Open Canyon to Mount Hunt Divide

The first mile climbs through forest to Phelps Lake Overlook. The lake opens below with the cliffs of Death Canyon beyond it; this is the first big view and a good place to take in the scale before the long climb. For a photo, keep the cliffs behind the lake so the basin reads clearly. From the overlook, two broad switchbacks drop toward the lake. Around 1.7 miles, Valley Trail meets Death Canyon Trail; stay on Valley Trail toward Phelps Lake. A small footbridge crosses Death Canyon Creek, then the route turns away from the lakeside and climbs a glacial moraine toward Open Canyon. Views of the lake narrow to glimpses through trees, and the forested ridge gives you a quieter stretch between overlooks.

Around mile 2.7, the trail climbs the moraine toward Open Canyon Connector, crosses an easier wooded ridge, then drops briefly before the final junction around mile 3.5. Leave Valley Trail here for Open Canyon. A broad mountainside meadow opens a view across Jackson Hole; after that, the path narrows back into woods and reaches Open Canyon Creek. The rushing water and boulders mark a natural pause before the harder ascent. The meadow is the best place on this stretch to look back across the valley, while Phelps Lake Overlook is the stronger lake-and-cliff view.

Above the creek, Open Canyon climbs steadily through evergreen forest. This is a long, quiet middle section with few views and a sustained grade, so the divide is still a long way off when the creek drops out of sight. The route passes through the Open Canyon Camping Zone. Roughly a mile below the divide, trees begin to thin and switchbacks climb into more open alpine terrain. Whitebark pine, fir and spruce give way to rocky slopes and cliffs near the top. The path is narrow and steep, with steps and switchbacks; the National Park Service calls the hike very strenuous for good reason.

The divide opens into a view down Granite Canyon, with Rendezvous Mountain ahead and the canyon falling steeply below. It is a high-country finish after a long forested climb, not a quick summit spur. The same route returns to Death Canyon Trailhead, including the descent toward Phelps Lake and the final climb back to the start.