Taggart Lake

Taggart Lake is a glacial lake at the mouth of Avalanche Canyon, on the west side of the Tetons. The usual out-and-back from Taggart Lake Trailhead is 3 miles round trip, about two hours, with 350 feet of climbing. The National Park Service rates it easy, though the path has some loose, uneven rock. It crosses sagebrush flats, climbs a moraine shaded by aspen and lodgepole pine, then descends to the lake. Choose it for a mountain-framed lake without committing to a long hike.

The trailhead has a modest parking lot and a vault toilet. Food service and potable water aren't listed there, so plan around that before setting out.

The direct route is a satisfying out-and-back if Taggart is your main goal. A longer 5.9-mile loop with about 800 feet of climbing links Taggart and Bradley lakes. It's a better fit if you want more time on the trail; the shorter route still gives you the lake and its Teton backdrop.

Grand Teton rises beyond the water and the surrounding forest. Visitors report finding several small view spots by continuing along the shore. Calm water can reflect the peaks and trees, though the surface won't always be still.

The trail climbs a glacial moraine before dropping to Taggart Lake. Bradley Lake sits at the mouth of Garnet Canyon, and the two lakes are held behind moraines left by glaciers. That explains the rounded, wooded ridge on the approach and the lakes tucked against the canyon mouths.

The lake takes its name from W. Rush Taggart, an assistant geologist on the 1872 Hayden Expedition. He had first come to Jackson Hole in 1860 with Captain W. F. Raynolds and a team of Army engineers, tying this quiet-looking lake to the early surveys of the region.