I was glad to have mine anyway just in case.Įrin had no ice axe or crampons, and had also been told beforehand that she probably wouldn’t be able to make it to the pass without that gear, but decided she would just go as far as she could and turn back. We wondered what that meant, but he told us we probably wouldn’t need our ice axes. We crossed paths with a backcountry ranger, and asked him what the divide was like, and he told us there were a few “tricky moves” near the top. As we approached Holly Lake, got chatting and found out that her name was Erin, and she was a traveling nurse with some time off between jobs. We weren’t the only ones out, we kept leap frogging another girl who was hiking solo up the canyon. We got to the String Lake parking area and got moving up Paintbrush Canyon.Īs we climbed, the miles went by faster than I had anticipated. I was a bit nervous about how long these 19 miles would take, but I was also glad to have been able to sleep in slightly for a change. The morning of our hike, we got a fairly late start. I’m sure this isn’t kind of phone calls most mothers are used to getting, but within a few days she had found an appropriate sized box and posted the items in the mail. Since we failed to pack this gear, we asked John’s mother if she could kindly send it to us in the mail, since we left those items behind.

The Paintbrush Canyon Trail is part of the Teton Crest Trail, which spans the southern section of the Teton Range from Teton Pass along Wyoming Highway 22 to String Lake, a total distance of 39 miles (63 km).Before heading out on this 19 mile loop, we were advised that ice axes and maybe even crampons would be necessary for Paintbrush Divide, which is a high elevation pass that allows you to travel from Paintbrush Canyon over to Cascade Canyon. An ice axe may be necessary for hikes in the early summer. Views from Paintbrush Divide include Lake Solitude (which is also passed on the circuit hike) and of Mount Moran to the north and the Cathedral Group including Grand Teton to the south. Popular with hikers, the canyon is part of a popular circuit hike of 19.2 miles (30.9 km) which is rated as very strenuous and includes a total elevation change of 3,845 feet (1,172 m) due to the ascent to Paintbrush Divide 10,720 feet (3,270 m). Leigh Lake is at the base of the canyon to the east and the alpine Holly Lake is located mid canyon. The canyon lies between Rockchuck Peak and Mount Saint John to the south and Mount Woodring to the north.

The canyon was formed by glaciers which retreated at the end of the last glacial maximum approximately 15,000 years ago. Paintbrush Canyon is located in Grand Teton National Park, in the U. Mount Saint John and Rockchuck Peak at left flank Paintbrush Canyon as does Mount Woodring at center.

Paintbrush divide grand teton