![]() ![]() You are in bowl with plenty of ponds, surrounded by mountains. When I woke up, I truly appreciated the 360 view of Alaska Basin. Nevertheless I made dinner and turned in for an early night. So hiking 16 miles the first day solo, and carrying a 40 lbs pack, was a bit challenging. There are plenty of neighbors if you want company and if you don't, there are plenty of spots to move to.Īfter hiking 16 miles, I got my tent set up, crawled into my sleeping bag and moaned for about half an hour. Since it is outside the park and there are no designated campsites you can pitch your tent wherever you choose to. This is also a popular camping spot, but there is plenty of room to spread out. Some people choose Death Canyon Shelf as their first night's campsite, but if you have six days, you could camp the first night at Marion Lake and spend the second night on the Shelf.Īfter the storm passed, I then hiked down to Alaska Basin where I was greeted by two moose and a wonderful 360 view of mountains. Death Canyon Shelf, however, is a stunning place to camp with campsites looking down into the canyon below. So my first day, I had to go 16 miles to get outside the park to Alaska Basin (part of the Teton Crest Trail leaves the park at Alaska Basin) where permits are not required.Ĭamping at Marion Lake makes for a short first day. ![]() ![]() Unfortunately, campsite reservations were slim when I checked into the ranger station the day before. Marion Lake, by the way, is not a bad place to camp the first night. I took the tram that morning to the top, and there I started on the Granite Canyon Trail and headed off to Marion Lake. The folks there were great and kind enough to transport some gear to my final stay in Jackson. I spent the night before at Aplenhof Lodge which is next to the tram and serves a huge breakfast. Since time was of the essence, and the trip was already four days, I started this trek by taking the tram from Teton Village to the top (which saves you a steep climb). 1st through May 15th and reserve in advance. You can do this 24 hours before your hike or you can go on line from Jan. You will need to allow time to get a wilderness camp site permit from one of the Grand Teton ranger stations. Since this is a high altitude hike, this trip is best done from mid-July to mid-September to avoid too many snow fields. The trail rarely dips below 8,000 feet, and while there are some arduous passes (climbing the Continental Divide at Paintbrush Divide is no picnic), it is as Jimmy says, “A glorious high alpine trek.” Thank you Jimmy. In an article in Men's Journal last year, famed National Geographic photographer and adventurer Jimmy Chin called the Teton Crest Trail "a bucket list item" and declared, "If you do one high alpine hike in the U.S., this should be it."Ĥ0 miles, four days and several passes later, I could not believe the beauty and wonderful campsites I encountered in Grand Teton National Park. ![]()
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