Hiking to the Phelps Lake Jumping Rock in Grand Teton National Park
Distance: 5.0 - 5.9 miles / 8.0 - 9.5 km
The Phelps Lake Jumping Rock on the east side of Phelps Lake is one of the best and most popular day-hiking destinations in the Death Canyon-Laurance S. Rockefeller Preserve area of Grand Teton National Park.
That being said, there are multiple ways to hike to the Phelps Lake Jumping Rock, which is why the distance above is variable. You can either hike from the Death Canyon Trailhead at about 5 miles (8.0 km) roundtrip, or you can start from the Laurance S. Rockefeller Preserve (LSRP), which is what this post is about, at roughly 5.9 miles (9.5 km) roundtrip.
Personally, I recommend starting from the LSRP instead of Death Canyon, even though it’s slightly longer because if you start from Death Canyon, you will lose about 600 ft. (183 m) of elevation that will have to be regained in just 0.8 miles (1.3 km) on the hike out.
On the contrary, the Laurance S. Rockefeller Preserve Trail is a much flatter and more casual hike overall, but be sure to always hike with bear spray in the Tetons, as I almost always come across at least one bear every time I hike around Phelps Lake.
Phelps Lake Trailhead Parking
While the Phelps Lake Loop Trail is far less busy than Jenny or String Lake, the LSRP Trailhead is, by far, the most difficult to visit if you arrive mid to late morning during the busy summer season.
The parking lot is the smallest of all three trailheads, and on this day when I arrived back to the LSRP at about noon, there was a line of cars backed up by the Park Service because there simply wasn’t any more room in the small lot. The first photo below was taken at about 7 a.m., and the second photo is when I returned after the hike.
This is all to say, arrive early!
Google Maps Directions: Laurance S. Rockefeller Preserve Trailhead
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 Phelps Lake Jumping Rock
The hike to the Phelps Lake Jumping Rock begins on the same trail that leads to the Laurance S. Rockefeller Preserve Visitor Center.
Once at the visitor center, you can go either way to reach the Lake Creek Trailhead that leads to Phelps Lake.
Lake Creek Trailhead
The first part of any hike from the LSRP begins on the Lake Creek Trail, which will soon split into a variety of trails around the greater Phelps Lake area.
As previously mentioned, I have hiked the Phelps Lake Loop Trail many different times, and I almost always have at least one or more bear encounters on the hike.
It’s widely known that black bears frequent the Phelps Lake area, but be prepared for any kind of encounter, meaning one should always hike with bear spray!
Lake Creek-Woodland Junction
When you get to the first junction, go right to take the Woodland Trail, as it’s much faster than the Lake Creek Trail to get to Phelps Lake.
Then, just a few minutes into the hike, I came across this beautiful black bear about 100 ft. (30.5 m) off the trail.
If you remain calm and keep your distance, watching a bear is a pretty beautiful site to see!
Moose Wilson Road
Both the Woodland and Lake Creek Trails cross over Moose Wilson Road on the way to and from Phelps Lake.
That being said, I caution you to not only look out for cars but also bicyclists, as they tend to not slow down on this stretch of road.
Woodland-Boulder Ridge Junction
The next junction is the Boulder Ridge Trail, and it’s typically a lesser-known/ hiked trail in the Phelps Lake area.
To this point, both the Boulder and Aspen Ridge Trails on the south side of Phelps Lake create one large loop, which can make for great place to spot wildlife, as they are not as busy as the Phelps Lake Loop shown here.
In any case, go straight to continue on the fastest route to Phelps Lake.
Phelps Lake Loop Trail
After 1.3 miles (2.1 km), the Woodland Trail ends where the Phelps Lake Loop Trail begins.
You can either go right or left around the lake, but the trail to the right side is the fastest route to the Phelps Lake Jumping Rock.
Phelps Lake-Boulder Ridge Junction
After 0.1 miles (0.2 km) on the Phelps Lake Trail, the Boulder Ridge Trail will branch off into its own separate loop that works its way back toward the LSRP.
In my experience, the east side of Phelps Lake tends to have more hikers than the west side, which may have something to do with the jumping rock, located about two-thirds of the way up the lake from the south side.
Phelps Lake Jumping Rock
Overall, the Phelps Lake Cliff-Jumping Rock is a relatively safe jump, granted that you jump out and not straight down!
However, whenever cliff jumping, it’s always good practice to check the water depth and look for any debris in order to know where it’s safe to land.
All in all, if you would like to learn more about the entire hike around Phelps Lake, I encourage you to read more in my separate post.
Read My Separate Post: Phelps Lake Loop Trail
