Grand Teton Renews Historic Crest Trail

Crews began work this summer restoring sections of the Teton Crest Trail along the roof of Grand Teton National Park/NPS

“The linking together of the Cascade and Death Canyon trails, at their heads, took place on October 1, 1933, and marked the first step in the realization of a plan whereby the hiker will be enabled to visit that most fascinating region…In traversing this loop, one completely encircles the Three Tetons and adjacent high peaks, viewing them from all sides. In this way one learns to know these peaks with an intimacy impossible to the visitor who contents himself with distant views. No more thrilling mountain trip can be found in all America than that over the newly-completed loop of the Teton Skyline Trail.” –Fritioff Fryxell, 1934. Grand Teton National Park’s first ranger and trail visionary.

The almost 90-year-old trail that travels through the high country of Grand Teton National Park provides a once-in-a-lifetime experience for those with the grit to get there. Initially called the Skyline Trail and now known as the Teton Crest Trail, the iconic route is marked by high mountain passes, rugged terrain, and unforgettable views. The trail was completed in 1933 by the Civilian Conservation Corps and has welcomed hikers, backpackers, and horsemen every summer since then. 

“To be a member of the CCC back in the '30s would have been both greatly rewarding and also extremely humbling,” said Grand Teton Assistant Trail Crew Supervisor Corey Kruse. “It's mind blowing to think how much time was spent just getting supplies and equipment to isolated locations, and that was just the beginning. They had to find the best route, complete challenging manual labor to build every foot of trail, and keep going on and on in what had to seem like an endless expanse of rugged alpine terrain.”

Limited by a short work season (it is only snow free for a few weeks each summer) and complicated logistics of getting tools and supplies to the high elevation job sites, the Crest Trail has remained largely untouched by the park’s maintenance crews for decades—until this summer. 

Hurricane Pass is the first renewal site along the route. Sitting at 10,400 feet, this alpine area experienced significant damage from rain and snowmelt runoff in recent years, resulting in safety issues for hikers. The park’s trail crew completed three, eight-day backcountry hitches at the work site this past summer—meaning they camped near 10,000 feet for more than a week (three times) to complete the improvements. 

The main objective was to reestablish a sustainable path in this technical area. Crews etched a three-foot-wide trail in the bedrock, creating a stable and safe surface for both stock and foot traffic. They constructed drystone retaining walls and erosion control structures, and also regraded a major portion of the pathway ensuring the route is safe and accessible. 

Hand tools for stone work were vital for some repairs along the trail/NPS

“One of the memorable things for me was the amount of gratitude we received from almost every hiker on Hurricane Pass,” trail crew member Matt Noble said. “People were very excited to see the improvements we had made, first time hikers and TCT veterans alike.”

This year marked the beginning of a new focus area for Grand Teton National Park Foundation to fund trail renewal throughout Grand Teton. Success of past projects inspired the park and Foundation to take a more holistic and long-term approach to improve trails, allowing Grand Teton to be more strategic and execute projects that seemed unreachable in the past.

Work along the Teton Crest Trail is slated to continue next summer in the south fork of Cascade Canyon and at Paintbrush Divide. 

This article was made possible by the Grand Teton National Park Foundation. To learn more about the Foundation's support of trails in Grand Teton, visit gtnpf.org.

Water runoff in places was bridged by the crews/NPS