The thick undergrowth, abundant vegetation and nearby water makes this ideal habitat for black bears, and the occasional grizzly, though these animals mostly stay further north, beyond Mount Moran. The String Lake Trail continues left (south), while the Paintbrush Canyon Trail heads north, still through thick woodland, around the hillside and into the mouth of Paintbrush Canyon, at first quite high above (and out of sight of) the streamway.
After a junction, with the path to Leigh Lake, String Lake's inlet stream is crossed on a wide footbridge, followed by a traverse of a cool, sheltered area of tall trees, and a short climb up a steepish incline to another junction, after 1.1 miles.
PAINTBRUSH DIVIDE LOOP TETON FULL
The full loop is generally considered to be the best long hike in the park.įrom the parking lot, the trail soon reaches the edge of String Lake and winds along the shoreline northwards through thick forest, with good views west across the calm, reflective waters to the steep slopes of Rockchuck Peak at the far side, catching the morning sunlight. Besides the amazing views and beautiful scenery, the hike encounters many different habitats so is good for wildlife, and although the southern part of the loop ( Cascade Canyon) is quite busy, especially the lower few miles, Paintbrush Canyon is quiet and peaceful. The continuation path has a steep descent to Lake Solitude at the upper end of Cascade Canyon, a long valley that is followed downstream for 6.5 miles all the way to Jenny Lake, from where the String Lake trailhead is 1.5 miles north. The final section ascends through sparkling Alpine meadows beneath a jagged snow-covered ridge then crosses a steep scree slope, past a small glacier and on to the summit. The northernmost drainage is accessed by the Paintbrush Canyon Trail, which passes spectacular and varied scenery over the 8 miles to its highpoint of 10,700 feet at Paintbrush Divide starting next to pretty String Lake, the path climbs gradually up Paintbrush Canyon giving distant views of the much larger Leigh and Jackson lakes, and reaches another scenic lake ( Holly) after 6 miles, set in a rocky, glacial bowl.
There are five main routes, along Granite, Open and Death canyons in the south of the park, and the adjacent Cascade and Paintbrush canyons further north, both of which may be seen by a strenuous loop hike of 19 miles and nearly 4,000 feet of elevation gain - quite possible for fit hikers to complete on one long day, though two primitive campsites en route allow for multi-day hikes. Canyons provide a course for most backcountry hikes in Grand Teton National Park, along trails that follow mountain streams up valleys which are thickly wooded at the lower end but become steadily rockier and less vegetated, as the paths climb towards the tundra zone above 10,000 feet.
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