Grand Teton National Park is a park within the magnificent Teton Mountain Range near Jackson Hole, Wyoming. In addition to the rugged mountains, this park boasts beautiful lakes, glaciers, rivers, and wildlife. The park contains several hikes to see its beauty, but my favorite hike within the park is to Inspiration Point via Hidden Falls at Jenny Lake. There are several ways to make this trek, but follow this recommendation for the best and most efficient way to hike to Inspiration Point Grand Teton National Park.
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For information on park entry fees or other things to do in Grand Teton National Park, read How to Spend 2 Days in the Grand Tetons.
Best Time of the Day to Hike
This hike is extremely popular and gets very crowded, especially in the middle of the day. The Jenny Lake Visitor Center is also located here which makes the parking lot even more congested. We started the hike around 8am, and by the time we finished, the trails were packed with people and the parking lot was completely full. The park recommends that you begin this hike before 9am or after 4pm to avoid crowds.
Make sure to Carry in your Pack
- Water: Carry plenty of water with you on this hike; you will need it.
- Snacks/Lunch: Take loads of snacks and a packed lunch (depending on when you hike), so you have plenty of energy.
- Bug repellent: Bugs can be a terrible nuisance, so pack some bug spray to protect your skin and your sanity.
- Hiking poles: To help preserve your energy on inclines and to protect your joints from impact on declines, hiking poles are recommended. This is not a necessity, but a nice-to-have.
- Sun protection: You will be exposed to direct sunlight on this hike, so I recommend sunscreen and a hat to protect your skin from the sun rays.
Possible Animal Sightings
On this hike, we saw marmots and chipmunks. The chipmunks were fairly aggressive at Inspiration Point, and I assume it is from people feeding them. For your safety and the safety of animals, please never feed the wildlife. A few days before we hiked, visitors spotted a moose on the trail. You would think since this is a heavily trafficked area, moose and bear sightings would be nonexistent. But that is not the case. Always be on the lookout for wildlife sightings and follow the park’s guidelines on keeping your distance from these animals.
Options on How to Get to Other Side of Jenny Lake
Inspiration Point Grand Teton National Park is located on the opposite side of Jenny Lake from the Jenny Lake Visitor Center parking area. With trails going all the way around Jenny Lake and the shuttle boat that travels between the parking area and the trailhead, you have a couple hiking options.
Option #1
From the parking area, begin walking south on the Jenny Lake Loop until you get to the Inspiration Point Trailhead on the other side of the lake. This part of the hike is 2.4 miles and has an elevation gain of over 700 feet.
Option #2
Take the Jenny Lake Boat Shuttle from the Jenny Lake Visitor Center parking area to a boat dock at the base of Mount Teewinot. The shuttle prices can be found on their website, and they do offer one-way and roundtrip tickets. If you take the boat shuttle, you can shave 2.4 miles off your hike each way.
After talking to a ranger at the Visitor’s Center, we decided to go with the second option and take a one-way shuttle ride across Jenny Lake to start the hike. Our original plan was to walk around Jenny Lake, up to Inspiration Point, and then take the one-way shuttle back to the parking area. However, the ranger suggested taking the shuttle first and walking the Jenny Lake Loop back. The walk up to Inspiration Point is steep and tiring, so it is better to do it with fresh legs than with tired legs. I am so glad we followed the ranger’s advice. On the walk back, several people looked exhausted and asked how much farther did they have to walk. And I had to deliver the bad news that they still had quite a bit of uphill walking left to do!
Hike to Hidden Falls
After you take the 12-minute shuttle ride across Jenny Lake, you will de-board on the boat dock on the west side of the lake. Follow the signs to the Cascade Canyon Trailhead. Walk up the trail and through the forest. After walking about half a mile, you will come to a junction where the Hidden Falls Horse Trail intersects with the Cascade Canyon Trail. Continue straight through this junction. After a short distance, you will see a side trail to the left. Take this short walk to the viewing area of Hidden Falls which cascades 200-feet down the mountain.
Scurry up the Mountain to Inspiration Point
When you are finished gazing at the magnificent waterfall, backtrack to the main trail and continue up the mountain. From this point, the trail is really about to get steep with a series of switchbacks that take you to Inspiration Point. The last bit of the trail is very rocky, unlevel, and has a steep drop-off on one side, so take care when walking this portion of the trail.
When you have reached Inspiration Point Grand Teton National Park, take in the views of Jenny Lake and the valley behind it. At this point, you can continue to Cascade Canyon on this trail, but it will add 7.9 miles to your overall hike. If you do plan on hiking to Cascade Canyon, make that decision before you begin the hike so you can take the appropriate amount of water. Otherwise, when you get ready to head back, go back down the mountain the way you came. The Inspiration Point portion of the hike is 1.8 miles.
Walk around Jenny Lake
There are two ways to walk south around Jenny Lake: Hidden Falls Horse Trail and Jenny Lake Loop. The first junction you come to when coming down the mountain is the Hidden Falls Horse Trail. If you decide to take this trail, turn right at this junction. Otherwise, continue straight until you get to the Jenny Lake Loop trail. It does not matter which trail you take as far as distance goes; they are about the same. The Hidden Falls Horse Trail eventually meets up with the Jenny Lake Loop Trail. The only difference between the trails is the horse trail is at a higher elevation, and the lake trail walks along the lake edge.
We opted to walk along the lake trail on the Jenny Lake Loop. This 2.4-mile trail is an easy, mostly downhill walk back to the parking area to finish this wonderful hike to Inspiration Point Grand Teton National Park.
If you are feeling rather adventurous you can walk north around Jenny Lake instead of south. This will add around 2 miles to your overall walking distance. Another option is to take the Moose Ponds trail which begins approximately 1.2 miles on the Jenny Loop Trail going south. Turn right at the trailhead and loop around to the Jenny Lake Visitor Center. This detour will add around 1.4 miles to your hike. We did not walk either one of these optional routes.
Inspiration Point Highlights
- Trailhead: Cascade Canyon Trailhead at the West Shore Boat Dock
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Time Required: 2-4 hours
- Mileage: 4.2 miles
- Elevation Gain for Inspiration Point: 410 feet
- Elevation Gain for Jenny Lake Loop: 728 feet
- Route Type: Out and back
- Time of Day: Early morning or after 4pm
- Season: Spring, Summer, and Fall are all good seasons. Wildlife activity is higher in Spring and Fall months, so take extra precautions.
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