Your first views of Paintbrush Canyon will be more intimate than dramatic. Those with sharp eyes and good timing, though, will be able to enjoy some ripe huckleberries along the way! Paintbrush Canyon The trail remains densely forested for another couple of miles. The trail begins to skirt the northeastern base of Rockchuck Peak here as it winds around to the west and into Paintbrush Canyon. At about 1.6 miles in, you’ll reach a junction directing you to the right. A small pond lies below the first incline which some find to be a nice rest point if necessary. A short distance through the woods and a moderate climb begins up the base of the Teton Mountains. The trail meanders through a thick evergreen forest dotted with glacial boulders. Head left again to approach Paintbrush Canyon. The trail forks again on the other side of the bridge. Here, open views of the Tetons rise above the rushing waters. In one-tenth of a mile after the junction, a wooden bridge will bring you across the runoff from Leigh Lake as it pours into String Lake. Continue northward for about a mile and a fork will branch off to Paintbrush Canyon by going left. A calmness in the area is something that fewer and fewer people are experiencing as it grows more popular. This will give you immaculate reflections in the water and some peace and quiet in the area. To experience String Lake at its best, start early before the crowds arrive. Access the String Lake Trail by following a walkway to String Lake in the northwest part of the parking lot, then begin heading northward. In this case, park at the Leigh Lake Trailhead, doubling also as the String Lake Picnic Area. It’s also less steep going down which many people find easier on their knees. This allows for the most dramatic views of the Cathedral Group of Tetons to be in front of you while descending the North Fork of Cascade Canyon. While there is no right or wrong direction around the Paintbrush-Cascade Canyon Loop, most people prefer to ascend up Paintbrush Canyon. Paintbrush-Cascade Canyon Loop Description I most recently did this as a day-hike, which should only be attempted by those who have experience comfortably hiking that far in one day. Though the scenery is only a sampling that the Tetons have to offer, it is a tremendous representation of the magnificent mountain terrain. It can also be split up into an easy-going three day hike. It wanders past four dramatic glacial lakes and exceeds elevations of 10,700 feet above sea level. The loop brings you through extraordinary landscapes and diverse terrain throughout the 20-mile journey. We didn’t succeed in getting the Paintbrush canyon permits the day we got there, but we got them for the following day for North Fork Campground.The Paintbrush-Cascade Canyon Loop remains one of my all-time favorite Teton Mountain hikes. Once we left our warm car to wait in line for permits, a decent line had already formed. It was pretty chilly outside so no one really wanted to wait outside for an hour and half, which in hindsight we should have done. We were told by a friend that the doors opened at 7am turns out they opened at 8am, whoops. We arrived at the Jenny Lake Visitor center at 6:30am after a 2 hour drive from Yellowstone. I think it should be the day-of, but alas. GTNP allows walk-up permits the day before starting a backcountry trip. From my pre-trip research, the Paint Brush Canyon/Cascade Pass loop popped up a lot so we wanted to try for that as our first choice, and succeeded! It was also Labor Day weekend, so we were a little nervous about acquiring walk up permits for our top choices. We really wanted to backpack in the Tetons, but we missed the permit deadline earlier in the year. The past few years we’ve been pretty good about planning out our itinerary and reserving permits for the backpacking trips we want to do, but this trip had pretty much no planning at all. This year we explored the national parks in Wyoming as well as some cool spots in Idaho. Every year, a group of my close friends and I do a 1-2 week outdoor adventure trip somewhere in the USA to get away from our jobs, reconnect with each other, and get into nature.
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