Last Updated on: 22nd February 2024, 12:57 am
As its name suggests, the highlight of Grand Teton National Park is viewing the Teton mountain range from a variety of angles. But when it comes to hiking, the park either has numerous short excursions that could barely be considered hikes, or long strenuous treks that take you deep into the backcountry. Cascade Canyon, however, is one of the rare exceptions for those looking for something in the middle.
In the following guide, we’ll be covering everything you need to know about hiking Cascade Canyon, including how to take a shuttle boat to reach the trailhead. Along the way to the canyon, you’ll also pass by the famous Hidden Falls and Inspiration Point.
For more info on where to stay in the area and park entrance fees, be sure to check the end of the article.
About This Hike
THE BASICS: The full Cascade Canyon hike is a 9.1-mile (14.7 km) out-and-back hike. It will also take you past two of Grand Teton National Park’s most popular sightseeing spots: Hidden Falls and Inspiration Point.
The trailhead is situated along Jenny Lake, and you’ll first need to take a boat to get there. Roundtrip tickets cost $20, with boats running from 7:00-19:00.
If you’re visiting in summer, you’ll want to arrive early in the morning to ensure you get a parking spot. But if you’re only hiking as far as Inspiration Point, you might have luck finding a spot in the late afternoon.
Once on the other side, it’s about 0.5 miles (0.8 km) of uphill climbing to reach Hidden Falls, and then another 0.5 miles to reach Inspiration Point. It’s then from behind Inspiration Point that you can start hiking Cascade Canyon.
Cascade Canyon is an overall easy hike, though it doesn’t culminate in any spectacular overlook. Rather, the main highlight is enjoying the serenity of the canyon and the chance to spot wildlife.
You can also simply turn back whenever you feel like it if you’re not up for the full hike. The views during the first half of the hike, in fact, are the most impressive.
On the other hand, it’s also possible to extend your trip, such as the 2.7-mile hike (each way) to Lake Solitude.
In total, the full Cascade Canyon hike took me about 3.5 hours. But all the waiting to get on the boat added about 1.5 hours to the full excursion!
WHAT TO BRING: As with any summer hike, you’ll want to come prepared with water, a hat and sunscreen. Hiking boots would be ideal but aren’t necessary.
Another essential item you should definitely bring is bear spray, which essentially acts as mace. Be sure to research in advance how to use it, and also how you should react in a bear encounter before reaching for your spray. You can learn more here, while there are plenty of great YouTube videos on the topic.
While you can find some good deals online, you’re not allowed to fly with bear spray, so you’ll have to buy it locally unless you’re driving from home.
People living in bear country generally discourage the use of bear bells, even nicknaming them ‘dinner bells.’
RECOMMENDED APPS: You can find the full trail outlined on AllTrails, though you’ll have to pay for a yearly subscription in order to download it and access it offline.
Otherwise, the free Maps.me app should come in handy.
Jenny Lake
As mentioned above, the trailhead for Cascade Canyon (and Hidden Falls and Inspiration Point) is normally accessed via boat shuttle from Jenny Lake. It’s also possible to hike along the lake to reach the trailhead, and the one-way journey is about 2.4 miles from the Visitor Center.
First, you’ll want to park somewhere near the Jenny Lake Visitor Center. But as this is one of the most popular places in the park, the adjacent lots tend to fill up immediately.
I arrived around 9:00 – a bit later than planned due to traffic. While I did manage to find a spot, it was one of the narrow spaces along the road, as the lots appeared completely full.
You’ll find plenty of signs pointing you in the direction of the boat shuttle. As mentioned above, boats run from 7:00-19:00. If you start this hike in the morning or even midday, you’ll have nothing to worry about in regards to finding a return boat.
At the time of my trip, the roundtrip journey costs $20 for adults and $12 for children. It’s also possible to buy a one-way ticket in case you’re considering hiking along the lake for the return trip.
It’s unclear if the ferries are operating on a schedule, as visitors aren’t informed of one. I arrived to encounter a long line at the dock. And after about twenty minutes of standing around, it was finally time to board.
While Jenny Lake is indeed one of the most beautiful parts of the park, these shuttle boats shouldn’t be thought of as scenic boat rides. They merely take you from point A to point B, with the ride lasting about ten minutes each way.
Hiking to Hidden Falls & Inspiration Point
Once reaching the other side, you’ll encounter no amenities whatsoever. With that in mind, bring everything you think you might need on this hike, and be sure to use the bathroom near the Visitor Center in advance!
You’ll encounter signs pointing you in the direction of Hidden Falls. But as pretty much everybody is headed in the same direction, there will be little doubt as to where to go.
Along the journey, you’ll walk over a few wooden bridges from which you can admire views of the flowing rapids of Cascade Creek. And after just about fifteen minutes, you’ll reach the Hidden Falls.
The name, however, is rather ironic, as you’ll probably encounter dozens of people there if you’re visiting in summer.
And as one can imagine, there will constantly be people standing directly in front of the falls to pose for social media. I could only get some clear shots of the falls by standing on a rock and holding my camera above people’s heads.
Given the chaotic atmosphere, I was in no mood to linger at the falls, and soon made my way up to Inspiration Point. The journey there requires an uphill climb up a winding stone staircase. While not terribly difficult, it does get rough and rocky in some areas.
After about ten minutes or so of climbing, you’ll be rewarded with spectacular views of Jenny Lake. The lake is so pretty that it’s even dubbed by the National Park Service as the ‘centerpiece of the park.’
Frankly speaking, the view from Inspiration Point is arguably more impressive than the views you’ll see from within Cascade Canyon itself. But Cascade Canyon is beautiful in its own way, while it only attracts a fraction of the crowds.
What’s more, as we’ll cover shortly, Cascade Canyon is an optimal place to spot wildlife.
Hiking Cascade Canyon
From Inspiration Point, simply turn away from the lake and start heading west. Before long, you’ll find yourself within Cascade Canyon. From this point, it’s several miles to the end of the canyon, but you can also just turn around whenever you feel like it.
Entering the canyon, you’ll immediately be greeted with gorgeous views of the snowcapped Tetons. Cascade Canyon, situated between Teewinot and Mount St. John, was originally formed by glaciers.
As mentioned, one of the top highlights of hiking Cascade Canyon is the chance to spot wildlife. And fairly early on in the hike, I spotted a marmot, a large type of rodent.
But the main thing on many hikers’ minds is whether or not they’ll spot (or have a close encounter with!) a bear.
When hiking in bear country, it becomes a habit to ask hikers coming from the opposite direction if they’ve spotted anything. But oftentimes, if someone has seen something, they’ll be the first to excitedly share the news.
And this was the case during my hike, when some hikers told me and others nearby that they’d encountered a black bear further ahead on the trail.
But before I could see any bears, I first encountered a large group of people standing and looking out at the water. And that could only mean one thing: a wild animal somewhere.
Supposedly, there was a moose in the water, but it was ducking down, and I could only barely see the antlers. After around five minutes of waiting, the moose never moved, and so I decided to continue on with the hike.
As I continued along this peaceful and relatively flat mountain trail, I suddenly heard a crackling of tree branches right next to me.
While I didn’t manage to see anything, some hikers just ahead of me told me they’d caught a glimpse of a black bear scurrying into the forest!
Black bears are generally more docile than brown (grizzly) bears. And I would later meet yet another hiker who encountered this bear (or perhaps its relative) and showed me a clear pictures on his phone.
Apparently, the bear was just going about its business, completely unfazed by all the hikers. With that said, nobody should hike through the Grand Teton backcountry without bear spray on them.
In the end, I wouldn’t have much luck with wildlife on this hike, but I did at least get to see another marmot.
After about a little under two hours past Inspiration Point, I reached the end of the hike. It’s here that the main Cascade Canyon splits off into the North Fork and South Fork.
As beautiful as the canyon is, the end of the hike is rather anticlimactic. You’ll simply arrive at a forested area with some trees and large boulders you can sit on to rest your legs. And when ready, it’s time to simply return the way you came.
But if you’re up for more action, it’s from this point that you can go on other hikes. The most popular extension of the Cascade Canyon hike is to Lake Solitude, which would be an additional 5.2 miles roundtrip.
Looking back, I wish I had hiked as far as Lake Solitude, but my schedule didn’t allow it, nor was I carrying enough water for such a long hike.
I’d later run into some hikers I’d met on this trail at Yellowstone, and they raved about Lake Solitude and how beautiful it was. They did emphasize, though, that the hike there was very steep and strenuous.
For those not hiking all the way to Lake Solitude, don’t feel pressured to do the full Cascade Canyon hike. The views during the first third or so of the hike are the most impressive, so you’re not missing much by turning around early.
Then again, if you want to spot wildlife, the longer you spend out in the backcountry, the better.
My hike back to the beginning of the canyon, down to Hidden Falls and finally the boat dock went smoothly, though I unfortunately didn’t spot any more animals.
It was around 14:00 in the afternoon by the time I reached the boat dock. But given the huge line of people waiting, I had to wait around an hour before I could finally get back to the other side!
With that in mind, give yourself at least 1.5 days at Grand Teton National Park if you want to be able to fit the full Cascade Canyon hike into your itinerary.
Additional Info
When it comes to choosing a base for Grand Teton National Park, you have a few different options.
Grand Teton National Park sits just next to the town of Jackson, Wyoming. Jackson is a charming town but it’s also incredibly touristy. As such, hotel fees can be exorbitant.
If budget isn’t a major issue, the top-rated hotels in Jackson include the Wyoming Inn of Jackson Hole, The Lexington and Elk Refuge Inn.
A cheaper alternative to Jackson would be to use the town of Victor, Idaho (or neighboring towns). The Teton Valley Motel is a great value, and so is the Super 8 in nearby Driggs. You can also find plenty of vacation rentals in the area.
Of course, camping within Grand Teton is another option, which you can learn more about here.
But what if you’re also visiting Yellowstone National Park? While it’s possible to visit Yellowstone via the South Entrance as a day trip from Jackson, Yellowstone is one of the biggest parks in the United States.
As such, staying in the park is the best option if you want to see as much as possible over the course of several days. I spent a couple of nights each at Grant Village Campground and Canyon Campground, which ended up working out very well. Check our detailed Yellowstone guides to learn more.
At the time of writing, Grand Teton National Park costs $35 per vehicle to enter (learn more here).
If you’re visiting from abroad, note that in contrast to many other countries, US parks typically charge per vehicle rather than per person. However, if you’re traveling by bicycle instead, they’ll charge you for an individual pass which costs $20, while those on motorcycles will be charged $30.
Considering how many National Parks and National Monuments there are to see in the Southwest alone, the best option for most will be to buy an ‘America the Beautiful’ Annual National Parks Pass.
These cost $80 for the year. In most cases, you’re already saving money by just visiting four National Parks/Monuments anywhere in the country within a full year.
What’s more, is that only one person in your vehicle needs to have the pass. Additionally, seniors can buy the pass for just $20. So if you have someone over 62 in your party, just have them get the annual pass and everyone else will be set.
As for where to get the pass, you can purchase it in person at most National Parks or Monuments. But you can also order it in advance online.
Great tips and pics! We went up to Inspiration Point last time, but hope to do Cascade Canyon next time!
Thanks, hopefully you can make it next time! All in all, it’s not such a tiring hike.