We didn’t succeed in getting the Paintbrush canyon permits the day we got there, but we got them for the following day for North Fork Campground. Once we left our warm car to wait in line for permits, a decent line had already formed. It was pretty chilly outside so no one really wanted to wait outside for an hour and half, which in hindsight we should have done. We were told by a friend that the doors opened at 7am turns out they opened at 8am, whoops. In addition to an abundance of wild berries, Paintbrush Canyon 'is known for its outstanding wildflower displays, including blue columbine, Indian paintbrush, and mountain gentian.' Bears are especially common throughout the canyons, and the Forest Service suggests groups of at least three people to help deter encounters. We arrived at the Jenny Lake Visitor center at 6:30am after a 2 hour drive from Yellowstone. I think it should be the day-of, but alas. GTNP allows walk-up permits the day before starting a backcountry trip. An ambitious hike to be sure but well worth it. From my pre-trip research, the Paint Brush Canyon/Cascade Pass loop popped up a lot so we wanted to try for that as our first choice, and succeeded! I found a 20 mile loop going up Paintbrush Canyon over Paintbrush divide and returning down Cascade Canyon. It was also Labor Day weekend, so we were a little nervous about acquiring walk up permits for our top choices. We really wanted to backpack in the Tetons, but we missed the permit deadline earlier in the year. The past few years we’ve been pretty good about planning out our itinerary and reserving permits for the backpacking trips we want to do, but this trip had pretty much no planning at all. This year we explored the national parks in Wyoming as well as some cool spots in Idaho. Visit the IGBC website for a list of approved bear containers. Ria had never hiked over paintbrush divide, so we decided to make a loop. It was also Ryan's birthday, and he wanted to go to Grizzly Bear Lake. There are multiple camping opportunities in the canyon if you don't want to conquer this all in a single day (Paintbrush Lower, Outlier Site, Holly Lake, and Paintbrush Upper). My friends Ryan and Ria, who work/live in the park, were celebrating their 1 year wedding anniversary, and managed to get 4 days off. The trail begins with its longest climb up Paintbrush Canyon nearly 8 mi / 13 km to Paintbrush Divide at 10,705 ft / 3,263 m. Breathtaking views of towering granite peaks. Last Thursday I started a trip into the Tetons. Every year, a group of my close friends and I do a 1-2 week outdoor adventure trip somewhere in the USA to get away from our jobs, reconnect with each other, and get into nature. Tetons from the trail to Paintbrush Divide.
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