Teton Crest Trail hiking guide: route map, stages & where to stay

The Teton Crest Trail is the classic backpacking traverse of the Teton Range in Wyoming. It follows the high crest of the range from Teton Pass in the south to String Lake in Grand Teton National Park, past alpine lakes, flower meadows and the west face of the Grand Teton. The National Park Service describes it as a 39-mile (63 km) point-to-point route that starts outside the park at Phillips Pass and gains over 9,000 ft (2,700 m). Most hikers take 4 days and 3 nights. You camp in your own tent in park camping zones and on Forest Service land, with all your food in a bear canister.

The route

This guide starts at the Phillips Pass trailhead (the Ski Lake trailhead) on WY-22 below Teton Pass and climbs to Phillips Pass in the Bridger-Teton National Forest. The trail runs north along the crest and drops into Granite Canyon, the first part of Grand Teton National Park, to Marion Lake. On day 2 it crosses Fox Creek Pass onto the Death Canyon Shelf, a long limestone bench under cliffs, then Mount Meek Pass, and goes down the Sheep Steps into Alaska Basin. Day 3 crosses Hurricane Pass, the best viewpoint on the trail, with the Grand Teton and the Schoolroom Glacier straight ahead, and descends the South Fork of Cascade Canyon into the North Fork. The last day climbs past Lake Solitude to Paintbrush Divide, the high point at about 3,265 m (10,700 ft), and descends Paintbrush Canyon to String Lake.

This guide follows the route mapped on OpenStreetMap and splits it into 4 stages, about 16.0 km each. The line is 64 km (40 miles) long with about 2,700 m (8,900 ft) of ascent. Most of it lies between 2,600 and 3,200 m (8,500 and 10,500 ft).

Highlights

• Marion Lake: a small lake under limestone cliffs, the first night for most hikers
• Death Canyon Shelf: 5 km of walking along a high bench above Death Canyon, with views east to Jackson Hole
• Alaska Basin: lakes, slabs and meadows on the Idaho side, with free Forest Service camping
• Hurricane Pass: the classic view of the Grand Teton (13,770 ft, 4,197 m) with the Middle and South Teton
• Lake Solitude and Paintbrush Divide: a glacial lake in the North Fork of Cascade Canyon and the highest pass on the trail

When to hike

The NPS says snow stays on the high trails and passes well into July, and that backpacking in the Tetons is typically more enjoyable in August and September. Paintbrush Divide, Hurricane Pass, Fox Creek Pass and Mount Meek Pass can hold steep snow into August in big snow years; before late July you need an ice axe, crampons or microspikes, and the skill to self-arrest. Afternoon thunderstorms are common in summer, so cross passes in the morning. Nights in the high camps drop close to freezing even in August, and from October to April the park expects heavy snow and freezing temperatures.

How many days do you need?

Most hikers take 4 days, as in this guide: Marion Lake, Alaska Basin and the North Fork of Cascade Canyon. The NPS advises against crossing more than one pass a day and plans for no more than 2 mph (3.2 km/h) plus an hour for every 1,000 ft (300 m) of climbing, so days 1 and 4 are long. A 5 or 6 day trip is easier: camp on the Death Canyon Shelf, at Sunset Lake, in the South Fork of Cascade Canyon, or at Holly Lake or the Upper Paintbrush zone.

Permits and booking

You need a Grand Teton backcountry permit for every night in the park. In 2026 it costs $20 per permit plus $7 per person per night. About one third of the places can be reserved on Recreation.gov: for 2027 trips, reservations open at 8:00 am MT on 11 January 2027. The other two thirds are walk-up permits, given out in person one day before your start at the Craig Thomas Discovery and Visitor Center in Moose, the Jenny Lake Ranger Station or the Colter Bay Visitor Center. The NPS says the TCT zones are full almost every night from late July to early September, and in summer people queue from about 5 am. Collect a reserved permit by 10 am on your start day, or it is cancelled.

In the mountain camping zones you choose your own spot between the zone signs, but Marion Lake and Holly Lake have three designated sites each. Nights in Alaska Basin and at Fox Creek Pass are on Forest Service land: there is no fee, but they go on your park permit. Groups of more than 6 must use group sites.

Getting there and away

The nearest airport is Jackson Hole Airport, inside the park. Jackson is about 20 km (12 miles) by road from the Phillips Pass trailhead and 35 km (22 miles) from String Lake. There is no park shuttle: hikers leave a car at each end, book a trailhead shuttle or taxi, use ride-hailing apps, or hitchhike, which the NPS permits. A popular shortcut is the Jackson Hole Aerial Tram from Teton Village to Rendezvous Mountain (adult summer tickets from $67 in 2026), which joins the trail in upper Granite Canyon below Marion Lake. You can also start at the Granite Canyon trailhead near Teton Village and stay inside the park. In 2026 the Death Canyon trailhead is closed for construction.

Money and phone signal

Prices are in US dollars. The park is cashless: bring a card. The park entrance fee is $35 per car or $20 per person on foot for 7 days, and from 2026 non-US residents aged 16 and over pay an extra $100 each unless they have an annual or America the Beautiful pass. Phone signal is patchy on the crest and absent in the canyons. Carry a satellite messenger or a personal locator beacon.

What to pack

• An approved bear canister (free to borrow with your permit) and bear spray, which you cannot fly with: buy or rent it in Jackson
• A tent, a warm sleeping bag and a stove: campfires are banned in all mountain zones and in Alaska Basin
• A water filter: streams flow in every canyon, but Fox Creek Pass and the Death Canyon Shelf can be dry by late summer
• Waterproofs, a warm layer, a hat, gloves, sun cream and sunglasses
• An ice axe and crampons or microspikes before August
• A paper map, as batteries and signal can fail

Difficulty and safety

The Teton Crest Trail is a hard high-altitude trek on a clear, signed path. The main dangers are snow on the passes early in the season, lightning, cold rain and bears. Black and grizzly bears live throughout the park: make noise, keep food in the canister day and night, and stay at least 100 yards (90 m) from bears. Dogs are not allowed in the backcountry. Most hikers sleep at 2,700 to 2,900 m (8,800 to 9,500 ft): drink plenty, and go down if a headache gets worse. Check the NPS trail conditions page before you start.