Teton Crest Trail

{{Short description|Hiking trail in the state of Wyoming}}

{{Infobox hiking trail

| name = Teton Crest Trail

| photo = Grand Teton from Lake Solitude.jpg

| caption = Lake Solitude and the northwest view of Grand Teton from the Teton Crest Trail

| location = Teton Range

| length_mi=40

| trailheads = Phillips Pass, Wyoming
String Lake, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming

| use = Hiking

| elev_change_ft=3775

| highest_name=Paintbrush Divide | highest_ft=10645

| lowest_name=String Lake | lowest_ft=6870

| difficulty = Strenuous

| season = Summer to Fall

| sights = Teton Range

| hazards = Severe weather
Grizzly bears

}}

The Teton Crest Trail is a {{convert|40|mi|adj=on}} long hiking trail in the U.S. state of Wyoming that extends from Phillips Pass, on the border of Bridger Teton and Caribou-Targhee National Forests, to String Lake in Grand Teton National Park.{{cite web|title=Teton Crest Trail|url=http://www.free-press.biz/Grand-Teton-Park/Teton-Crest-Trail.html|publisher=Greater Yellowstone Resource Guide|accessdate=2012-02-12}}{{cite gnis|id=1603581|name=Teton Crest Trail|accessdate=2012-02-12}}{{Cite map|publisher=Topoquest (USGS Quads)|title=Grand Teton, WY|url=http://www.topoquest.com/map.php?lat=43.71495&lon=-110.85494&datum=nad83&zoom=4&map=auto&coord=d&mode=zoomin&size=m|accessdate=2012-02-12}} Backpacker Magazine calls the Trail one of the "Best Hikes Ever," with "mesmerizing and constant views of jagged peaks."{{cite web|title=Best Hikes Ever: Teton Crest Trail, WY|url=http://www.backpacker.com/trips/wyoming/grand-teton-national-park/best-hikes-ever-teton-crest-trail-wy/|publisher=Backpacker Magazine|accessdate=2015-08-11}}

Beginning in the south, the Teton Crest Trail can be accessed in several ways. From inside the National Park, the Granite Canyon Trail provides a gradual ascent into the Range, where it connects with the TCT. The Trail is most easily accessed by riding the Jackson Hole Aerial Tram, which transports sightseers and hikers from the Teton Village Resort to the top of Rendezvous Mountain. From outside the Park, the Teton Crest Trail can be accessed via the Phillips Pass Trail,{{cite web|title=Phillips Pass Trail|url=http://www.greater-yellowstone.com/Jackson-Hole-WY/Phillips-Pass-Trail.html|publisher=Greater Yellowstone Resource Guide|accessdate=2015-08-11}} one of several routes through adjacent National Forest lands.

Continuing from the south, it is a {{convert|32|mi|adj=on}} trek to String Lake, passing in and out of Caribou-Targhee National Forest twice, traversing the Death Canyon Shelf and several high passes including Mount Meek Pass, Hurricane Pass and Paintbrush Divide. It is a challenge with 9,681 feet total ascent and 10,779 feet total descent. The trail also traverses the high alpine meadows of Alaska Basin in the Caribou-Targhee National Forest. From Hurricane Pass, the trail provides easy access to Schoolroom Glacier, and parallels the west side of major peaks of the Cathedral Group as it follows the North and South forks of the Cascade Creek.{{cite web|last=Potterfield|first=Peter|title=Hiking the Teton Crest Trail|url=http://www.greatoutdoors.com/published/hiking-the-teton-crest-trail|publisher=Great Outdoors.com|accessdate=2012-02-12|date=August 10, 2010}}

{{coord|43.7143727|-110.8549370|type:mountain_region:US|format=dms|notes=|display=title}}