Leigh Lake Trail

Grand Teton National Park has many very steep trails due to the abrupt eastern face of the Teton range. Hikes that don’t involve a lot of climbing and that are relatively snow-free in the early summer are rare. One of the most popular trails that fits this description is the Leigh Lake Trail that starts near String Lake.

From the large and busy parking and picnic area the trail follows String Lake to the north, offering nice views back to Grand Teton peak. On reaching the outlet of Leigh Lake, the trail climbs in a few places but generally follows within 30 feet of the lake shore and offers grand views of Mount Moran and Paintbrush Canyon. Thousands of years ago, this canyon contained a glacier that reached to where the eastern shore of Leigh Lake is today. The terminal moraine of this glacier created the lake by blocking the natural drainage of the canyon.

It is almost a mile to the outlet of Leigh Lake and another 2.8 miles to the far end. The views along Leigh Lake do not change much for the length of it, so anywhere along the lake can be a good turnaround point to cut the trail shorter. There are several backcountry campsites around Leigh Lake and tiny Trapper and Bearpaw Lakes just beyond it.