golden rays coming through the trees, making it back to the trailhead just as the sun was setting. We then grabbed a quick and simple dinner at the general store nearby before heading back to the Jackson Lake shore to begin our stargazing session. The local rangers recommended this location as the best place to view the stars and Milky Way, and from my experience, I couldn’t agree more!