Grand Teton National Park Itinerary: 1, 3 & 5-Day Plans

Start before sunrise at Schwabacher Landing, 3 miles north of the Moose entrance, where the Cathedral Group reflects in a still side channel of the Snake River. Then drive through Moose onto Teton Park Road, 20 miles of pullouts with the whole range on your left. Allow 30 to 60 minutes of driving plus stops, and add about 20 minutes for the construction roundabout at Moose through summer 2026. The Chapel of the Transfiguration at Moose and the Teton Glacier Turnout are the two stops worth making on the way north.

Be at South Jenny Lake early: the trailhead lot fills by mid-morning in peak season, so be parked well before 9 a.m. The boat shuttle leaves the East Dock every 10 to 15 minutes, $20 adult round-trip, no reservations, and the ride across takes about 20 minutes. From the west shore, Hidden Falls and Inspiration Point are 1.8 miles round-trip; without the boat the same destination is 5.7 miles. Bring a fleece, because the shade at Hidden Falls runs about 10°F cooler than the trailside, and from Inspiration Point the view sweeps across Jenny Lake to the Gros Ventre Range.

Afternoon thunderstorms are common June through August and lightning peaks between 2 and 4 p.m., so the hike is a morning job. Spend the afternoon on the Jenny Lake shore loop or working back through the pullouts, then drive north on US-191 to Oxbow Bend, 3 miles south of Moran Junction, and arrive 30 minutes before sunset for Mount Moran mirrored in the river's oxbow. Sunrise there is just as good, but it means a 4:30 a.m. alarm.

String Lake is the best second morning in the park. The loop is 3.7 miles round-trip with 540 feet of gain: it hugs the eastern shore of an impossibly blue lake ringed by Douglas firs, climbs the western bank with rising views of the peaks, then dips through an old burn on the way back to the trailhead. The lot fills by 9 a.m. in mid-summer, and arriving before 7 a.m. is the only way to guarantee a spot. If it is full, walk the flat half mile along Jenny Lake's east shore instead.

Leigh Lake is the easy extension from the north end of String Lake: 1.8 miles round-trip with 110 feet of gain, turquoise water, and low enough that wind and cloud bother it less than the alpine trails. It is also the Plan B on any day the weather shuts the high views.

Then go north. The road up Signal Mountain ends at a panoramic summit over the whole valley, and the trail version earns the same view on foot. Behind Jackson Lake Lodge, the short Lunch Tree Hill walk looks over Willow Flats, the wildlife-watching meadow of the north end. If the water is running, the lodge also books Snake River scenic floats of 3 to 4 hours, late May through late September, at 307-543-3100. Finish at Oxbow Bend for moose in the evening if you missed it on Day 1.

Pick one climb and start at dawn. Parking at Lupine Meadows fills by 9 a.m., and alpine trails above 9,000 feet can hold snow into July, so call 307-739-3300 for daily conditions before you commit. Amphitheater Lake is the summit-feeling option: 5 miles of switchbacks up to 9,700 feet. Garnet Canyon leaves from the same Lupine Meadows trailhead and is the other big climb on that side of the range.

Cascade Canyon is the other choice, and the boat makes it. The shuttle across Jenny Lake cuts 4 or more miles off the round trip; be at the dock before 8:30 a.m. or expect waits of up to 2 hours in peak season. Past Inspiration Point the canyon opens up under the Cathedral Group to the Forks, and Lake Solitude is the long day beyond that. The full Paintbrush Canyon to Cascade Canyon loop and Holly Lake are the versions for strong hikers with a full day of legs.

Hike in groups of 3 or more with bear spray, keep 100 yards from bears and wolves, and store all food in the car or a bear-resistant container. Summer weather swings 30°F between morning and afternoon, so carry layers and a rain shell even on a blue morning, and be off the high ground before the 2 to 4 p.m. lightning window.

Taggart Lake is the third of the classic lakes and the quieter morning. Its trailhead is one of the lots that is often full by 9 a.m. in peak season, so this is another early start. The Taggart to Bradley Lake loop links two lakes through the mountain valleys at the base of the range; the Beaver Creek variant is the shorter loop if the alpine day is still in your legs.

The afternoon is the valley floor. Mormon Row's historic barns sit with the whole range behind them, and the drive south through Moose is the way into Jackson for a night in town. Jackson is where the restaurants are; the ones we list are below, and the motels are here too. This is the evening to restock bear spray and layers before the last day.

Moose-Wilson Road fully reopened on June 19, 2026, but it carries construction delays of 30 to 45 minutes or more through Labor Day, has an unpaved 1.5-mile section, and is closed to RVs, trailers, and any vehicle over 23 feet. Drive it early and slowly, and do not stop in the roadway for wildlife: this is the moose road, and the pullouts exist for a reason.

Death Canyon Road and its trailhead are closed to all vehicle and trail access for summer 2026, so Phelps Lake is reached from the Laurance S. Rockefeller Preserve on the Granite Canyon side instead. The Phelps Lake Loop from the preserve is 6.4 miles with 1,060 feet of gain around turquoise water and subalpine meadows; Phelps Lake Overlook via the Valley Trail is the shorter out-and-back for the view without the loop. Granite Canyon, Open Canyon, and Marion Lake are the long options off the same corner for anyone with a fifth day of legs left.

One last logistics note for the whole trip: entry is $35 per vehicle for 7 days, non-U.S. residents aged 16 and over pay an additional $100 per person surcharge as of January 2026 (the $250 Non-Resident Annual Pass waives it), and the park has been cashless since May 1, 2026, so pay by card at the gate.