Cascade Canyon to The Forks

Dear Family and Friends,

It is no secret that I am not generally inclined to think of hiking as a fun activity (to the great amusement of fellow rangers). A liesurely wander with my camera is more my speed. But I got a wild hair in June. 

I would see how far I could go on a hike to The Forks at the west end of Cascade Canyon. If I didn’t make it, no one would know.

Me, trying to look enthusiastic about the hike Dave took me on back in 2016
My Cunning Plan: Shuttle boat to West Dock, Horse Trail, Cascade Canyon to The Forks

The hike is 9.2 miles out and back, with an elevation gain of 1,118 feet. Most people take about 4 hours to do the hike. Fortunately I didn’t read the stats before I decided to go!

A couple days before, I explored an alternate route to the usual trail into the canyon. The popular trail can be traveled by 500+ visitors Per Hour! One Positive is the amazing view across Jenny Lake the trail has, but the Con (aside from traffic) is that it feels like a goat trail on a ledge (a real test of my nerves). 

the people in the photo are at Inspiration Point

Happily, the Horse Trail is little known, moves through the cool forest, and has a lot of opportunities for an out of shape hiker to rest on boulders or downed trees. After reaching the intersection with the Cascade Canyon trail on test day, I went down the popular trail, happy to be going against the stream on the inboard side of the trail and confirming I did *not* want to hike up it. 

On the big day, I left the trailer just after 6 am hoping to catch the first boat across the lake, and miss the heat of the day with an early start. In the end, my delayed start didn’t matter. 

It was quite a hike. I hiked through cold rain, sleet, hail, snow, and under a beating sun, reminding me how changeable mountain weather can be! I passed silent emerald green ponds, along roaring mountain snow-melt waterfalls, sheltered under a splintered boulder, and relished the shade of ancient trees. I photographed a browsing moose, four different chittering Yellow-belied Marmots, many wildflowers, and worked hard to capture the dominance of the mountains draped in waterfalls. Sadly, no bears.

Hiking alone, I followed the same advice I give hikers to mitigate my risk of hiking alone. I had bear spray of course, kept my head on a swivel for situational awareness, and I did A LOT of calling out, “Good Morning Bears!” along the trail.

In the end, I amazed myself and made it all the way to The Forks. It took me 12 hours to go door to door. Now you can see why it is hard on any hiking companion to have me along!

So this blog is an excuse to share some of the amazing sights you might see on a hike in Cascade Canyon in Grand Teton. Scroll on and save yourself some tired feet!

Arriving at West Boat Dock on Jenny Lake
Gorgeous Columbine marking the entrance to the Horse Trail
a perfect illustration of why you make noise and call out on the trail when visibility is reduced
The clouds moving in are a little concerning.
Watching the skies — just above Hidden Falls
Fascinating geology
the trail navigates past water and boulders shed from the heights of the peaks
the teasing is over — the open valley is finally revealed
the wind is blowing strong enough to knock you over, the sleet noisy as it hits my hat and shoulders
during the worst of the driving wind I took (some) shelter in this little space

Sitting doubled over in this shelter, I contemplated turning around. Luckily I saw the bright back edge of the squall approaching the peak of Grand Teton and knew better weather was on the way!

the back edge of the squall
passing through a boulder field
red shirt hiker for scale
the foot of the snowy peak is roughly the destination
hikers for scale
a likely place to look for moose
I photographed this scene, coming and going, with both my phone and Canon
a different view of The Grand
snow melt waterfall
Wonder of wonders, I made it!
1pm — time for lunch
other hikers having lunch at The Forks
more interesting geology
I just can’t get over the many faces of the same mountain
the walk back, on the same trail, reveals different views
It was getting toasty on the trail. Luckily I found some snow and gathered a capful. Taking a tip from Tour de France riders, I made little snow balls and put them down my back as I hiked. Lovely!!
The hills are alive with the sound of … birds, wind, and rushing water.
Despite the best efforts of the trail crews, sometimes the mountain runoff just wanted to go where it wanted to go. I gave up trying to be delicate, and just got my feet wet as the safest way to cross.
more waterfalls
a wandering we will go
How on earth did I find a crowd out here?!
Of course! Wildlife!!
Many visitors do not believe me when I tell them they may find a moose out in Cascade Canyon!
always a fun wildflower to find
from lush ponds to craggy peaks, the canyon has it all
I’m not fast enough to capture a photo of all the marmots I see, but a few! I’m not sure who this marmot was calling to.
a Yellow-bellied Marmot curious about passers by
5:30pm — I better keep going if I want to catch the last boat!
a last look back — a new squall line coming?!
I get in line for the return boat
Farewell Cascade Canyon! I hope you all had a good hike!

I took 554 photos and videos on this hike. While I am glad I did it, I am not feeling a rush to go back. But who knows, maybe Lake Solitude is in my future. I just have to take fewer photos!