This one is very strenuous with 4350 feet of elevation gain. Prepare for cold temperatures at high elevation, grizzly bear activity, and possible snow accumulations. The hike to Paintbrush Divide in Grand Teton National Park is phenomenal. The String Lake Loop is 3.7 miles and easy, while the Paintbrush-Cascade loop is much, much longer at 19 miles. However, avoiding crowds means late September-October. If you’re looking for wildflowers and a bit of trail traffic, August is great. Remember if you plan to camp at Leigh Lake one more night you will still have about 2.5 miles back to Campsite 12. Finally connecting to the String Lake Parking area in another 0.3 miles. Take a left on Cascade Canyon Trail and begin the 4.5 mile descent down to Jenny Lake (6,783 ft.) Stay left on the Valley Trail 1.4 miles along the banks of Jenny Lake. From here take the Lake Solitude Trail 2.7 miles to the top of Cascade Canyon. This is a popular trail for backpacking, birding, and camping, but you can still enjoy some solitude during quieter times of day. Generally considered a challenging route, it takes an average of 11 h 51 min to complete. Explore this 20.6-mile loop trail near Moose, Wyoming. The String Lake Trailhead parking area is close.

Begin the descent down 2.4 miles to Lake Solitude (9,035 ft.). Paintbrush Canyon & String Lake Loop Trail to Lake Solitude. It is 0.25 mile from the Jenny Lake - String Lake Loop junction to the bridge. From here continue 1.7 miles to Paintbrush Divide (10,700 ft.) for a 360 degree view of the Teton backcountry. Take a right and continue 4.9 miles up to Holly Lake (9,500 ft.) There is the option to camp at Holly Lake if 22 miles in a day is not your style. Then hike 0.7 miles to the String Lake/Paintbrush Canyon Junction. Hike South 1.5 miles from site 12 to the junction where you will take a right. Wake early enough on day 2 to tackle all 22 miles of the Paintbrush Canyon loop. Site 12 has some of the more impressive beachfront views of the Front Range.īegin the hike at the String Lake Trailhead (6,880 ft.) Hike along the East side of the lake about 1 mile until you arrive at a junction, stay to the right and continue about 1.5 miles to the camping area (Site 12) on the shores of Leigh Lake. From the backcountry office obtain a backcountry permit for 2 nights at Leigh Lake. However, one of my personal favorites is from Leigh Lake via the String Lake trailhead. There are many ways to access the Teton backcountry. Backpack the this Teton Range loop and enjoy a night of beachfront camping on Leigh Lake.

String lake to paintbrush divide