Parking
Use the parking lot beside the Jackson Lake Lodge corrals; trail access begins at its east edge. Parking is limited. Restrooms, water, and dining are available at the lodge as a separate stop.
Overview
About Christian Pond Overlook Trail
Why go
- A high pond view on a genuinely short walk
- Good bird habitat along the creek and wetland
Heads up
- Limited parking by the corrals
- Horse traffic and unofficial paths need attention
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Grand Teton map
Full mapElevation6,808–6,867 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
2 active Grand Teton alerts
- ClosureJackson Lake boat ramps closed; Signal launch riskMentions Jackson Lake, referenced in this guideColter 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
- 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
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Grand Teton Tour Guide
Your drive to Christian Pond Overlook Trail, 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
Grand View Point and Christian Pond: Choose Your Walk0:00 / 0:27
“You’re nearing the lodge-side trail access for Grand View Point and Christian Pond.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Grand Teton Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Jackson Lake Lodge: The View from the Great Room
- Upper Willow Flats: A Chance to Watch Elk
- Lower Willow Flats: Look for Sandhill Cranes
- Oxbow Bend and Mount Moran
- 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 Christian Pond Overlook Trail
A one-mile walk for the viewChristian Pond Overlook is an easy, one-mile out-and-back from the Jackson Lake Lodge corrals…
Christian Pond Overlook is an easy, one-mile out-and-back from the Jackson Lake Lodge corrals to a moraine above Christian Pond. Plan on about 45 minutes, more if you stop to watch waterfowl. It is a quick taste of the pond country; the Christian Pond Loop continues beyond the overlook and is a separate, roughly 3.5-mile hike.
Follow the creek to the moraineStart at the east edge of the parking lot beside the corrals.
Start at the east edge of the parking lot beside the corrals. The path goes east beneath the highway and along a creek through riparian ground; at the junction, take the right branch toward Christian Pond. It climbs the moraine ridge that holds the pond. From the top, look down across the shallow water and marsh islands. Keep a map handy and follow signs, as unofficial tracks cross this area. From the trail, the water channels and ridge make a stronger photo than a close crop of the pond alone.
Share the trail and protect the pondWaterfowl use the pond, and moose are occasionally seen along the creek.
Waterfowl use the pond, and moose are occasionally seen along the creek. Birds nest around the water, so stay on the marked tread. Horse rides use this route too: remain visible and step off on the downhill side when horses approach.
The pond’s namesakeCharles A.
Charles A. Christian, known as Tex, cared for the Amoretta Inn before it became the original Jackson Lake Lodge. The pond carries his name.
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.
