Hiking Cascade Canyon - Grand Teton National Park
This hike is great because it gives you a taste of the stunning Teton backcountry without requiring a significant amount of distance or elevation gain to get there. It also offers ample wildlife sighting opportunities (especially for such a high traffic trail).
There are two ways to start this trail:
1. Hike around Jenny Lake (2.4 miles one way)
2. Take the 12 minute shuttle boat departing from the West Shore Boat Dock across the lake (cuts off 2.4 miles each way, but costs $20 round-trip or $12 one way)
We originally planned to hike around the lake, but quickly backtracked and opted for the shuttle boat. We hadn’t passed another person on the trail, and we did not have bear spray on us, so we decided to play it safe. Luckily, the boat ride itself was very scenic and enjoyable!
Once you ride across the lake (or hike around) and arrive at the East Shore Boat Dock, begin following the signs to Hidden Falls.
After enjoying the waterfall scenery, continue following the trail to Inspiration Point (1.8 miles from the trailhead). Although Inspiration Point offers good views of Jenny Lake and Jackson Hole, I don’t think it’s worth all the effort to get there if you are only intending to hike to this spot (so much so that I didn't even take a picture haha).
Note: It is said that the views in this spot are best in the afternoon.
We didn’t hike all the way to “The Forks of Cascade Canyon,” so I am not positive what our exact milage was, but we were awestruck by the stunning views from where we did hike. The great part about this hike is that you can turn around whenever you want. If you hike to the forks and back to the boat dock, your total mileage will be just over 9 miles.
At a minimum, I highly recommend hiking to a point where the canyon opens and you can see excellent views of the mountains. It was exceptionally beautiful with the stream and greenery below, while the mountains towered above!
Due to the various types of berries that grow in this canyon, there is a higher chance of seeing bears on this hike. Please be sure to carry bear spray with you if you are not hiking with a large group of people. Since we did not have any bear spray, we made sure to keep up with other groups and were never alone. We didn’t see any bears, but we did see a moose in the distance and several pikas!
Are you able to spot the moose? Hint: Only his antlers are visible. If it hadn't been for the small group of people observing him at a distance I never would have noticed him laying down in the distance!