Parking
Start in Teton Village at the Jackson Hole Aerial Tram and ride to the upper terminal; the walk begins there and ends on Valley Trail near the village.
Overview
About Tram/
Why go
- The tram saves about four miles and 2,400 feet of climbing.
- Fox Creek Pass, the Teton high country and Death Canyon in one trip.
Heads up
- A 21.9-mile backcountry trip planned for one or two nights.
The Tram/Death Canyon Loop via Valley Trail is a 21.9-mile high-country backpacking route from Teton Village. Ride the Jackson Hole Aerial Tram to its upper terminal, then hike across the Granite Canyon side of the Teton Crest, over Fox Creek Pass, down Death Canyon and back toward the village on Valley Trail. The tram makes the loop possible: the walking line starts at the summit and finishes near the village, so it is a point-to-point hike on foot. Allow roughly 14 hours of hiking, usually split over one or two nights; this is not a casual day walk.
Parkwolf’s verdictIs this the hike for you?Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Grand Teton map
Full mapElevation6,532–10,394 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 Tram/
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 tourMore stories near here in the app
- The Green Beneath Aspen Bark
- Granite Canyon: A Full Day to Marion Lake
- The Owl’s Listening Face
- Rockefeller Preserve: Listen Before the Lake Walk
- 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 Tram/
The high crossingThe tram saves about four miles and 2,400 feet of climbing compared with hiking up from Granite…
The tram saves about four miles and 2,400 feet of climbing compared with hiking up from Granite Canyon. From the upper terminal, the route crosses open high country before Fox Creek Pass, where the Teton peaks open to the north. This is a long, committed route above 9,000 feet, with exposed stretches where a fast change in weather matters.
Down Death CanyonAfter Fox Creek Pass, the route drops through Death Canyon and joins Valley Trail for the…
After Fox Creek Pass, the route drops through Death Canyon and joins Valley Trail for the return toward Teton Village. The long descent trades open alpine ground for a narrower canyon of rock walls and rushing water. Keep the distance convention straight when comparing routes: this is the tram-start itinerary, not the longer loop that begins at Death Canyon Trailhead.
Permits and accessOvernight stays in the park backcountry require a permit for a designated campsite or zone.
Overnight stays in the park backcountry require a permit for a designated campsite or zone. Teton Crest camping zones can fill on most nights from late July into early September, so secure the right zone before you commit to this route. The tram has a fee. Pets are prohibited on park trails and in the backcountry.
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.
