Parking
Use the Laurance S. Rockefeller Preserve lot off Moose-Wilson Road. It is limited to 50 cars; midsummer waits can occur. RVs and trailers are not allowed on Moose-Wilson Road.
Overview
About Aspen Ridge-Boulder Ridge Loop
Why go
- A true two-ridge circuit reaches Phelps Lake’s south shore.
- Aspen groves, a creek stretch, and glacial boulders keep the route varied.
Heads up
- The boulder field requires hopping and short climbs on uneven ground.
- The Preserve lot has limited capacity and can delay a midsummer start.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Grand Teton map
Full mapElevation6,404–6,824 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
2 active Grand Teton alerts
- ClosureConstruction closures and delaysConstruction is causing current road and area closures and delays across Grand Teton; use the signed Taggart Trail detour. - Moose-Wilson Road is closed between Moose and Laurance S.Official details
- ClosureJackson Lake boat ramps closed; Signal launch riskColter Bay and Leeks boat ramps are closed; Signal Mountain Boat Ramp is open, but water is below the ramp edge and loose cobbles make launching risky.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Grand Teton Tour Guide
Your drive to Aspen Ridge-Boulder Ridge Loop, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Grand Teton National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Grand Teton audio tourRecorded for this trailhead
Rockefeller Preserve: Listen Before the Lake Walk0:00 / 0:36
“You're nearing the Rockefeller Preserve Center, where I'd start with the soundscape room. A three-minute recording builds to a thunderstorm using sounds recorded here in the preserve.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Grand Teton Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- The Owl’s Listening Face
- Berries Before the Den
- Death Canyon Access: Phelps Lake from Above
- Granite Canyon: A Full Day to Marion Lake
- 118 audio storiesacross Grand Teton’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Grizzly Bear, Brown Bear, Gray Wolf, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 70 trails, 121 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“…We have been driving around with the audio tour and it has been informational and spot on. The whole family has been impressed. We used it for Yellowstone and Grand Teton.”
Trail guide
Hiking Aspen Ridge-Boulder Ridge Loop
The full loopThis is a 6.2-mile loop from the Laurance S.
This is a 6.2-mile loop from the Laurance S. Rockefeller Preserve to Phelps Lake and back, using Aspen Ridge on the way out and Boulder Ridge on the return. The park calls it moderate and estimates three to five hours; allow about four with a lakeshore break. Its published gain is 1,140 feet, spread across a rolling route rather than one long climb.
Find the right turnStart at the Preserve Center and take the Lake Creek side of the first Woodland/Lake Creek fork.
Start at the Preserve Center and take the Lake Creek side of the first Woodland/Lake Creek fork. After crossing Moose-Wilson Road, watch for the narrower Aspen Ridge branch. Later, follow the south shore of Phelps Lake toward Boulder Ridge, then take Woodland Trail back to the Preserve. This is a better loop than walking straight to the lake and returning by the same approach: the ridge trails give the outing more variety.
Aspen RidgeAspen Ridge is narrower and rougher than the main lake approach.
Aspen Ridge is narrower and rougher than the main lake approach. It moves through aspen groves and boulder fields, drops briefly beside a small creek, then climbs and dips along the ridge. The trees open now and then to views toward the southern Teton Range and the Gros Ventre Mountains. Expect uneven ground and a few short climbs through the boulders.
Phelps Lake from the south shoreThe open viewpoint looks across Phelps Lake toward Death Canyon, Albright Peak, and Prospectors…
The open viewpoint looks across Phelps Lake toward Death Canyon, Albright Peak, and Prospectors Mountain. Keep going around the lake’s southern edge rather than turning back at the first overlook; a rocky beach with a couple of wooden benches makes a good longer pause. For a photo, keep some water in the foreground so the canyon reads as part of the lake view.
Boulder Ridge and the returnThe loop leaves the lakeshore for Boulder Ridge, where spruce and fir close in around large…
The loop leaves the lakeshore for Boulder Ridge, where spruce and fir close in around large glacial boulders. The trail passes the gravesite of David W. Spalding, an early homesteader in the area, before dropping to Woodland Trail. That forest stretch leads back across Moose-Wilson Road and toward the Preserve Center.
Access and effortThe Preserve lot off Moose-Wilson Road is limited to 50 cars, and waits are common in…
The Preserve lot off Moose-Wilson Road is limited to 50 cars, and waits are common in midsummer, so an early start helps. The hike is listed for spring through fall; no reservation or separate activity fee is required, though the park entrance fee applies. Pets are prohibited on the route. Moose-Wilson Road does not allow RVs or trailers.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Grand Teton
172 sightingsGrizzly BearMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
195 sightingsBrown BearMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
32 sightingsGray WolfMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
1,816 sightingsMooseMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
614 sightingsBisonMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
738 sightingsElkMost seen around 7 PMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Grand Teton. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
