huckepack

Teton Crest Trail

Length

This trail
57.5 km
How
Measured on our OpenStreetMap map line (data of 6 Nov 2026): the main route
Official
62.8 km, stated length (National Park Service, Grand Teton National Park)

58km

Ascent · descent

This trail
2,200 m up, 2,820 m down, estimated
How
Estimated from the GEDTM30 terrain model along our OpenStreetMap line: the route's climbs and drops along samples 100 m apart, each counted once it reaches 10 m
Keep in mind
A 30 m terrain model: short climbs between the samples are missed

estimated: 2,200m ↑2,820m ↓

Difficulty

What
How hard the trail is, in three ways: the terrain, the climate in season and the length of the days
Scale
Easy to Hard, with the same thresholds for every trail; each takes its hardest measure
Keep in mind
It describes the trail, not how it will feel to you: that depends on your fitness, experience, pack and the weather you get
  • Terrain: DemandingPath grade: ≈ T3
  • Climate: Demanding in Jul–AugCold: 2 °C at night (August)
  • Effort: ModerateAverage day: ≈ 4 h 15 (an average day over 5 days)

All measures

Terrain: Demanding; Climate: Demanding in Jul–Aug; Effort: Moderate

Suggested

No stages
No official stages: hikers choose their own camps
Source
National Park Service, Grand Teton National Park

5days

Per day

This trail
12 km · ≈ 440 m ↑
How
The trail's length (our measurement, 58 km) ÷ its days (5, from National Park Service, Grand Teton National Park); ascent likewise

12km· about 440 m ↑
Season

Landscape

Source
ESA WorldCover satellite land cover, along the main route
  • Forest: 42%
  • Grassland and shrubs: 35%
  • Bare rock and sand: 13%
  • Moss and lichen: 11%

Landscape along the route

Mainly Forest

Photos

Photos from Wikimedia Commons by LikeGrantTookRichmond, Tony Hochstetler, Kimberly Finch, S. Zenner, Cal Wolfe and Eric Kilby; each photo's licence in the gallery

Location

Country
United States
Regions
Wyoming
Start
Phillips Pass
Finish
String Lake
Route type
Point to point
Permit
Required · fee charged
Travel hubs
  • Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC)478.2 km by road · 338 min
Protected areas
Grand Teton National Park; Jedediah Smith Wilderness
Managed by
National Park Service, Grand Teton National ParkOfficial website (opens in a new tab)
GPX
GPX trackOur tracing from OpenStreetMap
  • Trail
  • Start
  • Finish
  • Contour lines

Difficulty

Terrain

Rates
How hard is the ground to walk: the path, the climbing, the steep bits, the ground underfoot?
How
Rated over the whole main route.
Level
The hardest measure sets it
Path grade
the trail's SAC grade, stated, converted or estimated
  1. EasyT1
  2. ModerateT2
  3. DemandingT3
  4. HardT4 to T6
Climbing
the trail's ascent (the terrain model's estimate) over the length the page shows
  1. Easyunder 15 m per km
  2. Moderate15–30 m
  3. Demanding30–50 m
  4. Hard50 m or more
Steep stretches
share of the route steeper than 15 %, up or down (terrain model)
  1. Easyunder 5 %
  2. Moderate5–15 %
  3. Demanding15–30 %
  4. Hard30 % or more
Natural ground
share on footpaths and trails (OpenStreetMap); never Hard on its own
  1. Easyunder a third
  2. Moderatea third to two thirds
  3. Demandingtwo thirds or more

Demanding

  • SAC hiking scale

    This trail
    T3 (our estimate)
    Basis
    The park calls it a route that climbs over 9,000 feet over several high passes (Paintbrush Divide and Hurricane Pass among them), which remain snowy and hazardous well into the summer, when an ice-axe, crampons and the ability to self-arrest are musts; high alpine country with little shade, afternoon thunderstorms and dry stretches late in summer. In season, demanding mountain hiking on built trails (T3).
    Scale
    The Swiss Alpine Club's hiking scale, from T1 (easy) to T6 (very hard)
    Why
    Trails rate difficulty in many local scales, or only in words; we translate each into this one so trails compare
    Keep in mind
    An estimate: how hard a trail feels depends on your fitness, experience, pack and the weather
    T1 · Hiking
    Well-made paths, mostly flat or gently sloping. No risk of falling; trainers are enough.
    T2 · Mountain hiking
    A continuous path, steep in places, where a fall can't be ruled out. Be sure-footed; wear hiking boots.
    T3 · Demanding mountain hiking
    The path is not always visible; exposed spots may have chains or ropes, and you may need your hands for balance.
    T4 · Alpine hiking
    Often no path. Hands are needed in places, terrain is exposed, and there can be easy snowfields.
    T5 · Demanding alpine hiking
    Mostly pathless, with easy climbing and exposed, demanding terrain. Needs alpine experience.
    T6 · Difficult alpine hiking
    Pathless, very exposed, with climbing and glaciers. For experienced mountaineers only.

    The scale at the Swiss Alpine Club (opens in a new tab)

    estimated T3
  • Climbingestimated 38 m per km
  • Steep stretches17 % of the way
  • Natural ground100 %

Climate

Rates
How hot, cold, wet and windy does it get?
How
From 30 years of daily weather (ERA5), rated per month. Without months picked: the trail's best run of at least two season months, each measure at its hardest month. Pick months in the search to rate it for yours.
Level
The hardest measure sets it
Heat
mean daily high at the lowest point
  1. Easyunder 22 °C
  2. Moderate22–27 °C
  3. Demanding27–32 °C
  4. Hard32 °C or more
Cold
mean nightly low at the highest point
  1. Easy8 °C or more
  2. Moderate3–8 °C
  3. Demanding−2 to 3 °C
  4. Hardbelow −2 °C
Wet days
days a month with 1 mm of rain or more, the wetter of both points
  1. Easyunder 10
  2. Moderate10–14
  3. Demanding14–18
  4. Hard18 or more
Snow
days a month with 1 cm of snow or more at the highest point
  1. Easyunder 1 day
  2. Moderate1–3 days
  3. Demanding3–6 days
  4. Hard6 days or more
Wind
mean of the day's strongest wind (hourly mean, 10 m above ground), the windier of both points; over land: a point whose 25 km weather cell is mostly sea takes the nearest mostly-land cell's
  1. Easyunder 15 km/h
  2. Moderate15–20 km/h
  3. Demanding20–25 km/h
  4. Hard25 km/h or more

Demanding in Jul–Aug

  • Heat · July25 °C by day
  • Cold · August2 °C at night
  • Wet days · August9 days
  • Snow · August1 day
  • Wind · July14 km/h

Effort

Rates
How long are the days?
How
No official stages: rated by an average day at the fewest suggested days, the hardest plan a source suggests.
Level
The hardest measure sets it
Average day
walking time of an average day at the fewest suggested days (length and climbs divided evenly), by DIN 33466
  1. Easyup to 4 h
  2. Moderate4–6 h
  3. Demanding6–8 h
  4. Hardmore than 8 h

Moderate

  • Average day · an average day over 5 daysestimated 4 h 15

Climate

Days in season · lowest point
18–25°C
Nights in season · highest point
−3 to 2°C
Wet days a month
8–9
Daylight
12.4–15.1h
SeasonDay high and night low−20 °C−10 °C0 °C10 °C20 °C30 °CWet days, at the highest point51015Daylight9.3 h10.4 h11.8 h13.4 h14.7 h15.4 h15.1 h14.0 h12.4 h10.9 h9.6 h8.9 hJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Climate by month, 1995–2024 average
MonthLowest point, day high / night low (°C)Highest point, day high / night low (°C)Wet daysSnow daysFrost nights at the highest pointDaylight (h)
January-3.7 / -10.9-10.3 / -17.714.212.6319.3
February-2.5 / -9.7-9.3 / -17.113.412.428.310.4
March1.5 / -6.5-5.7 / -14.414.613.43111.8
April4.9 / -3.8-2.5 / -11.91513.63013.4
May9.9 / -0.52.4 / -8.513.59.93114.7
June17.2 / 4.28.8 / -4.111.85.127.115.4
July24.6 / 9.116.3 / 1.78.20.27.715.1
August23.6 / 8.715.4 / 1.58.50.66.714
September18.1 / 4.810 / -2.68.7423.812.4
October9.4 / -0.91.7 / -8.510.4930.910.9
November1.5 / -6.9-5.7 / -14.612.111.1309.6
December-3.7 / -10.7-10.6 / -17.914.413318.9

Climate by month

Source
ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, averages for 1995–2024
Places
The trail's lowest and highest point, adjusted to their height
Bars
From the mean night low to the mean day high
Wet days
At least 1 mm of rain; snow days at least 1 cm of snow
Daylight
Sunrise to sunset in the middle of the month
Shading
The trail's season

Terrain

Highest · lowest point
3,259m high2,091m low

Gradient

Steepest climb
20 % (11°), 98 m up over 500 m
Steepest descent
−24 % (13°), 121 m down over 500 m
Gradient
Height per distance: 20 % is 20 m up per 100 m forward; 100 % is 45°, not 90°
Keep in mind
Averages over 500 m from a 30 m terrain model: steps and ladders within them are steeper
GradientAngleFeels like
10 %6°Noticeable on a road
20 %11°A steep path, slow going
30 %17°Very steep, often steps
100 %45°Scrambling

20% ↑−24% ↓

Steep stretches

This trail
5.4 km up, 4.4 km down: the darkest parts of the profile
Steep
15 % or more (9°, 15 m of height per 100 m), in 200 m stretches
Why it matters
Slow going uphill, hard on the knees downhill

9.8km

Surfaces

  • Natural ground: 100%, 56.3 km. Earth, grass, rock and roots: footpaths and forest trails. Can be muddy after rain.
  • Paved: 0%, 0.2 km. Asphalt, concrete and cobbles: roads and village streets.

100% natural<1% paved
2,400 m2,800 m3,200 mTree line ≈ 3,050 m3,259 m10203040500 km56.6 km

Terrain along the route

Heights
GEDTM30 terrain model (OpenGeoHub, from Copernicus and other elevation data), 30 m grid, the bare ground under the trees, every 100 m along the main route
Colours
Each 200 m by its gradient in walking direction: climbs warm, descents violet, darker when steeper (to ±30 %)
Ground
The strip below, from OpenStreetMap; the 0% without a surface tag is read from the way type (footpaths natural, tracks gravel)
Tree line
About 3,050 m (National Park Service, Grand Teton National Park): above it, open ground without trees. Pasture and clearing can keep the forest lower

Landscape

Forest42%Grassland and shrubs35%Moss and lichen11%Bare rock and sand13%10203040500 km56.6 km

Landscape along the route

Source
ESA WorldCover 2021, a 10 m satellite map
Points
Every 100 m along the main route; each takes the most common class within 30 m, so the path itself doesn't count as bare ground
Groups
Its eleven classes, folded into the six shown
Keep in mind
What the landscape looks like, not which plants grow there

Sleeping

Wild camping is restricted. In the park, camping in the mountain camping zones named on the permit, anywhere within the zone, wherever possible at previously occupied sites out of sight of trails and other campers and 200 feet from lakes and streams. No campfires in the mountain camping areas; food in an approved bear-resistant canister. On the national forest land at the start and in Alaska Basin, the Forest Service's rules apply.

13.5 km without a bedCamping9Huts0Hostels0Rooms010203040500 km56.6 km

Places to sleep along the route

Ticks
One per place to sleep: 9 campsites, 0 huts, 0 hostels, 0 guest houses
Counted
Within 1 km of the trail; no hotels or day shelters
Shaded
The longest stretch without any, km 25.2–38.7
Source
OpenStreetMap: it may miss places or list closed ones, so book or check locally

Water & Supply

Clean water

This trail
16.6 km without clean water, km 0–16.6
Rating
  1. Frequentup to 10 km
  2. Regularup to 20 km
  3. Scarcebeyond
Counted
Within 500 m: 0 taps, fountains and drinking springs, 6 refills at huts, hostels, guest houses and campsites
Refills
Guests come first and many close out of season: ask, and carry a little extra. Places marked without drinking water are left out
Source
OpenStreetMap; the counts include the approach and variant, the chart shows the main route

16.6kmRegular

Any water

This trail
16.6 km without any water, km 0–16.6
Rating
  1. Frequentup to 10 km
  2. Regularup to 20 km
  3. Scarcebeyond
Counted
Clean water, plus the 1 springs within 500 m
Keep in mind
Spring water's quality is unknown: filter, boil or treat it, and expect some springs to run dry in late summer

16.6kmRegular

Shops

This trail
56.6 km without a shop, km 0–56.6
Counted
0 supermarkets, convenience and general stores and petrol station shops, within 1 km of the trail or 3 km of the finish
Keep in mind
Small village shops are often missing in OpenStreetMap, and opening hours vary: check before relying on one

56.6km
Water · 16.6 km withoutPublic drinking water · 56.6 km withoutSprings (treat before drinking) · 33.4 km withoutRefills at places to sleep · 16.6 km withoutShops · 56.6 km without10203040500 km56.6 km

Water and shops along the route

Ticks
One per place along the main route
Counted
Drinking water and springs within 500 m; refills at huts, hostels, guest houses and campsites within 500 m; shops within 1 km, or 3 km of the finish
Shaded
Each lane's longest stretch without. "Water" counts every kind and opens into one lane per kind, each with its own
Source
OpenStreetMap: it may miss places or list ones that have closed or run dry, so check locally

Wildlife

Wildlife

Shows
Animals that can be dangerous to hikers on this trail: large animals, venomous snakes, scorpions and spiders, ticks, and plants that harm on touch
Level
Ours, read from the official source
High
A bite of a species it calls common can be life-threatening within hours
Moderate
It warns of attacks or serious harm, or places the trail in a risk area for tick-borne encephalitis
Low
The harm is mostly minor or treatable, or avoidable by how you behave
What to do
From the official sources: National Park Service, Grand Teton National Park; National Park Service, Grand Teton National Park
Pictures
Silhouettes from PhyloPic, not to scale, each maker named with its advice; the landscape is the trail's own, drawn by us

Grizzly bear and black bear ModerateMoose Low

Grizzly bear and black bear

Moderate danger

Black and grizzly bears live throughout the park, and some of the most popular trails travel through excellent bear habitat; an encounter is always possible, and approved bear-resistant food storage is required in the backcountry.

If you meet one

  • Talk loudly or call out ("Hey bear!") at regular intervals; clap your hands, especially in dense vegetation or on blind corners
  • If the bear is unaware of you, detour quickly and quietly; if it is aware but not aggressive, back slowly away while talking in an even tone
  • If a bear charges you: do not run; stand still until the bear stops and then slowly back away, and use your bear spray
  • If the bear makes contact with you, lie flat on your stomach with your legs spread apart slightly, cover the back of your neck with your hands and keep your pack on
  • If you are attacked at night or feel you have been stalked and attacked as prey, fight back
  • Store all food, garbage, toiletries and any odorous item in a bear-resistant food container when not in immediate use, day and night

Don't

  • Do not run: bears can easily out run any human
  • Do not drop your pack and do not climb trees
  • Never approach a bear; keep at least 100 yards (300 feet) away
  • Don't rely on bear bells: they're often not loud enough
  • Never throw food or your pack at a bear to distract it; hanging food is strictly prohibited in the park

Advice: National Park Service, Grand Teton National Park. Level: ours. Silhouette: Abby Weber (Ursus americanus), PhyloPic, public domain.

Moose

Low danger

Moose are among the large ungulates of the park, mostly seen in the valleys and willow flats rather than up on the crest.

If you meet one

  • Maintain a distance of at least 25 yards (75 feet) from all other wildlife

Don't

  • Never put yourself between an adult animal and its offspring
  • Do not feed any wild animal; don't approach or chase wildlife

Advice: National Park Service, Grand Teton National Park. Level: ours. Silhouette: Kai Caspar (Alces alces), PhyloPic, public domain.