Static Peak Hike

The Static Peak Hike is a high-demand, high-reward type of experience in the Grand Teton National Park. Those seeking to tackle this trek as a day-hike are encouraged to leave in the early morning to avoid descending after nightfall. Additionally, traveling to high elevations demands a higher level of exertion and warrants extreme weather conditions, so check the forecast prior to departure. Furthermore, this route explores bear country, so make sure you or someone in your party has bear spray and knows how to use it! Don’t forget the National Park charges an entrance fee; refer to the NPS website for additional information.

Embark on your demanding adventure from the Death Canyon Trailhead. From here, follow the Death Canyon Trailhead Spur before diverting left onto the Valley Trail. Follow this route past the Phelps Lake Overlook before merging onto the Death Canyon Trail. The U-shaped glacial canyon will render you speechless. Enjoy the scenery as you climb along the Death Canyon Creek that bisects the craggy corridor. At the following junction, turn right onto the Alaska Basin Trail up the vertiginous slope made more manageable by switchbacks.

Hiking up the canyon walls and along the western slope of Albright Peak, the path will direct you across the saddle before demanding the ascent of loose scree to the summit of Static Peak. From atop the craggy peak, you will be granted 360-degree panoramic views of the Teton Mountains, the Jackson Hole, and distant sights of the Gros Ventre Mountains. Try to soak in the beauty and grandeur of the encompassing landscape, then carefully descend the way you came, all the way back to the trailhead.