Phelps Lake Loop Trail

This is the complete Phelps Lake circuit from the Laurance S. Rockefeller Preserve, not the separate overlook walk or the shorter south-shore loop. Take Lake Creek out, circle the lake’s west, north and east shores, then return on Woodland. Expect 6.4 miles round trip, 1,060 feet of gain and 3–5 hours; plan about four hours for this moderate hike and its stops. A shorter south-shore/Woodland loop is about 3.3 miles. Day hikers need no reservation or permit, but the park entrance fee applies. Pets are not allowed.

From the Preserve lot, walk across open sagebrush to the visitor center and the Lake Creek/Woodland junction. Take Lake Creek for the outbound leg. The path crosses a bridge, climbs gently through forest, crosses Moose-Wilson Road, and passes the Aspen Ridge and Boulder Ridge turnoffs before opening into a meadow with views of Prospector Mountain and Albright Peak. The junctions are useful landmarks; stay on the lake route rather than adding those ridge trails.

The south shore opens to Phelps Lake, Death Canyon and the southern Teton peaks. West of the lake, a boardwalk crosses wet ground near Huckleberry Point; a 0.2-mile round-trip spur reaches the point. Continue around the north shore, where the route shares a short stretch with Valley Trail before branching back toward the lake. It climbs briefly, crosses Death Canyon Creek and descends toward the eastern shore. A sandy beach and three backcountry campsites are near the northeast end; overnight camping requires a backcountry permit.

For a phone photo, pause at the open south-shore view and frame the water below the line of peaks. The view brings the lake and the mountains together without adding a side trip.

At the east side, follow the Woodland junction back through trees to the Preserve. The Lake Creek and Woodland legs make a varied loop: open approach and meadow, several miles beside the lake, then a quieter wooded return. The mapped loop follows the full lakeshore; it does not include the optional Huckleberry Point spur or the longer Aspen Ridge and Boulder Ridge extensions.

The Preserve protects the former JY Ranch, whose south-shore sites are part of the walk’s history. Ranch buildings were removed during a landscape restoration from 2004 to 2007. The trail now moves between the open ranch landscape, the creek and forest, and a largely undeveloped lakeshore.

Ice-age glaciers carved the basin that holds Phelps Lake and left moraines around it. The lake reaches roughly 160 feet deep. From shore, the abrupt waterline below the steep canyon walls makes that glacial setting easy to read.