Description

String Lake is one of the best short hikes in Grand Teton National Park, and awards "outstanding views of the *Cathedral Group,* which includes 12,325-foot Teewinot Mountain, 13,770-foot Grand Teton and 12,928-foot Mt.

Owen," according to [this source](http://www.tetonhikingtrails.com/string-lake-loop.htm).

Best hiked counter-clockwise, the mountain peaks reflect from the surface of the lake, which is even more spectacular as the sun begins to rise.

Mt.

Moran, the park's 4th-highest peak, is also clearly visible throughout the hike. As one of the easier hikes in the park, the loop is mostly flat and even briefly paved as it leaves the trailhead.

Several interpretative signs are available on the trail and highlight the glacial activity and how the lakes have slowly formed over time.

The trail also forms a loop around the lake, beginning and ending at the same place. The String Lake Trail begins at its namesake trailhead, just north of Lake Jenney.

The parking is quite large, with plenty of overflow parking and options for larger RV's, trailers, and busses.

Water and restrooms are available nearby, though only during the park's warmer months. As an interesting bit of history, [this source](http://www.tetonhikingtrails.com/string-lake-loop.htm) notes a tragic 1950's plane wreck that rests below the summit of Mt.

Moran.

"Although a rescue party was able to locate the wreckage," the author notes how "the precarious position of the crash made it impossible to recover the plane or its victims." Mt.

Moran also earned its name from an artist "whose landscaping paintings were critical to the creation of [nearby] Yellowstone National Park." [Source](http://www.tetonhikingtrails.com/string-lake-loop.htm)