Hiking the Cascade Canyon Trail in Grand Teton National Park
Distance (One Way via Inspiration Point Junction): 3.5 miles / 5.6 km
The Cascade Canyon Trail in Grand Teton National Park is a beautiful, long day hike up Cascade Creek that connects Inspiration Point with the Teton Crest Trail, where visitors can enjoy views of towering glacial peaks, countless waterfalls, and, if you’re lucky, wildlife!
That said, I think it’s important to address the thoughts I left at the very end of my separate Inspiration Point article, which is that I don’t fully understand why the Cascade Canyon Trail is as popular as it is.
In other words, the popularity of the Cascade Canyon Trail feels more like a byproduct of the Jenny Lake Boat Shuttle, as well as Hidden Falls and Inspiration Point, as the two are the most visited destinations by those exploring Jenny Lake. Consequently, the traffic on the Cascade Canyon Trail feels like spillover from both, as many visitors hike up without a specific destination or turnaround point in mind. I know this because I’ve often been asked questions in the past, such as, "How far should we go?" or "How far do you think it’s worth hiking?"—which is fair, given that the trail is truly a connector trail between the front country and the Grand Teton backcountry.
Nevertheless, I do believe the Cascade Canyon Trail is worth exploring, but that doesn’t necessarily mean all 7.0 miles (11.3 km) are worth hiking unless time is not a limiting factor on your visit to Grand Teton National Park—and hopefully, this long and detailed article will help you decide how much or how little you think it’s worth seeing!
Cascade Canyon Trailhead Parking
The Cascade Canyon Trail can begin from a number of different trailheads, but the two most popular are the Jenny Lake Trailhead at the Jenny Lake Visitor Center and the String Lake Trailhead, the same trailhead that also serves the String Lake Loop Trail.
That said, the Jenny Lake Trailhead is one of the top three most competitive trailheads in Grand Teton National Park, next to the Phelps Lake Trailhead and Lupine Meadows, which serves the popular Delta Lake Trail.
This is why it is important to arrive early, even if you plan to park at String Lake, which is easily number four in terms of being one of the most competitive trailheads in the park.
I say all this because parking at the Jenny Lake Visitor Center often fills up in the early morning hours, and by around 8:00–9:00 a.m., visitors are often left to park on Teton Park Road, sometimes up to 0.5 miles (0.8 km) away!
Google Maps Directions: Cascade Canyon Trailhead (Jenny Lake) / Cascade Canyon Trailhead (String Lake)
Hiking Checklist - Yellowstone–Tetons
Here is a complete list of must-have things that you will want for any hike in the Yellowstone–Teton area.
Hiking the Cascade Canyon Trail
As previously mentioned, the Cascade Canyon Trail can either begin from the Jenny Lake Trailhead or the String Lake Trailhead in order to reach the start of the hike on the far west side of Jenny Lake.
If you are interested in learning more about the Jenny Lake Loop Trail to Inspiration Point and the start of the true Cascade Canyon Trail, all the details can be found in my separate article linked below.
Read My Separate Post: Inspiration Point Trail
Cascade Canyon-Inspiration Point Junction
This is the end of the Inspiration Point Trail and the beginning of the Cascade Canyon Trail, located roughly 0.4 miles (0.6 km) from Inspiration Point.
On that note, Inspiration Point is the only way foot traffic is supposed to access this junction, as the trail off the Jenny Lake Loop that also connects to this point from the north is only open to those riding horses.
After leaving the Inspiration Point Trail behind, the Cascade Canyon Trail begins winding its way up the north side of Cascade Creek.
That said, the Cascade Canyon Trail is never really flat, nor is it truly uphill either.
By this, I mean that over the course of 3.5 miles (5.6 km) to the Teton Crest Trail, the Cascade Canyon Trail gains roughly 525 ft. (160 m), which is hardly even noticeable over this distance and is often called a 'false flat' by those who like to trail run.
This is one reason why the Cascade Canyon Trail is such a family-friendly Grand Teton adventure!
One of the most important things I can highlight is that much of the Cascade Canyon Trail looks the same, and the photos in this article will clearly show that.
However, the most important distinction is that most of the best views are located in the first half of the hike, closest to Inspiration Point, and I will point out a few good turnaround points throughout the trail if you aren’t interested in hiking all 3.5 miles (5.6 km).
This first exposed talus slope, about 0.4 miles (0.6 km) from the end of the Inspiration Point Trail, is the first scenic destination on the hike up Cascade Canyon, and it can be a great place to look for Moose along Cascade Creek!
This was the first of a number of different Moose I saw on this beautiful, sunny day while hiking up Cascade Canyon!
There are so many beautiful wildflowers to enjoy during the best summer months in Grand Teton National Park!
For the purposes of highlighting the best views along the Cascade Canyon Trail, this is the second of four talus slopes on the hike to the Teton Crest Trail.
This is the third talus slope, about 1.1 miles (1.8 km) from the end of the Inspiration Point Trail, is a very popular place to swim in Cascade Creek when snowmelt has subsided from its early summer peak.
That said, drowning is one of the leading causes of death in National Parks across the Mountain West, which is why it’s important to avoid getting in Cascade Creek, or any creek for that matter, in the earliest summer months!
For context, these photos were taken in early August.
After the previous talus slope, at about the 1.1-mile (1.8 km) mark, there is but one more that I believe is worth visiting if you’re only day hiking up Cascade Canyon, located about 0.6 miles (1.0 km) from the previous.
This is exactly why I’ve mentioned a number of times that hiking up Cascade Canyon with a turnaround point in mind is a good plan!
The one thing I hope all these photos show is that there is a lot of exposure on the Cascade Canyon Trail, which is why I highly recommend wearing a hooded sun shirt for the inevitably long day outside.
To put it into context, the full Cascade Canyon Trail via Jenny Lake is roughly 7.3 miles (11.7 km) each way, or 14.6 miles (23.5 km) roundtrip.
That’s a lot of time outside, but while the miles might sound challenging, there’s nothing particularly difficult about the entire hike, as the only steep part is the very short ascent from Cascade Creek to Inspiration Point.
These Aspen trees are what can make the Cascade Canyon Trail a great day hike to consider if you happen to be visiting Grand Teton National Park in late September or early October for the fall colors!
This is the fourth and final talus slope on the Cascade Canyon Trail, located roughly 1.7 miles (2.7 km) from the end of the Inspiration Point Trail, or about halfway to the Teton Crest Trail.
That said, there are a few more places where the trail opens up near Valhalla Canyon, but in my opinion, I don’t believe they are as good as the ones closest to Jenny Lake.
Just as I was hiking away from the final talus slope, I passed this cow hiding in the trees!
What this photo doesn’t show is that she actually had two calves, and she started to make her way very close to the trail, cutting off traffic in both directions for about 20 minutes!
I hope this story shows just how easy it can be to walk right by wildlife without even knowing it, and it’s why it’s important to be vigilant and hike with bear spray, especially considering that bears can be difficult to notice until you’re often too close!
As I’ve continually mentioned, the views become much more limited after the fourth talus slope, as the Cascade Canyon Trail mostly remains in the trees for the rest of the hike to the Teton Crest Trail.
This is why I believe the 1.8-mile (2.9 km) mark is a good turnaround point to consider if you weren’t interested in hiking all the way up Cascade Canyon.
This is the 2.0-mile (3.2 km) mark since leaving the Inspiration Point Trail.
This is where the Cascade Canyon Trail starts to approach the mouth of Valhalla Canyon, about 1.1 miles (1.8 km) from the Teton Crest Trail.
I point this out because there are certainly a few more views to enjoy along this beautiful stretch, but I think it’s important to highlight that they are just not the same as the narrowest parts of Cascade Canyon, with all the waterfalls the trail has in the beginning, which is why I believe the 1.8-mile (2.9 km) mark is a good turnaround point when time is a factor on a visit to Grand Teton National Park.
This is where the Cascade Canyon Trail actually passes the mouth of Valhalla Canyon, beneath the Grand Teton and Mt. Owen.
Once again, I strongly recommend wearing a hooded sun shirt, especially considering the high elevations above 7,000 ft. (2,134 m) throughout Cascade Canyon.
Cascade Creek
This bridge across Cascade Creek is a nice sign that the Teton Crest Trail is only 0.25 miles (0.4 km) away!
Cascade Canyon-Teton Crest Junction
After a long but fairly easy 3.5-mile (5.6 km) hike to get here—or 7.3 miles (11.7 km) from the Jenny Lake Visitor Center—the Cascade Canyon Trail ends at this junction with the Teton Crest Trail.
From here, the Teton Crest Trail continues north toward Paintbrush Canyon and south toward Death Canyon, but hiking north toward Lake Solitude is by far the most popular destination among day hikers from this point.
In any case, I plan to return to hike the full Teton Crest Trail soon enough. I’m just still strategizing exactly how I want to break up the long hike!
