Backpacker Magazine – June 2008

Grand Tetons Trip Planner

Plan your perfect week in the Tetons right here.

by: Michael Lanza

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Wildflowers brighten Death Canyon Shelf (Mike Lanza)

A Perfect Week: Tetons       5 Hikes, 7 Days      Tetons Trip Planner

Season
July through late September. Violent afternoon thunderstorms are common in July and August. An ice axe is often needed for high passes and steep off-trail hiking until mid-July.

Getting There Most trailheads are within 20 minutes of the Jackson airport. For shuttles, try Teton Taxi, (307) 733-1506, tetontaxi.com.

Bears
Grand Teton National Park requires visitors to use bearproof food canisters when camping below 10,000 feet in the backcountry. Free loaner canisters are available at the Jenny Lake Ranger Station and the Craig Thomas and Colter Bay Visitor Centers.

Map
Trails Illustrated Grand Teton National Park #202 ($10, natgeomaps.com/trailsillustrated.htm)

Hiking Grand Teton National Park, by Bill Schneider ($15); A Climber's Guide to the Teton Range, by Leigh Ortenburger and Reynold Jackson ($35)

Permits Free and required within the park; backcountry camping is unregulated outside the boundaries (including Alaska Basin and the national forest lands south and west of Granite Canyon). The park issues one-third of permits in advance (apply between January 1 and May 15; there's a $25 fee for making the reservation) and two-thirds first-come at the Jenny Lake Ranger Station and the Craig Thomas and Colter Bay Visitor Centers. Reservations are recommended for popular zones in midsummer. Camping in some off-trail areas outside designated backcountry camping zones is permitted, including at Indian, Taminah, and Snowdrift Lakes; inquire at the backcountry desk. Get climbing permits at the Jenny Lake Ranger Station.

Post-hike eats
The quintessential Tetons wind-down is found on Dornan's outside deck in Moose. (307) 733-2415; dornans.com

Contact
(307) 739-3300, nps.gov/grte. Permits: (307) 739-3309. Climbing rangers: (307) 739-3343. More climbing info: tetonclimbing.blogspot.com. Forecasts: mountainweather.com/jackson.htm