Parking
Follow Moose-Wilson Road to the signed Laurance S. Rockefeller Preserve parking area. The lot holds 50 cars; arrive early, especially in midsummer. The road closes seasonally around November 1 until mid-May, depending on conditions.
Overview
About Lake Creek-Woodland Trail Loop
Why go
- A forested creek approach ends at Phelps Lake with views into Death Canyon.
Heads up
- The 770-foot gain adds effort, and the 50-car lot can make timing tight.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Grand Teton map
Full mapElevation6,407–6,670 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 Lake Creek-Woodland Trail 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 Lake Creek-Woodland Trail Loop
The short versionThis is a 3-mile loop from the Laurance S.
This is a 3-mile loop from the Laurance S. Rockefeller Preserve to Phelps Lake and back, using Lake Creek on the way out and Woodland Trail on the return. It’s a good pick for a forest walk with a lakeshore finish, without taking on the longer circuit around the lake. Allow about two hours; the park’s typical range is one to three.
Along Lake CreekLake Creek Trail starts through the preserve forest and follows the creek toward the lake.
Lake Creek Trail starts through the preserve forest and follows the creek toward the lake. The tread is wide and mostly level, but it isn’t smooth or flat: the park notes rocks and exposed roots, a 7% average slope, and about 770 feet of gain. The climb adds up, even on a hike the park classifies as easy.
At Phelps LakeThe forest opens at the shore, looking toward the lake and into Death Canyon.
The forest opens at the shore, looking toward the lake and into Death Canyon. A bench by the water makes a good place to pause. Use the short outlet-side connection to Woodland Trail to close this loop; continuing around Phelps Lake turns it into a substantially longer outing.
Start and accessFollow Moose-Wilson Road to the signed Laurance S. Rockefeller Preserve parking area.
Follow Moose-Wilson Road to the signed Laurance S. Rockefeller Preserve parking area. The lot is limited to 50 cars, so arrive early, especially in midsummer. There’s no separate trail activity fee or reservation, but the park entrance fee applies. Pets aren’t allowed. Moose-Wilson Road closes to vehicles seasonally around November 1 until mid-May, depending on conditions; check road status before a late-fall or winter visit.
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.
