3 Grand Teton Lake View hikes

Grand Teton National Park is located minutes outside of Jackson, WY and ~1.5 hours from Yellowstone National Park. The only national park with a commercial airport located inside the park boundaries, this might be the most accessible national park west of the Mississippi.

Taggart Lake and Bradley Lake Loop
– Rated moderate on AllTrails
– 5.8-mile loop with 767 ft elevation

This trailhead begins at a decent sized parking lot along Teton Park Rd. near Moose, WY. If the parking lot is full, there is some overflow parking along one-side of the road. Port-a-pots are available here at the parking lot. This loop has gorgeous views of the epic Teton range as well as views of Taggart and Bradley Lakes. During our latest visit, there was a section of trail closed. We chose to go counterclockwise so you walk along the road (technically not the trail) and then follow the fence line to connect to the trail.  This takes you to Bradley Lake first and then you continue along the shore of Taggart Lake before heading back to the parking lot.

String Lake Trail
– Rated moderate on AllTrails
– 3.7-mile loop with 252 ft elevation

Located in the popular Jenny Lake area of the park, this trail starts in a frequently visited area. There are three parking lots, each with easy access to the trail, meaning you don’t have to actually start at the trailhead to enjoy this full loop. Ample picnic tables along the lake’s shore make it a great option for families with small children. We saw kids playing in the water (even in October!). Make sure to take food storage precautions as the bears have figured out that it’s a great spot to sneak into coolers and check out what everyone has in their picnic baskets. This was a really nice walk. If you’re not looking for a walk (or forgot your bear spray), this is still a nice spot to relax with a great view of the mountains.

Moose Ponds Trail
– Rated Easy on AllTrails
– 3.2-mile loop with 150 ft elevation

Located in the popular Jenny Lake area of the park, you’ll find the trailhead near the Jenny Lake Visitor Center. We had no problem finding parking; however, the visitor center was closed during our visit. There are some additional parking spots off of the Lupine Meadows Road that are near to the trail as well. Early morning or late evening would be recommended during peak season. Known for its wildlife sighting potential due to the abundance of vegetation, the ponds are early on the walk if you start from the visitor center. We sat at the ponds for a short time, hoping that we would see a moose but had no luck. We continued on the loop and came fairly close to a bull moose walking up the trail towards us. As we backed up preparing to get off trail if needed, he took notice of us and headed off the trail away from our direction. A very cool (and luckily safe) encounter.

TIPS:

Even though these trails are popular and aren’t in the ‘backcountry’, ensure you have bear spray with you and know how to use it. We always brush up on our “what do we do if we see X” because I can tell you, in the moment when the adrenaline hits, you don’t want to be trying to remember. Grand Teton National Park is home to both black and brown (grizzly) bears. If you’re flying into Jackson, you can rent bear spray as well as other hiking supplies. We have rented from Teton Backcountry Rentals and Bear Aware on both of our visits.