Distance: 4.4 miles (one way) Difficulty: Strenuous Best time of year: Spring, Summer, Fall For those that don’t have the time and/or energy to hike the full Teton Crest Trail, the in-and-out hike to Phillips Pass is an easily accessible segment. Since the trail starts out at 7,800 feet already, the elevation change isn’t as bad as other areas along …

Distance: 2.1 miles Difficulty: Moderate Best time of year: Summer, Fall Ski Lake is a very popular hike among locals. It’s outside of Grand Teton National Park, which means it doesn’t have a big tourist draw. Likewise, it’s not the most spectacular lake in the Teton Mountains, but it is beautiful and nestled near the treeline of the southern Tetons. …

Distance: 4.6 miles (loop) Difficulty: Moderate Best time of year: Winter Last hiked: 2015 December Earlier this season I joined a group of local hikers to hike up onto Phillips Ridge on the southern end of the Teton Mountains. We started off at a large parking area on the south (left) side of the road about halfway up Teton Pass, …

Distance: 2 miles (one way) Difficulty: Strenuous Best time of year: Year-round Last hiked: 2016 May Affectionately referred to as The Town Hill, Snow King receives a lot of local traffic thanks to its steep ascent, great views, and close proximity to town. In the winter, it also becomes a beloved ski resort where most of the summit trail is …

Distance: 4.1 miles (one way) Difficulty: Strenuous Best time of year: Spring, Summer, Fall Last hiked: 2015 September The Atherton Ridge Trail is a relatively forgotten trail, but is well worth the effort. Neither side is considerably easier to climb than the other, but most people prefer to hike east to west because of the great views that unfold of …

Distance: 6 miles (one way) Difficulty: Strenuous Best time of year: Spring, Summer Last hiked: 2015 July If the hike hadn’t been as challenging as it was, I might have felt a little demoralized by the name, but summiting Cream Puff Peak does not come easy for anyone, especially once the 6-7 foot wildflowers have grown in. This hike is …

Distance: 2.1 miles (one way) Difficulty: Strenuous Best time of year: Spring, Summer, Fall Last hiked: 2014 August Tucked away east of Jackson Hole is local treasure very few take the time to see. The Red Hills of the Gros Ventre Mountains are an exposed sandstone deposit that are leftover from when the region was under a shallow sea, roughly …

Distance: 4 miles (one way) Difficulty: Strenuous Best time of year: Spring, Summer, Fall Last hiked: 2014 August A water purifier is not something you want to forget on a three-day backpacking trip. A wiser person, upon realizing an essential item was forgotten while still at the car, would have packed everything back up, gone home to retrieve the purifier, …

Distance: 2 miles (one way) Difficulty: Moderate Best time of year: Spring, Summer, Fall Last hiked: 2016 June Located just east of Grand Teton National Park, high above the valley of Jackson Hole, lies a lone boulder secluded in its recession on a hill that delivers tremendous views of the region. This is Coyote Rock. Though the trail only brings …

Distance: 10.9 miles (one way) Difficulty: Strenuous Best time of year: Summer, Fall Last hiked: 2013 July For starters, don’t let the name fool you. While the lake does have some turquoise color to it, it’s nothing like lakes you see in the Canadian Rockies or even more locally, Delta Lake. It is however, a picturesque lake set against rugged …