Jenny Lake Trail
Jenny Lake Trail
4.5
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Four miles of flat trail and spectacular mountain scenery.
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- TesaVanIndianapolis, Indiana364 contributionsA Must Do!The highlight of our Grand Tetons trip was definitely this hike. We ventured along the Moose trail, although, unfortunately, we didn't encounter any moose. Walking alone felt a bit daunting, questioning if we were on the right path (which we were, and luckily, no bears!). The main trail, featuring stunning lake views, is truly unbeatable. To make the most of our experience, we utilized the boat to return to the starting point after reaching the falls. This is a definite must do for visitors!Visited September 2023Traveled as a coupleWritten January 9, 2024
- Julia Snow MPortland, Maine26 contributionsBreathtakingI took my 9 y/o grandson to Jackson Hole in July. He repeatedly tells us that it was the best week of his life and the high point was Jenny Lake. It is breathtakenly beautiful. We were so lucky because a mama bear and her cubs came down to the water. The rangers kept everyone at a safe distance but we could still see them bathing. What an experience! It was incredibly crowded when we first got there but on the paths just moderately so. We had to take a cab out there which was very expensive. Not a negative just an alert. I highly recommend a trip there and allow yourself enough time to walk, swim and hiking.Visited July 2023Traveled with familyWritten January 10, 2024
- Nancy R5 contributionsNot to miss at the Grand TetonsSo thankful for trip advisor for finding things to do in Jackson. This is a great hike with lots to see - nature, waterfalls, the lake, rock formations. You can cut it short or keep hiking depending on who you are with and it is still great, short or long. The ferry is nice to take, cuts the walk short and beautiful views from the water.Visited July 2024Traveled with familyWritten July 28, 2024
- MyBucketListTrips409 contributionsJenny Lake and trail - a must see when in GTNPWe walked some of the trail in the morning. It was easy, compared to the trails around Phelps Lake. We drove by in the afternoon the day before and people were parking on both sides of the road. The lots fill up early, so plan to arrive no later than 8 am in the summer. We tried again the next morning, arriving at 7:45 am. There were very few parking spots left, but we got lucky. The lake is beautiful. I highly recommend it for an easy, serene trail walk around a beautiful body of water.Visited August 2024Traveled with familyWritten August 18, 2024
- a-travelin-foodieUnited States1,084 contributionsEasy trail, beautiful viewsWe walked from the marina to the West Boat dock (1.7 miles) and took the ferry back. It's a relatively easy trail with just a few grade changes. Best views and a waterfall toward the end closest to the West Dock. You can pay for your return ticket when you land back at the marina. Always good to have bear spray, because you are in the woods, but we didn't see much beyond a bird or two. Mostly shady but enough sun on a hot day to get you sweaty. Make sure you have water and maybe some snacks. A lot of folks went swimming on either end of this part of the trail. We also walked a bit of it from the overlook nearest the lodge and enjoyed that too (fantastic photos from over there, too). Parking for the Jenny Lake Visitor Center can be quite overwhelming! Very very full and parked up down the main road. We took a chance and drove into the lot in the mid afternoon and found someone leaving. If you don't want to walk the 1.7 miles, you can enjoy the trails just outside the visitor center. They also have posted signs with the trail distances on the portions of the Jenny Lake Loop.Visited September 2024Traveled as a coupleWritten September 10, 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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Nate
Rockwell, IA9 contributions
Jun 2021
Jenny Lake gets a lot of hype and I don't think it lives up to it, honestly. It's a pretty lake, but it's not any prettier than any other lake in the area and the overall activity with hordes of people make it a bit more interesting.
We got here at 8am and it was already packed in the parking areas. We took the trail clockwise towards Hidden Falls, which is an easy 2 mile hike and fairly pretty. Hidden Falls is the real gem here as it's an amazing experience. Very pretty and refreshing to visit... was excellent. From there it's worth going up to Inspiration Point as the climb is fun and views are excellent.
After those 2 points of interest, I'd recommend going back the way you came and go visit other areas of the Tetons. You can take the boat back but it's expensive and it's about as quick to just hike the 2 miles back. Our party elected to go all the way around the lake, which was a mistake. Total trip after hitting those points of interest is about 9-10 miles and the last 7 miles are nothing special. There are less people on that part of the lake but also less to see, so all it did was tire our group out for the day.
We got here at 8am and it was already packed in the parking areas. We took the trail clockwise towards Hidden Falls, which is an easy 2 mile hike and fairly pretty. Hidden Falls is the real gem here as it's an amazing experience. Very pretty and refreshing to visit... was excellent. From there it's worth going up to Inspiration Point as the climb is fun and views are excellent.
After those 2 points of interest, I'd recommend going back the way you came and go visit other areas of the Tetons. You can take the boat back but it's expensive and it's about as quick to just hike the 2 miles back. Our party elected to go all the way around the lake, which was a mistake. Total trip after hitting those points of interest is about 9-10 miles and the last 7 miles are nothing special. There are less people on that part of the lake but also less to see, so all it did was tire our group out for the day.
Written July 5, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Lou
Massachusetts55 contributions
Aug 2019 • Family
My husband and two kids (ages 10 & 12) took the boat ride across the lake and hiked back. We took the first boat out in the morning to avoid the mid summer heat. It was perfect timing, as the hike took 3 hours. We stopped many times to take pictures and just take in the scenery and fresh air. I would recommend this hike.
Written May 1, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Bitsy S
Overland Park, KS42 contributions
Jun 2020
We are a 60ish husband and wife. One of us is a mild jogger and the other not so much. We took the ferry across the lake and hiked up to Hidden Falls. The falls and scenery were gorgeous. The climb to the falls is a moderate uphill effort. We felt good but knew the additional climb to Inspiration Point would be too much for us. We did decide to hike the rest of the way around the lake back to the East boat dock/parking lot which is about 2.4 miles of moderate hiking. There were a lot of rocks and roots and mud on the path and you have to watch your footing. It also goes up and down and you need to make way for other people so it does take some effort. I saw people with little kids and didn't know how they did it. I would recommend this hike as it is a few hours with gorgeous views but do know that it is not for out-of-shape people. If you are, then take the ferry both ways!
Written July 4, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Carolyn K
Secor, IL18 contributions
Aug 2021 • Family
We arrived at parking lot around 7:30 on Thursday, lot was already 75% full. Started hike at trailhead going counter clockwise. This direction allowed for incredible views of the mountains in spotlight of the sunrise, blue skies begins them and the beautiful lake in front. You know, the views you see by professional photographers. So many photo ops along this hike as the mountain peak’s angles change as you follow the trail around. We went up to inspirational point and continued on to the cascade canyon trail. We hiked this to the fork and back down where we continued to hidden falls and then back to Jenny Lake to finish the rest of the trail to parking lot. This whole trip was 16 miles but well worth it for out family of six, 44,43,19,18,14,10 years of age. We hiked in tennis shoes, Chaco, Teva and keen sandals. Took about 7.5 hours but we stopped for snack/picnic/water breaks. Saw 2 bull moose along cascade canyon trail! Absolutely beautiful!!!
Written August 19, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
David B
Scottsdale, AZ115 contributions
Aug 2020
Jenny Lake was our favorite stop on our recent trip to GTNP. We went there twice. Once for the shuttle over to hike to Inspiration Point and Hidden Falls, and the second time to hike this trail.
We arrived around 10:30 on a Monday morning and were surprised to find a few open parking spots in the lot. We did the shorter 2.4 mile hike around the southern end of the lake. We took a leisurely pace and completed the hike in about 1.5 hours, with a short excursion to the Moose Pond area (not recommended). It's a relatively easy to moderate flat hike, but there are a few areas of elevation gain requiring you to walk up steps. We took the ferry back around 12:30, and for the second straight day were happy to see black bear(s) hanging out at the East dock!
My wife and I are mid 50's, and are relatively fit. We thought about hiking all the way around the lake, but TBH, we weren't up to an additional 2 hours or so. This would be a personal choice of course, but we'd recommend taking either the north (longer) or south (shorter) route from the East dock area over to the West dock area, and then ride the ferry back. You also might want to consider doing a separate hike to Inspiration Point and Hidden Falls. For those serious go-getters, I'm sure you can do it all in one day, but why? Go enjoy this beautiful place more than once!
We arrived around 10:30 on a Monday morning and were surprised to find a few open parking spots in the lot. We did the shorter 2.4 mile hike around the southern end of the lake. We took a leisurely pace and completed the hike in about 1.5 hours, with a short excursion to the Moose Pond area (not recommended). It's a relatively easy to moderate flat hike, but there are a few areas of elevation gain requiring you to walk up steps. We took the ferry back around 12:30, and for the second straight day were happy to see black bear(s) hanging out at the East dock!
My wife and I are mid 50's, and are relatively fit. We thought about hiking all the way around the lake, but TBH, we weren't up to an additional 2 hours or so. This would be a personal choice of course, but we'd recommend taking either the north (longer) or south (shorter) route from the East dock area over to the West dock area, and then ride the ferry back. You also might want to consider doing a separate hike to Inspiration Point and Hidden Falls. For those serious go-getters, I'm sure you can do it all in one day, but why? Go enjoy this beautiful place more than once!
Written August 18, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
jesse o
Jackson, WY6,509 contributions
Jun 2019 • Business
Depending on how you do it, this trail can be quite crowded if you sleep late and only take the boat across. Avoid South Jenny Lake area except to walk through. It’s nice but far too well known. Park at the String Lake Trailhead before 9:00 a.m. and enjoy your day. It’s ten km all around the lake but adding a spur up cascade canyon 1 or 2 km will add to your pleasure greatly. Another way to enjoy it is to come I’m October or May. Around each bend of the trail is a new delight.
Written May 19, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
familytraveler06904
Grand Rapids, MI76 contributions
Aug 2020
Hiking in Jenny Lake was on the the best hikes we've been on! We took the ferry ride to and from the trailhead and we're very glad we did. They said it would have added 2.8 miles each way to hike if we didn't take the ferry. The ferry ride was $50 round trip for a family rate. Once there, we hiked 0.6 miles to Hidden Falls - it was beautiful! Then we did the 0.4 steep and rocky hike up to Inspiration Point and it was worth it. We then kept going to Cascade Canyon which was beautiful - lots of changing landscape that opened up in a beautiful canyon with views of the snow topped Tetons. We spent about 2.5 hours on this trail before heading back. We started at 8:30 am and headed back a bit before noon. We were told that it gets extremely busy later in the day which we saw when after we got off the boat. Cars were parked a long way away and there was a long wait for the boat ride to and from. Definitely get there early if you can, and I'd suggest bug spray as it was quite buggy in the morning.
Written August 14, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Carrie’s MHO
46 contributions
Sep 2020 • Couples
Took the ferry to the trail to the falls and then hiked the southern trail back to the starting point. Glad we had hiking boots with some of the trail being uneven and steep. Gorgeous views - would recommend starting early in the morning before it gets crowded.
Written September 6, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Camille H
Cottonwood Heights, UT12 contributions
Jun 2020 • Family
We loved the boat ride to Jenny lake and enjoyed the hike to hidden falls and Inspiration Point, but the highlight for us was continuing one mile in from the top of Inspiration Point into Cascade Canyon. We turned around after 1 mile in, we made it to beautiful open views of the Tetons. Our kids were ages 7,10 and 11 and they did great . The toughest part is up to inspiration point. It was 4 miles round trip, we took the boat both ways . They have a family deal for 2 or more kids and 2 adults for $50 for the boat ride there and back, which we enjoyed because then we spent longer In the canyon.
Written June 19, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
kellir
Boise, ID21 contributions
Sep 2020
We hiked the Jenny Lake trail to Hidden Falls and then to Inspiration Point. The hike to Hidden Falls is moderate. Then next 0.5 mile up to Inspiration Point is more technical and strenuous but worth it for the spectacular views. If you can make it to Hidden Falls, you can make it just the short distance farther to Inspiration Point. The trail is well maintained and beautiful. We saw a couple of moose feeding at a pond along the way
The parking lot at Jenny Lake is full by 9:00. Recommend an early start closer to 8:00am
The parking lot at Jenny Lake is full by 9:00. Recommend an early start closer to 8:00am
Written September 23, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Are bikes allowed on Jenny Lake Trail?
Written June 1, 2023
Hi, Jackie-
What is the name of the boat company when you took the boat across Jenny Lake? Was there a certain part (name of trail? )of the trail that you accessed the south end where you walked?
Written August 27, 2017
Hi! Think it's the only operator on the lake? Just aim for the Jenny Lake / stores / campsite / car park in the park and you can't miss it! Enjoy!
Written August 28, 2017
Ryan Croy
Marietta, Georgia
5 contributions
We are visiting GTNP in late June and would like to hike the Jenny Lake trail and take the ferry back to the visitor center. Which is more scenic: the northern or southern trail around the lake?
Written April 28, 2017
gardencreekbobbete
Arimo, Idaho
hi we are having a sister trip to this area and wanted to take the ferry over Jenny lake. we would be there September 17th. Will the ferries still be running? and what else is there to do in this area
Written September 13, 2016
I do not recall when the ferry stops running. I want to say sometime in October. Once over there there is hiking and sightseeing. In beautiful epic proportion! Bring your camera! Enjoy!
Written October 1, 2016
are dogs on a leash allowed on the trail? How about on the shuttle boat?
Written June 29, 2016
I'll be heading over in end Sep and I'm wondering how difficult are the trails. I'm a city gal through and through so I'm concerned with my stamina with having to lug my gears as well.
Written June 28, 2016
There are hikes for all levels. Short, long, etc. When you get there go to the nearby visitor's center and talk to a ranger to select a hike right for you.
Written July 1, 2016
If you take the trail from the Leigh and String Lake Trailhead to the north side of Jenny Lake to Inspiration Point (and back the same way) how far would that be approximately, and would this be better from a crowd perspective? Any thoughts on the views if we just did this shorter portion of the Jenny Lake hike?
Written May 30, 2016
HI,
Crowds vary on the time of year. Summer will always be busy. I don't mind it because if people make noise, I am not so worried about bears. I hiked one time later in the afternoon and the crowds were low; to be honest, it was a bit unnerving.
I suggest you go to the NPS website for the hike trails at the Grand Tetons. They have a great map with the actual mile lengths.
If you take the Eastern edge of String lake to Jenny lake it is about 1.7+ miles. (RT: 3.4 miles)
Inspiration point itself is about 2.5 miles roughly.
I hope that helps.
Written June 7, 2016
Hi do you know if we are able to take our dogs on the hike and boat shuttle?
Written August 15, 2015
Hi all, I'd like to know if it is advisable to wear shorts or better to wear long pants for the hike? I am highly allergic to mosquito bites. Are there mosquitos at this time? We are planning to visit the park this June 27/28. Would appreciate anyone's advice. Thank you!
Written June 25, 2015
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