Cascade Canyon is located in

Grand Teton National Park Grand Teton National Park is an American national park in northwestern Wyoming. At approximately , the park includes the major peaks of the Teton Range as well as most of the northern sections of the valley known as Jackson Hole. Grand Teton Na ...

, in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...

Wyoming Wyoming () is a U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the south ...

. The canyon was formed by

glacier A glacier (; ) is a persistent body of dense ice that is constantly moving under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its Ablation#Glaciology, ablation over many years, often Century, centuries. It acquires dis ...

s which retreated at the end of the

last glacial maximum The Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), also referred to as the Late Glacial Maximum, was the most recent time during the Last Glacial Period that ice sheets were at their greatest extent. Ice sheets covered much of Northern North America, Northern Eur ...

approximately 15,000 years ago. Today, Cascade Canyon has numerous polished

glacial erratics A glacial period (alternatively glacial or glaciation) is an interval of time (thousands of years) within an ice age that is marked by colder temperatures and glacier advances. Interglacials, on the other hand, are periods of warmer climate betw ...

, hanging

cirque A (; from the Latin word ') is an amphitheatre-like valley formed by glacial erosion. Alternative names for this landform are corrie (from Scottish Gaelic , meaning a pot or cauldron) and (; ). A cirque may also be a similarly shaped landform ...

s and a

U-shape Many shapes have metaphorical names, i.e., their names are metaphors: these shapes are named after a most common object that has it. For example, "U-shape" is a shape that resembles the letter U, a bell-shaped curve has the shape of the vertical ...

as evidences that demonstrate that glaciers once filled the canyon to a depth of at least . Rock debris that was transported out of the canyon by

glacial motion Glacial motion is the motion of glaciers, which can be likened to rivers of ice. It has played an important role in sculpting many landscapes. Most lakes in the world occupy basins scoured out by glaciers. Glacial motion can be fast (up to , ob ...

formed

moraines A moraine is any accumulation of unconsolidated debris (regolith and rock), sometimes referred to as glacial till, that occurs in both currently and formerly glaciated regions, and that has been previously carried along by a glacier or ice shee ...

which now impound the waters of

Jenny Lake Jenny Lake is located in Grand Teton National Park in the U.S. state of Wyoming. The lake was formed approximately 12,000 years ago by glaciers pushing rock debris which carved Cascade Canyon during the last glacial maximum, forming a terminal mo ...

which is located at the base of the canyon. Cascade Creek now flows where the glaciers once did and the numerous

waterfall A waterfall is a point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf. Waterfalls can be formed in several wa ...

s, such as the tall Hidden Falls, found within the gorge are popular destinations with tourists. The canyon is immediately west of Jenny Lake. The

Cascade Canyon Trail The Cascade Canyon Trail is a round-trip long hiking trail in Grand Teton National Park in the U.S. state of Wyoming. Description The trailhead is at the South Jenny Lake parking area and follows the Jenny Lake Trail around the south shore o ...

follows the length of the canyon and is one of the most heavily used

hiking Hiking is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century.AMATO, JOSEPH A. "Mind over Foot: Romantic Walking and Rambling." In ''On Foot: A Histor ...

trails in the park. The canyon can be reached from the Jenny Lake campground after a level hike of along the

Jenny Lake Trail The Jenny Lake Trail is a long hiking trail which circles Jenny Lake located in Grand Teton National Park in the U.S. state of Wyoming. The trail begins at the Jenny Lake campground or can be accessed at several other trailheads. One of the most ...

, or by way of a scenic boat ride from the campground to the west shore of Jenny Lake. At the foot of the canyon it is to the junction of the north and south Cascade Canyon trails. From there, hikers have the option of heading north along the Lake Solitude Trail to Lake Solitude (another or south via the South Fork Cascade Canyon Trail to Hurricane Pass (. From Lake Solitude there are sweeping views of the

Cathedral Group The Cathedral Group is the group of the tallest mountains of the Teton Range, all of which are located in Grand Teton National Park in the U.S. state of Wyoming. The Cathedral Group are classic alpine peaks, with pyramidal shapes caused by glac ...

and

Grand Teton Grand Teton is the highest mountain in Grand Teton National Park, in Northwest Wyoming, and a classic destination in American mountaineering. Geography Grand Teton, at , is the highest point of the Teton Range, and the second highest peak in t ...

. Just below Hurricane Pass, a small glacier known as Schoolroom Glacier can be reached via a short side trail. The canyon is situated between Grand Teton which is high to the south and several peaks over to the north. Steep cliffs descending from these peaks ensure that the high points to the north and south are not visible until one hikes considerable distance into the canyon. Five miles (8 km) west of Jenny Lake the Cascade Canyon Barn is preserved. Built in 1935 by members of the

Civilian Conservation Corps The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a voluntary government work relief program that ran from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men ages 18–25 and eventually expanded to ages 17–28. The CCC was a major part of ...

, the barn was placed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1998.

References

{{reflist Canyons and gorges of Grand Teton National Park

See also

References