I'm sure the name sounds ominous....Death Canyon. What mysteries may lie deep within this glacially carved recess of Grand Teton National Park? If you venture in, will you ever come out alive? What sort of unspeakable horrors await you in this place?

The answer may surprise you.

Death Canyon, of Grand Teton National Park is actually one of the most pleasant and beautiful places in all of Wyoming. Located towards the southern terminus of the park, west of Phelps lake, Death Canyon may be one of the least visited of the canyon systems within the Tetons. It is a very narrow canyon surrounded by sheer walls of banded gneiss. The canyon runs East to West between Static Peak to the north and Prospectors Mountain to the south. The canyon lies wholly within Grand Teton National Park and should not be overlooked when visiting.

U-Shaped Glacially Carved Canyon

For additional pictures, see my Death Canyon Albumn.

Getting There

Take WY-89 north out of the town of Jackson Wyoming to Moose Junction (the main park entrance). Before entering through the park entrance station, turn left on the Moose-Wilson Road and head south approximately 3 miles to a junction. Turn right and follow the signage to the trail head.

You can also access the park via the south entrance along the Moose-Wilson road just past Teton Village. From this entrance, it's ~ 4 miles to the junction, where you'll turn left towards the trail-head.

Red Tape

National Park fee's apply:
2008 prices are $25 U.S. for a seven day pass which also gets you into Yellowstone National Park.

Camping

Back-country camping within Death Canyon is permitted:
Permits are required.

Camping can be done anywhere within the Canyon beyond the patrol cabin and anywhere along the top of the Death Canyon Shelf.

Be sure to pick up the Trails Illustrated Map by National Geographic #202 which shows all the camping areas in high detail.

Hiking

Hiking within Death Canyon is moderately easy if you're in shape. Depending on how far into the canyon you'd like to venture, you can establish yourself either a nice leisurely hike or a longer strenuous one.

Near the beginning of the trail, you must descend quite a bit to get down to Phelps Lake.

Phelps Lake

Take heed of this elevation loss, because you will have to climb it on your return trip out! Once in the mouth of the canyon, the trail winds up a switchbacking grade for some distance. It is not too strenuous, but can be a bit tiring depending on your fitness level. The trail here is very rocky, and rises up the north side of the canyon. About two miles in, you will come across a patrol cabin that is not manned usually in the summer (it wasn't when I was there). At this point is a junction where you can either continue into the canyon towards the west, or you can turn right (north) and head up to Static Peak and then over into the Alaska Basin.

High above DC

This alternate, is a long climb but a lovely hike. Here you will cross fields of wildflowers, maybe spot some moose and cross a couple of mountain streams. Once you gain the top of the ridge, you will have incredible views into the Alaska Basin as well as Jackson Hole.

If however you continue west further into Death Canyon, the trail is a lot easier and the views are just as spectacular! The canyon widens a bit back here and you will eventually be faced with a decision to climb up onto the Death Canyon Shelf. Up top of the shelf is another access to the Alaska Basin, as well as one of the many back-country camping area's.

Death Canyon

Geology

Death Canyon's striking character can be summed up in one word: Glaciation.

Jackson Hole has been glaciated at least three times, with the oldest event being the most widespread.

Rimrock Lake

The ice in many places exceeded 2,000 feet in thickness, and later glacial events eroded or covered parts of earlier ones. During the latest glacial stage, ice flowed down canyons in the Teton Range onto the floor of Jackson Hole and built the moraines that dam Jackson, Leigh, Jenny, and Bradley, Taggart, and Phelps lakes. The glacial deposits are generally either morainal or outwash deposits consistent with alpine glaciation.

Rock Formation

The geologic story of this range starts with the formation of the rocks that make up the mountains, rocks far older than the mountains themselves. The process began over 2.5 billion years ago when sand and volcanic debris settled in an ancient ocean. For millions of years, additional sediment was deposited and buried within the earth's crust.

Gneiss

Heat and pressure metamorphosed (changed) the sediment into gneiss, the rocks that comprise the main mass of the Teton Range. The stress of metamorphosis caused minerals to segregate. Today, alternating light and dark layers identify banded gneiss, readily seen in Death Canyon and other canyons in the Teton Range.

Glaciation

The sculpturing influence of ice has provided a final spectacular touch to a scene that already boasted mountains rising sharply from a broad, flat valley. About 150,000 years ago this region experienced a slight cooling that allowed an accumulation of more and more snow each year. Eventually glaciers (masses of ice) began to flow from higher elevations. Over two thousand feet thick in places, the ice sheet flowed from north to south through Jackson Hole. The glacier finally halted south of the town of Jackson and melted about 100,000 years ago. About 60,000 years ago the glaciers returned, first surging from the east down the Buffalo Valley, stopping near the Snake River Overlook. The most recent ice advance flowed from the Yellowstone Plateau south down the Snake River drainage and east from the canyons in the Teton Range, about 20,000 years ago. The Yellowstone ice mass gouged out the depression occupied today by Jackson Lake.

Smaller glaciers flowing eastward down the Teton Range broadened the V-shaped stream canyons into U-shaped canyons, typical evidence of glaciation. Ice flowed from the canyons into Jackson Hole, and then melted to form the basins that small lakes occupy today.

Glacial lakes include: Phelps, Taggart, Bradley, Jenny, String, and Leigh

Phelps Lake

As glaciers flowed down the canyons, rocks and ice smoothed and polished canyon floors and walls. Look for glacial polishing today in Cascade and other canyons. Other telltale signs of glaciation include cirque lakes high up in the canyons, such as Lake Solitude in the north fork of Cascade Canyon. The peaks of the Teton Range became more jagged from frost-wedging, where water freezing in the rocks exerted a prying force, eventually chiseling the rocks free, leaving the sharp ridges and pinnacles seen today.
Although the last great ice masses melted about 15,000 years ago, a dozen re-established glaciers still exist in the Teton Range.

Mt. Moran exhibits five glaciers: Triple Glaciers on the north face, prominent Skillet Glacier on the east face, and Falling Ice Glacier on the southeast face

Death Canyon

Moraines (deposits of glacially-carried debris) accumulated at the terminus of each ice surge. Because moraines contain a jumble of unsorted rocks and soil that retains water and minerals, glacial debris today supports dense lodgepole pine forests. To locate moraines, look for large stands of pines on ridges projecting above the valley floor, such as Timbered Island and Burned Ridge. Glacial moraines also surround the lakes at the base of the peaks.

Where glacial melt water washed away most of the soil, the cobbles and poor, thin soil left behind cannot retain moisture or nutrients. Sagebrush, certain wildflowers and grasses can tolerate such desert-like growing conditions. Thus the geologic history of a region determines the vegetation and ultimately the wildlife, too.

For a more complete description of the geology of the entire Teton Range, please see my article on this topic here.

Banded Gneiss

Gneiss

Flora

Death Canyon is home to many species of mountain wildflower. Among these are Fireweed, Lupine, Harebell, and Indian Paintbrush.

Fauna

Among the neck bending views to be had, you will most likely encounter many forms of wildlife here as well. From birds to bears, and everything in between, you will not be disappointed. Bring a camera and lots of film or a large capacity digital memory card!

Jackson Hole Climate

Recorded at the Moose Visitor Center from 1958 - 2001. All temperatures are in degrees Farenheit.

	Ave Max Temp	Ave Min Temp	Ave Precip	Ave Snow (Inches)	Ave Snow Depth
Jan	25.7	1.2	2.61	44.4	28
Feb	31.1	3.6	2.00	30.0	34
Mar	39.0	11.9	1.60	20.6	32
Apr	49.0	22.1	1.45	9.3	13
May	60.9	30.9	1.96	2.8	0
Jun	70.6	37.2	1.80	0.1	0
Jul	79.9	41.2	1.22	0.0	0
Aug	78.8	39.6	1.37	0.0	0
Sept	68.9	32.2	1.44	0.5	0
Oct	55.9	23.2	1.24	4.4	0
Nov	38.0	13.7	2.14	25.2	4
Dec	26.0	1.5	2.47	39.2	16

Images