Parking
Park in Ranch Lot at Teton Village. Follow the resort trails uphill to the Valley Trail access; this uphill approach comes before the rolling forest section.
Overview
About Valley Trail to Phelps Lake Overlook
Why go
- Open views across Phelps Lake at the turnaround.
Heads up
- A long, strenuous day with an uphill start.
- Exposed roots and rocks make the footing uneven.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Grand Teton map
Full mapElevation6,539–7,238 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 Valley Trail to Phelps Lake Overlook, 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 area
The Green Beneath Aspen Bark0:00 / 0:30
“An aspen can make food even after its leaves have fallen. Beneath that thin, pale bark is a green layer that uses sunlight to produce sugar. The bark lets enough light through for photosynthesis to continue in winter.”
Plays on the road 0.9 mi from the trailhead in the Parkwolf Grand Teton Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Granite Canyon: A Full Day to Marion Lake
- The Owl’s Listening Face
- Rockefeller Preserve: Listen Before the Lake Walk
- Underground Before Summer Ends
- 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 Valley Trail to Phelps Lake Overlook
Is this the full-day hike you want?The Valley Trail to Phelps Lake Overlook is a strenuous 13.
The Valley Trail to Phelps Lake Overlook is a strenuous 13.2-mile out-and-back from Teton Village. It begins with an uphill approach on resort trails, then follows the rolling Valley Trail through alpine forest before climbing to a broad view above Phelps Lake. Plan on 7 to 9 hours and 2,360 feet of total gain. This is a full-day outing, not a quick stop at the overlook.
What the walk is likeThe first climb takes you from the village to the Valley Trail.
The first climb takes you from the village to the Valley Trail. After that, the route moves through rolling forested terrain before the final ascent to the overlook. Exposed roots and rocks make the footing uneven, and the route's average slope is 17%. The trail can feel like a long approach before the lake view opens up, so leave enough time for the return on the same path.
The view at the endThe overlook gives you an open look across Phelps Lake, its forested shoreline, and the valley…
The overlook gives you an open look across Phelps Lake, its forested shoreline, and the valley beyond. Visitors also call out the fall color around the water, when the leaves turn. The lake panorama is the payoff for a much longer walk than the separate short approach to the same viewpoint.
Start and rulesPark in Ranch Lot at Teton Village and follow the resort trails uphill to the Valley Trail…
Park in Ranch Lot at Teton Village and follow the resort trails uphill to the Valley Trail access. The hike is listed for spring, summer, and fall. There is no separate activity fee, but the park entrance fee applies. Pets are not allowed, and an overnight stay in the backcountry requires a permit.
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.
