Death Canyon and Phelps Lake Loop

Day 1: This trip begins at the Death Canyon Trailhead. Try to arrive early, as it gets crowded and various groups day hike from here. After the first few miles, you’ll encounter Phelps Lake. You’ll have several opportunities for photos, and they will all be beautiful. As you continue on, be on the lookout for moose. Often times they are munching on grass on the sides of the trail. After trave...

Your adventure begins at 7,000 feet along lodge pole pines and small creeks. Just a few minutes into the hike, you will reach the Valley Trail Junction. Stay left and continue towards Death Canyon. The first mile of the trail climbs 400 feet through pine forests and aspen groves to the Phelps Lake Over Look. Take a minute to enjoy the view here. Phelps Lake is a glacial lake that is usually ...

Don’t look down! You’re about to cliff jump 40 feet from a granite boulder into a lake cold with Glacier runoff. This short and beautiful hike, with a four hundred foot climb, will lead you to our favorite summertime activity…jumping and swimming! If you park at the Preserve trailhead, plan to get there early during summer months; the lot fills up fast. Using this trail the hike is flat out t...

If you can snag a permit to camp at Death Canyon Shelf, consider yourself lucky. This backcountry camping zone holds some of the best sites in Grand Teton National Park. The shelf is a 3-mile stretch of the Teton Crest trail between Fox Creek Pass and Mount Meek Pass, and runs parallel to Death Canyon, with 300-foot cliffs on one side of the trail, and the floor of Death Canyon a thousand feet ...

Getting There: Coming from Jackson Hole, enter Grand Teton National Park and turn left onto Moose-Wilson Road. Continue southwest until you come to Death Canyon trailhead on your right. There is a large parking lot beside the trailhead, as well as bathrooms and picnic areas. The Trail: The six+ mile out-and-back trail begins at the Death Canyon trailhead. You'll start on a one mile hike o...

Death Canyon Trailhead is easily accessed by heading south on Moose-Wilson Rd. from Grand Teton National Park Headquarters for 3 miles. Once at the junction turn right onto an uneven dirt road and go north 0.7 miles to the parking area.Day 1: (8.3 miles) From Death Canyon Trailhead hike west for 1-mile to the Phelps Lake overlook (7,200 ft.), this will be your first of many photo opportunities....