Middle Teton & South Teton Hike Trail Guide
The Middle Teton & South Teton are two of the most recognizable peaks in the entire Grand Teton National Park right behind the Grand Teton. Both peaks sit just over 12,000 ft. and are extremely popular mountains for hikers around the USA and world to attempt. The Middle Teton is a class 3 route with the option to have class 4 hike depending on your exact route where the South Teton is mostly class 2 hiking with limited sections of class 3. These pair of mountains were without a doubt my favorite hike in 2020.
Middle Teton & South Teton Quick Facts
Virtual Trail Guide: Middle & South Teton
Middle Teton & South Teton Rating: ★★★★★ (5/5 Stars)
Distance: 13 miles RT
Elevation Start: 6,782ft
Highest Point: Middle Teton: 12,805ft, South Teton: 12,513ft
Total Elevation Gain: 6,814ft
Estimated Time to Complete: 10-12 Hours RT
Difficulty: Moderate to Difficult Difficulty System Explained
Class: Class 3 What does this mean?
Season: Late June- Late November (Expect snow outside of this period & lingering snow even in this period)
Weather: Check the Weather Forecast
Directions to the Middle Teton & South Teton
Trailhead: Lupine Meadows
Getting Here: Enter Grand Teton National Park from the south and continue for 2 miles to reach the traffic circle. Continue on US-191 for 5.5 miles and take a left onto Teton Park Road. Continue left on this road for 7.2 miles and then take another left onto Lupine Meadows Road. After .3 miles take another left to continue on Lupine Meadows and then follow the road until it ends at the large parking area. The trail starts at the far South end of the parking area.
Fees: The fee to hike the Middle & South Teton is the Grand Teton National Park entrance fee, read more about that here.
Parking: The Lupine Meadows parking lot is massive and can easily fit 30-40 cars. However, it is a very popular day use spot, so it can get full on busy weekends. If you are hiking the Middle Teton & South Teton, most likely you will be arriving to the TH hours before the crowds do though. The parking area does have non plumbing restrooms.
Summary
Camping: In order to camp on the Middle & South Teton, a backcountry permit is required. Read more about acquiring one here. The only true camping spot on this hike is in Garnet Canyon which offers limited camping. Alternatively, you can camp inside of Grand Teton National Park, read more about that here.
Dogs: This hike is not dog friendly as dogs are not allowed on any trails in Grand Teton National Park.
Make it a Loop: The Middle & South Teton is a lollipop loop.
Trail X Factors: Loose Rock
When hiking both of these mountains you are bound to encounter lots of loose rock. On both peaks, rockfall danger is very high, especially when there are other hikers in front of you on the route. I would HIGHLY recommend hitting these peaks at a very early hour to avoid other hikers and wearing a helmet when hiking both peaks to protect your skull from any rocks that do start flying. As always, if you do send a rock flying, be sure to make any other hikers in the area aware by yelling, “ROCK!”
Hike Tip(s): WHAT TYPE OF BEAR IS BEST? Jim claims they are black bears, but Grizzlies are what you will want to worry about on this hike. I will honestly admit that I have limited experience in grizzly country and did not love the idea of hiking solo at 4AM in the pitch black with fog to start this hike. I ended up renting bear spray which gave me very little peace of mind but was better than nothing. Its recommended to hike in groups of 3 or more and make lots of noise when hiking. Luckily, I did not see any bears on my hike and found a partner on the South Teton to hike back down with. Look, I don’t think they are something you need to be afraid of but rather prepared for. At the end of the day, these animals just want to live in their home without you bothering them, they are not out to hunt or attack you.
Best Views: There was one point in the morning that I thought I would never summit either one of these mountains because the views were so beautiful I just could not stop taking pictures. In all honesty though, this is one of the most beautiful hikes I have done in a long time. You will be hard pressed to look around during almost the entire hike and say “wow, that is pretty.”
Middle Teton & South Teton Hike Route
Gear Needed
- Mickey’s Mountain Kit
- Backpack
- Hiking Shoes or Hiking Boots
- Map of area or GPS – I use the Garmin inReach
- Bear Spray
- Optional: Hiking Poles
- Optional: Mountain Axe – Snow can linger on the Middle Teton well into July
- Optional: Crampons
- Optional: Microspikes
- Optional: Water Filter/UV Pen
- *Links included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you.
My Trip to the Middle & South Teton: June 2020
With a lot more free time due to a work related furlough, I decided that I wanted to tackle some peaks outside of Colorado. I had been keeping an eye on the weather up in Wyoming for weeks and finally found a 2-3 day period that looked like ideal hiking for the Middle & South Teton. Jackie, Juno and I headed up to Wyoming and after a restless night of sleep, I headed to the trailhead around 3AM. I was so preoccupied worrying about a potential encounter with a grizzly bear that I was not focused on driving and got pulled over for speeding. After an encounter with a very nice police officer who somehow made me feel ever worse about the prospect of running into a grizzly, I arrived at the TH around 4AM.
The hike up to Garnet Canyon was breathtaking with a Crayola inspired sunrise and stunning views of the canyon itself. I was able to tackle the Middle Teton without using any technical gear and was so pumped to summit after hours of hiking. The weather was beautiful so I decided to add the South Teton for added fun. Both peaks were absolutely awesome and were part of a trip I will never forget.
Middle & South Teton Virtual Trail Guide
Questions or comments about the hike to both the Middle Teton & South Teton? Leave a comment below or follow me on Instagram!
9 thoughts on “Middle Teton & South Teton Hike Trail Guide”
Hey Mick, great to see you made it to the Tetons this year! Your trail guide brought back wonderful memories of June 2007 when I climbed the Middle, and I think that hike has remained in my Top 5 ever since. And that’s saying something as I was already beat from just having come out of a 5 day Yellowstone Backcounty trip earlier that night with the foot blisters to prove it. No rest for the weary! But Garnet Canyon is truly one of the great American mountain canyon hikes and anyone reading your post who doesn’t feel up to a summit hike should at least spend the day hiking up Garnet. A special place for sure!
P.s. I feel you on the initial grizzly country bear scare. My wife didn’t sleep a wink on her first night (during that backcountry trip mentioned above) and I recall ten years earlier sleeping with my shotgun up at Earthquake Lake on my first night alone in grizz country. Good news is that it’s all mental and gets much easier with every new night. Happy Trails!
If you had to guess, what do you think the snow level is like at the very end of May?
I just want to say I am soooo appreciative of all the work you put into your posts/videos and they have been so unbelievably helpful. Please don’t ever stop making them.
Woof, that is a tough one. Based on the winter they are having right now, I think it would be full blown winter/snow conditions. That could change obviously, but that would be my best bet. Not AS familiar with WY snowpack vs Colorado but that should be pretty prime spring couloir climbing season there. If I had to guess, I would say that the conditions I had in the video would be pretty similar come this July.
Sincerely appreciate the merch order and constant support of the site and channel. The plan is to keep growing this thing as much as I am able to so lot’s of exciting stuff coming this year.
Thanks so much for the reply! That makes sense. I’ll have to think it over. I’m debating making a trip up there over Memorial Day weekend.
And you’re very welcome! I love the hat and am very happy to support the incredibly detailed work you put in to all of this.
Nathan, for what it’s worth, my two cents.: I summited Middle in mid June many years ago. It was mixed climbing and crampons were necessary. There is a glacier/snow field that is several hundred feet long on the final approach that, even though it is probably smaller 14 years later, it will still be significant in late May. There will mostly likely still be snow on the rock on the final push as well even though it is south facing. However, avalanche risk should be nonexistent. Hope that helps, have fun!
Hey Matt! Really appreciate the response! That definitely helps and gives me a good idea of what to expect. Thanks again!
Absolutely! By the way, I would have no qualms with a summit attempt the last week of May given a few requirements. One, a buddy and a short rope (just in case). Two, a pair of sticky scramblers/approach shoes with the option to throw on some decent traction devices. And three, call Exum Mtn Guides (or even the Park Service) for info as you get close. Exum will probably have someone up there almost daily by then. And if you were planning on going solo, you may want to at least ask how much it would be to go up with them. Finally, don’t let the possibility of not summiting get in the way of trying. Yeah it’s a lot of work just to make it to the saddle (6mi/4000ft?); but worst case scenario is you would have hiked up and back down one of the coolest/most beautiful high mountain canyons in the Rockies!
Great video and summary. I want to do South Teton. I have good hiking experience and novice exposure experience and I’m not crazy about it but I can push through. How is the exposure level on South Teton and is it frightening level for someone with some exposure fright. I’ve been within a 150 of electric peak in yellowstone but got turned around by weather. So I did the scrambling and what not but not the exposure portions as some have described. Do u have any good pics of the exposure portions. Thanks again and great job.
Hey Neal,
Think you will be fine on the South Teton – no major exposure to deal with. Check out the virtual trail guide from 18mins on and I show the entire hike up the South. Best of luck.