![]() It was a little after noon and time to keep moving. We were fortunate to have great weather at that altitude and location, and being surrounded by the mountains was quite the experience.Īfter we paused to reflect on the climb up to the divide and the divide itself, we started slowly descending on the other side of the divide. It’s a slow mile, but worth every step! By the time we reached the divide, we couldn’t help but spend 15 minutes taking it all in. The last mile leading up to the divide is pretty exposed hiking and borderline scrambling. The wind certainly started to pick up by the time we were approaching the divide, but nothing concerning. We were warned about snow and exposure, however hiking this trail in October left little snow to be concerned about. The trail continues deeper into the canyon for another 4 miles or so until it turns further northwest to start a long switchback to reach the Paintbrush Divide. This was the point in the trail where we all started to realize how grand the Tetons really were. After about 4 miles or so, the trail starts a more aggressive climb and opens up above treeline with dramatic views of the Teton mountains creating this canyon. For us, given the time of year, we got to enjoy yellow alpine trees sprinkled along this section. The first 4 miles or so remain below treeline, mainly a mixture of pine and alpine trees. We started this hike around 7:00AM as daylight was breaking. This loop starts at String Lake, but quickly turns northwest heading towards the Paintbrush Canyon. We elected to follow this recommendation and were happy with our decision. Paintbrush Canyon to the Paintbrush Divide is much steeper and it’s recommended to hike counterclockwise to get the climbing out of the way early and avoid having steep descents. An additional note related to logistics for this hike is that the elevation profile is dramatically different depending on which direction you hike this loop. The official start and end of this hike is at String Lake. This hike starts and ends at a well marked visitor center near Jenny Lake. ![]() Grand Tetons National Park is located in Wyoming in the United States, just outside of Jackson, WY. ![]() One thing to keep in mind is this hike has over 4,000 feet of elevation gain. It is also rated as one of the top trails in Grand Tetons National Park. This trail is exactly what we followed for this hike. This hike checks the boxes on any mountain lover’s checklist! Because this trail is a loop compared to many other out-and-back hikes, the views and terrain continue to change. The Paintbrush Canyon - Cascade Canyon Loop offers tremendous views of Grand Tetons National Park throughout a challenging 20 mile loop.
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