Schiess: Beauty awaits South Teton Canyon hikers
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Breaking out of the tall lodge pole pine forest into the flower-filled aspen-laced meadow was beautiful in the early morning sunlight as six of us hiked the South Teton Canyon Trail.
“The flowers are behind a couple of weeks, but there are more waterfalls than I have seen in a long time,” Allen Horton of Iona commented as we passed him on his way down. “My wife and I come up to camp in the campground and enjoy these hikes every year.”
Just east of Driggs, the trailhead of this hike is located at the Teton Creek Campground and is located in the Jedediah Smith Wilderness. Also located there are the trailheads to Fred’s Mountain and Table Rock. The 2.7-mile South Teton Canyon Trail is also part of a system of trails that lead to the Devil’s Stairs, Buck Mountain Pass, Hurricane Pass and Alaska Basin.
Hikers of all ages and skills have the opportunities to enjoy a day or several days on these trails. The South trail is an easy gradual climb to the junction to the longer, steeper and more demanding trails.
On our July trip the meadows were filled with the beautiful pastel-colored Colorado columbine flowers with a few Mountain Bluebell, Sticky geraniums and Indian Paintbrush flowers just starting to emerge. The sounds of a high, swift Teton Creek with over 10 waterfalls coming off the east side of the canyon were soothing sounds to entertain our happy minds.
When we got to the junction to have a bite to eat, we met two wilderness rangers who had been on a two-day job of cleaning brush and debris off and around the higher trails. Wilderness Ranger Chase Kleint from Oregon is on his first season working in the wilderness of Teton Canyon and was carrying a large crosscut saw.
“We are not allowed to use motorized equipment, so we have to use hand tools in this wilderness area,” Kleint responded to children’s questions. “We can spend up to nine days up here working on the trails.”
Kleint’s working partner was Heather Smith, an intern Wilderness Ranger from Tetonia, who explained that the waterfalls were still the result of the heavy snows deposited last winter.
“I believe most of the water is still coming from melting snow as the creeks and falls increase in volume every afternoon,” Smith commented as we watched a large waterfall just east of the junction.
Several of us enjoyed a nap while others climbed up the Devil’s Stairs trail to get a better view of the meadows we had walked through. Then on the way down to the trailhead, we met five groups heading up; two were on a day trip to Devil’s Stairs while the other three were going the 3.6 miles to Alaska Basin to camp for the night.
These trails are popular during the summer and since it is in a wilderness area, a sign at the trailhead cautions that “traveling or camping is limited to 20 people. More will have to split into groups and remain a minimum of half a mile apart.”
Even with the groups using the trail, we found the hike fun and enjoyable. As the season progresses some flowers will mature and go to seed while others will bloom at different times. To enjoy these beauties – short or long hikes will open up these opportunities. The South Teton Canyon Trail is just one of many to be enjoyed.