Cathedral Group panorama from Cathedral Group Scenic Turnout2

Paintbrush 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. The canyon lies between

Rockchuck Peak Rockchuck Peak () is located in the Teton Range, Grand Teton National Park in the U.S. state of Wyoming Wyoming () is a U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montan ...

and Mount Saint John to the south and

Mount Woodring Mount Woodring () is located in the Teton Range, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming. The mountain is immediately west of Leigh Lake and is sandwiched between Paintbrush Canyon to the south and Leigh Canyon to the north. The best access to the sum ...

to the north.

Leigh Lake Leigh Lake is located in Grand Teton National Park, in the U. S. state of Wyoming. The glacially formed lake is wide and long from north to south. Situated just southeast of Mount Moran, the lake is at the terminus of both Paintbrush and Leigh Ca ...

is at the base of the canyon to the east and the alpine Holly Lake is located mid canyon. Popular with

hikers 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 ...

, the canyon is part of a popular circuit hike of which is rated as very strenuous and includes a total elevation change of due to the ascent to

Paintbrush Divide Paintbrush Divide is a pedestrian mountain pass located in the Teton Range, Grand Teton National Park, in the U.S. state of Wyoming. Situated at approximately above sea level, the pass can be accessed from the east by way of the Paintbrush Canyon ...

. Views from Paintbrush Divide include Lake Solitude (which is also passed on the circuit hike) and of

Mount Moran Mount Moran () is a mountain in Grand Teton National Park of western Wyoming, USA. The mountain is named for Thomas Moran, an American western frontier landscape artist. Mount Moran dominates the northern section of the Teton Range rising above ...

to the north and 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 glaci ...

including

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 ...

to the south. An

ice axe An ice axe is a multi-purpose hiking and climbing tool used by mountaineers in both the ascent and descent of routes that involve snow, ice, or frozen conditions. Its use depends on the terrain: in its simplest role it is used like a walking ...

may be necessary for hikes in the early summer. The

Paintbrush Canyon Trail The Paintbrush Canyon Trail is a long hiking trail in Grand Teton National Park in the U.S. state of Wyoming. Access to the Paintbrush Canyon Trail is from the String Lake trailhead. From there the trail follows the west shore of String Lake and ...

is part of the

Teton Crest Trail The Teton Crest Trail is a long hiking trail in the U.S. state of Wyoming that extends from Phillips Pass, on the border of Bridger Teton and Caribou-Targhee National Forests, to String Lake in Grand Teton National Park. ''Backpacker Magazine' ...

, which spans the southern section of the

Teton Range The Teton Range is a mountain range of the Rocky Mountains in North America. It extends for approximately in a north–south direction through the U.S. state of Wyoming, east of the Idaho state line. It is south of Yellowstone National Park and ...

from

Teton Pass Teton Pass is a high mountain pass in the western United States, located at the southern end of the Teton Range in western Wyoming, between Wilson and Victor, Idaho. At an elevation of above sea level, the pass provides access from the Jackson Ho ...

along

Wyoming Highway 22 Wyoming Highway 22 (WYO 22) is a state highway in the U.S. State of Wyoming known as the Teton Pass Highway in Teton County Wyoming. WYO 22 spans from Idaho State Highway 33 at the Idaho-Wyoming state line to the concurrency of U.S. Routes 26 ...

to String Lake, a total distance of .

References

{{reflist Canyons and gorges of Grand Teton National Park

See also

References