I did the entire described loop and reached my car at 2 P.M., a total of 8 hours for about 20.5 miles and 4600’. The climb took 45 minutes the descent, thanks to a glissade, took under 30. Ideas of time commitments: I started at 6 A.M. 7.9 miles/4000' to Paintbrush Divide, 11.3 miles back via Cascade Canyon. 19 hiking miles, 1.5 climbing miles (RT), 4000’ elevation gain on trails and about 600’ off, Class 2-5 depending on exact route followed. It will be a very different story as you hike down Paintbrush or Cascade Canyon in the late morning or the afternoon. A very early start, sometime within an hour of dawn, will mean that you will see few or no other people as you hike up to Paintbrush Divide. The entire Cascade-Paintbrush loop is 19.2 miles, but one can just hike to Paintbrush Divide and back, keeping the trail part of this route at just under 16 miles. From this trailhead, it is 7.9 miles to Paintbrush Divide, with most of the 4000’ of elevation gain occurring after the first 2.5 miles. Start from the Leigh Lake Trailhead, which is at the end of a spur off the Teton Park Road just before the start of the one-way road past Jenny Lake. The route I did and which I recommend, because of the variety of nearly-nonstop spectacular scenery, is detailed in this section. Most rewarding is looking south at the skyscraping Grand and its neighbors and then making a 180-degree turn to enjoy an unforgettable perspective of Mount Moran, Thor Peak, and Mount Woodring. Although the summit views don’t reveal much more than the views on the upper portions of the Cascade-Paintbrush Canyons loop do, they do what the trail views cannot, even from Paintbrush Divide- they show all of it at once. So if you’re up for a long day with a little bit of invigorating climbing easily manageable without technical gear and want a little taste of the best of the Tetons, come on out to this peak. The first known ascent of this peak was in 1955, by Leigh Ortenburger. Fryxell." Fritiof Fryxell was the first ranger for Grand Teton National Park and the first to write about the climbing there, and he (this is according to the Bonney guide) made more major first ascents in the Tetons than anyone else (the Bonneys put it at 14). However, in Guide to the Wyoming Mountains and Wilderness Areas by Orrin and Lorraine Bonney, there is a suggested name of "Mt. One referred to it as “a nice little summit” for its views up and down the range. Not even the climbing rangers at the Jenny Lake Ranger Station know of a name for this peak, but they do know of it. Its elevation given on the USGS Mount Moran quad is 11,270’. John, the Jaw, and Rockchuck Peak (it is actually higher than the third), it is not even marked on some topo maps with an exact elevation even though some lower summits are. Although it has more than 300’ of prominence from its defining saddles (actually, about 600’ from both Paintbrush Divide and the peak's southeastern saddle) and is the third-highest summit on the ridge system containing the named peaks Mount St. This peak is southeast of 10,700’ Paintbrush Divide and is visible from the divide and from the Cascade Canyon and Paintbrush Canyon approaches to the divide. And you will have one of the finest views available in the park most such views in the Tetons require roping up to get them, but this one doesn’t. You can make the climb itself anywhere from Class 2 to Class 5, with the possibility of a snow climb and/or glissade as well. But if you’re in good shape and can handle 16-19 trail miles plus an extra 1-1.5 climbing miles, with about 4600’ of elevation gain in all, here’s something for you. And if you prefer scrambling to roping up and day trips to overnighters, there’s not much for you in this world-famous range unless you’re up to day climbs involving 5000-6000’ of elevation gain. Not surprisingly, the famous technical peaks such as the Grand Teton, Mount Owen, and Mount Moran get most of the climbing attention in Grand Teton National Park.
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