Delta Lake Wyoming: A Grand Teton Must Do Hike!

Delta Lake Wyoming is a stunner of a lake.  If you only have time to do one hike in all of Grand Teton National Park, make it this one.  But this trail isn’t for the faint of heart!

With well over 2000 feet of elevation gain, an unmaintained section of trail, and grizzly bears in the area, you’ll want to make sure you take proper precautions when hiking to Delta Lake.  

My husband and I hiked to Delta Lake in September of 2023.  We struggled with altitude sickness, staying on the unmaintained section of the trail,  and that elevation gain is NOT for everyone.  But despite all the struggle, this lake was worth every single second!

So let’s dive into the details of hiking to Delta Lake Wyoming.

Important Links

• Grand Teton National Park Website
• Delta Lake Trail – AllTrails Downloadable Map
• Bear Lake Safety – NPS
• Hiking Backpack Checklist – FREEBIE!

Fees

Just like all of the national parks, there is a required fee to enter the park.  This money is used for a wide array of things, from paying the staff, to maintaining the roads, trails, etc.

Now, there are several different types of passes that you can choose to buy.  So let’s start with the first type

Standard Entrance Pass

• When to buy: If you are just planning on visiting Grand Teton National Park for a week or less
• How long is it good for?: 1 week from the date of purchase
• Cost: $35 per vehicle / $30 per motorcycle / $20 per person (entering by bike or walking)

 Annual Entrance Pass

• When to buy: If you want unlimited access to Grand Teton National Park 
• How long is it good for?: 1 year from the date of purchase
• Cost: $70 (valid to passholder and accompanying guests)

America the Beautiful Pass

• When to buy: If you are planning on accessing more than 2 national parks, national monuments, national seashores, etc. – This will grant you free access!
• How long is it good for?: 1 year from the date of purchase
• Cost: $80 per pass / $20 if age 62+ / Free to Military Members

If you choose the America the Beautiful Pass or the Annual Entrance Pass, you will need to have your pass signed and present an ID as you enter.  We always buy an America the Beautiful Pass and it’s been worth it every time!  (Especially in the years where we visited 3+ National Parks)

Location

The trail to Delta Lake Wyoming is located right in the heart of Grand Teton National Park, which is arguably one of the most beautiful national parks in the US.  

Because you are in this stunning and mountainous area, you will definitely want to have an off-line map downloaded of the area.  We usually download an off-line map through Google Maps, which you can read how to do here(Apple) or here(Android).

So now you know where to go, but where should you park to access this incredible trail!?

Parking

Parking for Delta Lake Wyoming can be found at the Lupine Meadows Trailhead parking lot and follows the Delta Lake Trail up towards Amphitheater Lake.  

Long story short, you’ll want to Park Here to access the trail for Delta Lake.  Just be warned, this parking lot fills up crazy fast!  With so many hiking trails beginning here, you’ll want to get here as early as you can otherwise you’ll end up parking another mile (or more) away.  

Safety

Grand Teton National Park is not only stunning, but also rugged and even dangerous.  From wildlife in the area, to the altitude, there’s plenty to be wary about.  So let’s talk about a few ways to help keep you safe in the park and as you hike to Delta Lake Wyoming.

Bear Aware

This area is famous for their grizzly bears, such as 399 and the other road bears that are frequently seen.  There are also black bears here. so you’ll want to be extra bear aware if you do any sort of hiking here.  

A couple things you can do to help keep you safe are…

• Make noise while you hike.  Talking, singing, or even bear bells can help you stay safe
• Carry bear spray at all times.  (Can be bought in the park visitor’s center, or any outdoor store in the area)

Altitude

Allow yourself several days to get acclimated if you plan to do any hiking in the area.  The lowest area in the park sits at 6,300 feet above sea level.  And while that isn’t a terrible altitude, if you are coming from a flat and low altitude, you might fall victim to altitude sickness.  

Sunburn

This altitude is also putting you closer to the sun, meaning you are more likely to endure a rough sunburn.  Make sure if you are fair-skinned that you are covering as much of your skin as possible.  Sunscreen should definitely be worn and reapplied as necessary.  

Dehydration

And finally, the dry air can also leave you feeling thirsty and dehydrated.  Drink plenty of water and it’s not a bad idea to add something with electrolytes to your hydration plan.  We highly recommend Drip Drop as this helped us fight off dehydration!

Alright, alright, enough about the details!  Let’s get to the hike already!

The Trail

The trail to Delta Lake Wyoming is not only challenging and partially unmaintained, it’s one of the most rewarding trails I’ve ever hiked.  You’ll get a great workout when hiking this trail and on a clear day, you’ll be greeted by the most stunning alpine blue lake!

Now that you know where to park, where to start and how to stay safe in this mountainous area, let’s get to the trail.

This trail is steep, long-ish, and will push your limits if you are not in proper hiking shape.  You’ll have to get there early to get started before the heat of the day and/or the parking lot fills up.  

But believe me, this hike is absolutely worth it!

Trail Stats

• Distance: 8 miles (Out and Back)
• Elevation Gain: ~2,300 feet of gain
• Altitude: 6,730 feet at start of trail – 9,030 feet at Delta Lake

What to Expect

After parking at the Lupine Meadows Trailhead, there is a pit toilet that you can use before you get started.  But after that, welcome to the wilderness.  

The trail has a constant incline the entire hike and grows extremely steep right as you are about to reach Delta Lake.  But before you even get to this final challenge, you’ll have to navigate the unmarked and unmaintained section!

Unmaintained Section of Trail

As you hike, hike, and hike some more up this trail, you’ll encounter many switchbacks.  Right as you are about to turn with the trail for the umpteenth time (Right at the orange circle on the map above) you will step off the trail to get to Delta Lake.

I know, it might feel unnatural to step off the trail and this particular stepping-off-of-the-trail can be easy to miss.  I would highly recommend downloading the map via AllTrails so you can use it as a guide.  

The remainder of this trail is essentially an unmarked boulder field.  Now, this trail is incredibly popular, so you probably won’t be along once you reach this section.  But we saw people going every which way trying to access the lake and we were the only ones who were on the “trail” according to AllTrails.

So don’t get misled by people around you who probably don’t know exactly where they are going.  

After you begin to ascend through the steepest part of the boulder field, you might need to stop for breath a few times as you are now getting to the altitude of over 9000 feet.  But as you continue to push on and upward, you’ll come to what all that work was for!

The Great Reveal 

Once you have navigated the unmarked section of the trail, you’ll reach a flat section and within 500 feet you will come to the edge of Delta Lake Wyoming. 

It will appear as if out of thin air and you’ll be awestruck.  

This lake is not only a gorgeous blue color, but it also is directly in front of THE Grand Teton itself!  The stunning view of this lake and the mountain were enough to leave us speechless.  

We stay along the lake for about 2 hours.  We took videos and photos and ate our lunch.  But at the end of the day, we didn’t want to leave.  The view here is beyond beautiful and it took a lot for us to finally say “Ok, it’s time to start hiking back now.”

Descent

Just as the lake seemed to magically appear, it magically disappeared as we began to descend the way we came.  Again, use that downloaded map from AllTrails as this boulder field can be difficult to navigate.  

We continued down the way we came and eventually came to the real (and marked) trail that led us back to our car.  

This hike was truly incredible and we already can’t wait to get back there in a few years!

Final Thoughts

Delta Lake Wyoming is my favorite hike.  This might change as we travel more and more in the western region of the United States, but this hike will most-likely always be in my top 10 trails.  

I would do this hike again in a heartbeat, but only on a clear, sunny day.  Now that I’ve seen this trail with the brilliant blue water, it would just be disappointing to reach the lake on a cloudy day.  

If you are on the fence about doing this trail, it is definitely a challenge and not for the faint of heart.  Make sure you are in proper shape and bring plenty of water for your hike.

As always, feel free to reach out to me at averagewildexperience@gmail.com if you have any questions or need help planning your hike!

Happy Hiking!