Signal Mountain Trail

Signal Mountain Trail is a 6.8-mile round-trip out-and-back from the Signal Mountain Lodge parking area to Jackson Point Overlook, with a short loop on the lower mountain. Allow three to five hours for a moderate climb of about 980 feet. The payoff is a wide view over Jackson Lake, the Tetons, Jackson Hole and the Gros Ventre Mountains. It is a good pick if you want to earn the view on a real half-day hike. Take the Lake side going up and the Ridge side coming down. If you want a shorter walk, nearby Lunch Tree Hill is a half-mile loop.

The signed trailhead is about 0.2 mile from the lodge parking area. After reaching it, cross Teton Park Road, then climb to and cross Signal Mountain Road near the half-mile mark from the lot. A lily pond lies just beyond the first crossing; keep an eye out for moose. Much of the early route stays under conifers, with a view of Mount Moran opening around two-thirds of a mile in.

At just over 0.7 mile, a fork begins the short lower loop. The southern Lake side is flatter and more wooded, passing a small lake. Take it on the way up, then use the northern Ridge side on the return. That branch rolls up and down more, but opens into a sagebrush meadow with broad Teton views. The sides rejoin around 2.2 miles from the parking area.

After the loop, the trail climbs through lodgepole pine forest and grassy meadows to Jackson Point Overlook, about 3.5 miles from the lot. This is the hike's destination, below Signal Mountain's drive-up summit. The view takes in the Teton Range, Jackson Lake, Jackson Hole and the Gros Ventre Mountains. For a photo, keep the lake below the peaks so both the foreground and the distance show. The overlook is named for photographer William Henry Jackson, who photographed the area during the Hayden Geological Survey's 1878 work.

Use the main Signal Mountain Lodge parking area; the signed trailhead is across the entrance road near the employee housing area. You can walk along the road past the general store and campground registration, or take the unmarked paved path just east of registration. The lodge has restaurants and a general store for before or after the hike, not along the trail. A park entrance fee applies; there is no separate activity fee or reservation. Pets are not allowed.