Going to Grand Tetons National Park? You must hike in Cascade Canyon

My family and I returned last weekend from a vacation in Montana and Wyoming and had the privilege to do several day hikes in Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. If you’re lucky enough to hike in Grand Teton, you’ll likely try the popular trail to Hidden Falls and Inspiration Point near Jenny Lake. But if you do, you should not miss the chance to continue further up Cascade Canyon, as this family-friendly hike is one of the most enjoyable ones my girls and I have ever done.

Established in 1929 and expanded after decades of work by John D. Rockefeller and other nature lovers to save the Jackson Hole valley and its lakes from cattle grazing and water diversion, Grand Teton National Park is one of the most beautiful and unique national parks in the lower 48 states and seems to have less crowds and congestion than its cousin to the north, Yellowstone.  Grand Teton is famous for its huge peaks that rise more than 6,000 feet from the valley and lakes below with few foothills obstructing the views of their eastern slopes.

Comprising the youngest mountain range in the Rocky Mountains, the Grand Tetons were formed when the fault running along their eastern slopes began sheering around 10 million years ago. Where the crust broke, the western portion containing the mountains began shooting skyward at a rate of around a foot every several hundred years, while the eastern portion now covered by lakes simultaneously sank at a similar rate. Glaciers then carved a path down the valley and canyons between the peaks and filled the valley floor with hundreds of feet of rocks and pebbles that lie just beneath the soil, much of which we saw when rafting down the Snake River famously photographed by Ansel Adams.

The short hike to Hidden Falls and Inspiration Point rises from the northwestern shore of Jenny Lake into a canyon nestled in the Grand Tetons. The trailhead begins at the point where the northwestern corner of Jenny Lake meets Cascade Canyon, the west-facing canyon separating Mount Owen and Teewinot Mountain to the south from Symmetry Spire to the north.  It also sits across Jenny Lake from the Jenny Lake ranger station and store and its large parking lot, one of the park’s busiest tourist hubs, which all lie along the southeastern shore of the lake.

Though you can hike from the ranger station around the southwestern shore of Jenny Lake, many choose instead to take a shuttle boat across the lake to trim four miles (roundtrip) off the hike.  This shortens a round trip to Hidden Falls to only 1 mile (300 feet of elevation gain) and a roundtrip to Inspiration Point to just 1.8 miles (550 feet of elevation gain).  Avoiding the trek around Jenny Lake also spares you from an additional 320 feet of elevation gain.

If you’re pressed for time, a hike up the crowded route to Hidden Falls and Inspiration Point is certainly worth the trip.  The first half mile to Hidden Falls traverses a conifer forest over a well-trodden trail and emerges just before a bridge over Cascade Creek to a short connector leading to the 100-foot falls.  Fed by snow melting off the mountains, the Hidden Falls are framed by tall lodgepoll pines and fir trees and are backlit by pretty views of the peaks beyond.

Most tourists also continue on the next half mile up the rocky slope to Inspiration Point, a low broad cliff carved at the foot of the valley that provides stunning views of Jenny Lake, the Jackson Hole valley, and the mountains of the Gros Ventre Range beyond. Although the trail up the cliff face is narrow in spots and may be a smidge scary for those afraid of heights (like yours truly), the worst drop offs are not that high and should be manageable for most flatlanders. The trail is also well-built with many steps that reduce the pain of the short climb to the top, even for Floridians like me.

Perhaps the best part of this hike is what lies beyond Inspiration Point, the part many tourists choose to ignore. The trail rolls on relatively smoothly up into the heart of Cascade Canyon through wilderness that becomes more spectacular with every step.  The trail eventually splits 3.5 miles west of Inspiration Point, and hikers can choose to go over steeper terrain another 2.8 miles north to Lake Solitude or instead substantially steeper terrain another 5.1 miles south to Hurricane Pass. We saw several groups of backpackers returning from overnight trips to Lake Solitude, and they raved about their experience.

With not-yet-acclimated Floridian lungs and legs, my girls and I chose to go only about two miles more up Cascade Canyon for a round-trip of less than six miles (adding only about 100 feet more of elevation gain), but even that was one of the best hikes we’ve ever done. With the crowds thinned out, we were treated to a quiet romp over a slowly rising trail that meandered quietly through majestic pines, popping now and again into shrubby, scree-covered fields with kaleidoscopic views of the mountains and canyon walls. Much of the trail passed beside Cascade Creek, which flattened in spots into glassy pools and ponds.

We saw plenty of pika (small animals that look like alpine chipmunks but are actually related to rabbits) and even a moose. We also found a quiet spot to enjoy lunch just off the trail beside a lake. Beginning and ending our trip with the sunny boat ride across the lake was just the cherry on our Grand Teton sundae.

Tickets for the shuttle boat must be purchased at the dock (there are no reservations) and cost $20 roundtrip/$12 one-way for adults and $12 roundtrip/$10 one-way for kids between 2 and 11 years old (kids under 2 are free). Because the trail and the boat ride are very popular, you’ll want to arrive early to avoid long lines and having to park beyond the turnoff to the Jenny Lake parking area. But even with heavy crowds (which thin substantially past Inspiration Point), this is a family-friendly hike to not be missed if you ever make it to Grand Teton National Park, even if your legs are not ready for steep hikes in the mountains.