Colter Bay Lakeshore Trail in Grand Teton National Park: A Hiking Guide
The Colter Bay Lakeside Trail is a short, quick, and convenient option for Grand Teton National Park visitors looking for a hike.
With a trailhead located right behind the Colter Bay Visitors Center, this trail is an easy add-on to any visit to this Wyoming national park.
Along the way, you’ll get gorgeous views of the mountains behind the picturesque Colter Bay in Jackson Lake.
It’s a perfect option for any visitors looking to spend time in the beautiful outdoor surroundings, but who don’t want the stress of finding parking at Jenny Lake elsewhere in the park. Instead, you’ll get similar views with ample parking, a shorter overall hiking time, and easy access to restaurants and shops.
Below, you’ll find everything you need to know to have an enjoyable hike on the shores of Colter Bay, including where to park, what to expect on the trail, and nearby things to do.
The Camping Kiddos playing in the lake on the Colter Bay Lakeside Trail
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Hike Overview
Trailhead Location: behind the Colter Bay visitors center near the amphitheatre
Trail length: up to 2.6 miles, depending on the route
Trail difficulty: easy
Elevation gain: 88 feet
Getting to Colter Bay Lakeshore Trail and Parking
To get to the parking lot for the Lakeshore Trail, you will want to enter Grand Teton National Park. If you’re coming from the north (and Yellowstone National Park), you will take Highway 191 for 29 miles until you see the turn-off to your right for Colter Bay Village.
If you’re coming from Jackson, Wyoming, you’ll take Highway 191 for 40 miles, bearing right where 191 intersects with Teton Park Road. You’ll see the entrance to Colter Bay Village on your left after you’ve passed the entrance to Jackson Lake Lodge.
The wooden sign at the entrance to the Colter Bay Village
You do not need reservations to get into Grand Teton National Park, but you will need to pay the entrance fee.
TIP: To save money, get an NPS annual pass! This will get you into any NPS site—including national parks, national battlefields, and national historic sites—for a year. And for even more savings, grab the NPS America the Beautiful pass and AllTrails+ bundle!
Once you’re in Colter Bay Village, drive to the back of this area. In the village, you’ll also find the adorable Colter Bay cabins (one of our favorite places to stay in the park with kids), a campground, a laundromat, a general store, a souvenir shop, multiple restaurants and the visitors center.
There’s also a small kiosk between the laundromat and the store if you’d like to sign up for one of the Snake River float tours, an experience in the park that I highly recommend.
Continue to the back of this area, where you’ll find the visitors center and a large parking lot running the length of the lakeshore here.
While it’s a busy part of the Grand Teton National Park, the parking lot rarely fills up so completely that you can’t find a spot. Park near the visitors center and take the paved path behind the wooden building.
The trailhead is directly behind the visitors center.
More planning. Less Stress.
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Lakeshore Trail, Step-by-Step
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Once you’re ready to start the trail, you’ll need to plan your approach.
The Lakeshore Trail is made up of 2 connected loops like a figure 8 with a short spur trail on the left of the bottom loop (as you’re looking from the back of the visitors center).
If you do both loops and the spur trail, the total hiking distance is 2.6 miles, but you can easily bring that down to under a mile if you’re pressed for time by doing just the lower loop, or part of the lower loop and the spur.
Starting the Lower Loop
The marina as seen through the trees on the Lakeshore Trail
The entire trail is very flat with little elevation gain, making it one of the best easy hikes in Grand Teton National Park.
About half a mile—roughly one half of the bottom loop—is paved, making this accessible for wheelchair users and baby strollers. The remainder of the 2 loops and the spur trail are flat, packed dirt and gravel.
As you start out from the visitors center, hang to the left to enter the paved portion of the lower loop. You’ll walk along the marina, which you’ll be able to see through the pine trees on your left.
The Camping Kiddos on the beach at the end of the spur trail
Spur Trail Option
About 0.4 miles into the hike, you’ll come to your first decision: continue on the lower loop or take the spur trail to your left.
The spur trail follows a narrow spit of land near the marina’s entrance, and it offers some beautiful views of the lake and mountains. While this entire trail isn’t very crowded, the paved section of the lower loop and the spur trail see more traffic than the entire double loop since it is so easy to access from the visitors center.
At the end of the spur trail is a rocky beach where you can watch the boats meandering along the lake or skip a few of the smooth stones.
When you’re ready to continue the hike, retrace your footsteps until you come back to the intersection with the trail on the lower loop.
Turn left to continue on towards the upper loop.
Bridge to Upper Loop
If you choose not to go onto the spur trail, you can continue following the lower loop, which will begin to curve back to the right just after the spur trail entrance. This is also where the paved pathway ends, and the remainder of both loops are packed dirt.
The lower loop continues to hug the shore of the lake, but you’re seeing most of it through the trees.
However, when you come to the small land bridge over to the upper loop, you’ll get incredible long range views on both side of the trail as you cross to the upper loop.
The land bridge is a raised dirt path with stones leading the short distance to the water’s edge. You are approximately 0.6 miles from the visitors center at this point in the hike.
When you cross over to the upper loop, you’ll need to determine if you’re doing this island clockwise or counterclockwise. One way isn’t any better than the other as they both take you quickly to some of the best views in the park.
Upper Loop
Once you’re over the land bridge, you’ll hike about half a mile (either going to the right or the left; it doesn’t matter) to the opposite side of the island. The trail opens up out of the trees and you will have uninterrupted views of Jackson Lake and the Grand Tetons from this vantage point.
Depending on the water level in the lake, you may have just a little bit of rocky beach to explore or a couple hundred feet.
The beautiful views of the mountains from the upper loop beach
Linger here for a bit, and, if the water level is low, you can even have a picnic if you’ve had the forethought to bring a blanket to sit on.
This part of the national park is easily as pretty as the views at Jenny Lake, but it is far less busy even at peak times. So, if you tried to get a parking space at Jenny Lake Visitors Center, but gave up when you became frustrated, know that this is an excellent alternative!
Once you’ve soaked in the views, continue on the upper loop trail until you return to the land bridge. Cross and then take a left onto the lower loop trail.
Returning to the Visitors Center
The second half of the lower loop skirts the lakeshore, though you’ll have trees in the way of the views for the majority of the time.
Even though the best views are behind you (literally), this flat, easy trail is a peaceful escape from the hustle and bustle of life.
The trail will curve back to the right as you approach the visitors center, and you will see that there’s a small spur back to your left just before you get to the amphitheatre. This spur takes you back to the parking lot on Bathing Beach Road.
Otherwise, continue on past the amphitheatre until you see the visitors center again to complete your hike.
Tips for the Lakeshore Trail
Be aware that you’re in bear country.
While the chances of you stumbling onto a bear here aren’t high, there’s always the possibility anywhere inside the park.
If a grizzly bear has been spotted on this trail, you’ll see a sign near the trailhead with more information.
While we were there, a mama and a cub had been recently sighted on the lakeshore, so we were sure to make plenty of noise while hiking and carry our bear spray at the ready.
Wear comfortable shoes.
While the trail is relatively short and partially paved, you’ll still want something sturdier than flip flops to complete this hike.
While you probably don’t need expensive hiking boots for this trail, I would recommend wearing thick soled tennis shoes or hiking sandals. Both of these options will provide an appropriate level of protection for your feet on the roots and rocks here.
I’d highly recommend the Keen Newport H2 hiking sandals, which I’ve had for years and have held up beautifully. These include a nearly indestructable sole, quick drying neoprene interior, and a closed toe to protect you from rough areas on the trail.
Bring water and snacks.
While it’s not a terribly long trail, it’s always a good idea to bring water, thanks to the dry climate here.
You can get thirsty or dehydrated much quicker here in the mountains than usual than in lower elevations with more humidity.
There are also some great places along the trail for a quick snack or picnic, so bringing a blanket or throw is a good add-on.
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Final Thoughts on the Lakeshore Trail in Grand Teton National Park
While this trail doesn’t have the notoriety of the Jenny Lake area trails, it’s a great one for families, visitors with mobility issues, and others who want unforgettable views of the Grand Tetons over the water.
I highly recommend the Lakeshore Trail for all visitors since you can choose your desired trail length depending if you do just the lower loop, both loops, or both loops and the spur trail.
Since the hike can be anywhere from 0.8 miles long to 2.6 miles, it will fit into any slot in your itinerary and is suitable for young kids, avid hikers and everyone in between.
Plus, I love how convenient the trailhead is to everything that Colter Bay has to offer. If you’re staying here in the campground or cabins, you can easily pop down to the Lakeshore Trail after a meal.
It’s also equally convenient to day visitors, thanks to the ample parking and proximity to restaurants.
In short, don’t miss this one on your trip to Grand Teton National Park!
