Grand Teton National Park, WY
Three lake views make the long lodge approach worth the climb.
Overview
Grand View Point Trail from Jackson Lake Lodge is a 5.8-mile out-and-back with a steady climb to a high point above Emma Matilda and Two Ocean Lakes. The route heads north around Christian Ponds before the climb. Plan on about 3–4 hours. If you mainly want the overlook, the separate Grand View Point Trailhead route is 2.6 miles round trip and easier overall, but skips the longer lodge-side walk. No reservation or trail activity fee is required; standard park admission applies. Pets aren't allowed.
Parkwolf’s verdictIs this the walk for you?Map & elevation
Plan your hike
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Grand Teton Tour Guide
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 Walk“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
“…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
The walk passes beneath US 89/191 and spends its early stretch near the highway; horses share this path, so expect droppings. Follow the Grand View Point signs at the Christian Pond and Emma Matilda junctions rather than continuing around the lake loops. The path crosses grassy meadows, then narrows into woods and steep switchbacks with brush, exposed rocks, and roots. Around 2.7 miles in, a hillside meadow opens west to Grand Teton, Mount Moran, and Jackson Lake.
After another wooded stretch, the route emerges above Emma Matilda and Two Ocean Lakes. A small bare outcrop just before Grand View Point gives the broad western panorama of Jackson Lake and the Tetons; pause there if that view is your main reason for coming, then continue to the high point for the eastern lakes. This is the better choice when you want the walk as well as the overlook.
Wildlife
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.
Keep exploring
EasyChristian Pond Loop3.5 mi · 2 hr · At the trailheadA gentle loop from the lodge through marsh, willows, and sagebrush.
EasyWillow Flats Trail4.4 mi · 2 hr · At the trailheadEasy old-road walking through willows with the Tetons ahead.
EasyChristian Pond Overlook Trail1 mi · 45 min · 0.1 mi awayA short moraine climb for a bird’s-eye pond view.
EasyLunch Tree Hill Trail0.5 mi · 30 min · 0.3 mi awayA quick climb for Willow Flats and a wide Teton view.
ModerateSignal Mountain Trail6.8 mi · 4 hr · 3.1 mi awayA steady forest climb earns Jackson Lake and Teton views.
EasySwan Lake Trail1.9 mi · 1.5 hr · 3.8 mi awayA short lake walk through meadow and pines to lily-pad shallows.
ModerateHermitage Point Trail9.5 mi · 5.5 hr · 3.8 mi awayA boulder shore opens onto Jackson Lake and the Tetons.
EasyHeron Pond Trail2.9 mi · 1.5 hr · 3.8 mi awayLily pads frame a quiet pond beneath the Teton skyline.
Sight · At the trailheadJackson Lake Lodge CorralThe longer ride reaches Emma Matilda Lake and Teton views.
0.1 mi awayGrand Teton Medical ClinicUrgent care for park visitors near Jackson Lake Lodge.
Sight · 0.3 mi awayJackson Lake LodgeA 60-foot window wall turns Willow Flats into the main event.
Restaurant · 0.3 mi awayPioneer GrillA 1950s-style diner for burgers and huckleberry shakes.
Restaurant · 0.3 mi awayThe Mural RoomTen murals put fur-trade history beside your dinner.
Sight · 0.3 mi awayChristian PondA pond loop through willow marsh to Teton views.Sight · 0.3 mi awayLunch Tree HillA short, steep walk opens a wide view over Willow Flats.
Sight · 0.4 mi awayUpper Willow Flats OverlookA quick stop for willow flats, wildlife, and the Teton skyline.Parkwolf’s Grand Teton ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
