This tangle of roots and rocks at Hidden Falls above Jenny Lake is just one area that will be rehabilitated thanks to the Grand Teton National Park Foundation's Inspiring Journeys initiative/Kurt Repanshek

Currently one of the largest, most ambitious projects in the National Park System is the rejuvenation of not just the spiderweb of trails around Jenny Lake at Grand Teton National Park but of the entire area.

Darting here and there in the forests around the lake, trails constructed decades ago haven'™t been able to stand up to literally millions of feet. The result has led not only to erosion and habitat destruction, but created bewildering paths that have led rangers to dub one area along Cascade Creek above the western shore 'œConfusion Junction' due to an intersection of trails that lead in different directions.

While the Civilian Conservation Corps that built many of the trails did a good job for use levels of the 1930s and 1940s, the increase in visitation and passage of time have overwhelmed the original work. The cure won'™t arrive overnight. The Grand Teton National Park Foundation'™s Inspiring Journeys project'”a celebration of the National Park Service'™s centennial in 2016'”is a multi-year, $16.4 million endeavor that touches both the front country at the Jenny Lake access point, much of the surrounding trail system, and the Hidden Falls and Inspiration Point areas in the backcountry above the west shore.

Front-country restrooms will be improved and increased in number, crews will rebuild some trails, erase others, and create hardened overlooks to both prevent erosion and keep visitors from wandering the fragile shorelines of Jenny Lake.

Once completed, the trails will be gentler on the landscape, scarred areas restored to forest, interpretation much improved, and the National Park Service at Grand Teton will have a more sustainable, easier to maintain, system of trails and foot bridges.

Three Fall Hikes At Grand Teton:

'¢ Granite Canyon. From the trailhead just off the Moose-Wilson Road at the park entrance near Teton Village this hike leads you up the gut of the canyon and through aspen glades that splash gold across the mountains. Or, you can divert to Phelps Lake for a nice picnic.

'¢ Death Canyon. From the trailhead at the White Grass Ranger Station off the Moose-Wilson Road this trail takes you through mixed forests bursting with color. This is an out-and-back hike, but what a hike. Crossing meadows and weaving through forests, the trail takes you past cliffs of the north face of Prospectors Peak and Albright Peak. A side trail can lead you to Phelps Lake, as well.

'¢ Lucas-Fabian cabin. This old homestead at the base of the Grand Teton offers a short hike with a peaceful setting for some mountain inspiration. From the small parking area just north of the Teton Glacier Turnout, it'™s a short stroll to the ranch area. You can stroll another quarter-mile to a plaque dedicated to Geraldine Lucas, who in 1924 became the second woman to stand atop the Grand Teton. This is a perfect spot for a sundown picnic, often accompanied by distant sounds of bugling elk.

Traveler footnote: Watch in the weeks ahead for a more detailed Traveler story on how the Grand Teton National Park Foundation is working with the National Park Service to rehabilitate the Jenny Lake area.