Palouse Falls

Palouse Falls

1.5 miles round trip, 250 feet elevation gain
Difficulty: Easy-moderate; the path requires some very steep descents, shoes with good traction recommended.
Access: Good gravel road to trailhead, Washington State Discover Pass required

At Palouse Falls, the Palouse River takes a dramatic plunge into a canyon carved into the multi-layered Columbia River Basalts in the desert landscape of Eastern Washington. This is one of Washington State's most extraordinary waterfalls- in fact, it's the state waterfall- and it's a lovely spot to visit if you're in Eastern Washington. The falls are far from Seattle but are a must for anyone exploring the desertscape of the state's eastern half. No hiking is necessary to see the falls themselves but a short hike provides access to the river just upstream of the falls.

I visited the falls on Memorial Day weekend with two friends on a road trip out to Spokane. From Seattle, we took I-90 east to Vantage and exited onto Washington Highway 26 east immediately after crossing the Columbia River. We followed Highway 26 east past Royal City and Othello to Washtucna, where we turned right onto Highway 261 heading south. At the junction between 261 and 260, we made a left turn to stay on 261, which we followed through winding hills until reaching the turnoff for Palouse Falls State Park on the left. We then followed a gravel road for the remaining distance down to the trailhead at the end of the road, though heavy Memorial Day traffic meant we spent nearly a half hour just to get into the park and find parking.

The falls are directly next to the trailhead; if you're interested just in seeing the falls, it's not necessary to actually do any hiking.

Palouse Falls

Fences line the side of the canyon; don't venture onto any of the paths below the canyon rim here as the terrain here is steep and treacherous.

Palouse Falls would not exist without a confluence of factors that makes Eastern Washington's landscape a geological oddity. The columnar basalt of the cliffs forming the walls of the canyon are a result of the massive volcanic eruptions around 15 million years ago that released floods of mafic lava which covered the Columbia River Basin; during cooling, the basalt fractured into vertical polygonal arrays. The columnar nature of the rock makes the walls of the canyon particularly steep; the many layers of the walls represent the many flood basalt eruptions that occurred around that time. The tendency of the basalt to shed vertical columnar chunks during erosion makes possible a waterfall rather than a more gentle descent for the Palouse River. During the ice ages of the past hundred thousand years or so, heavy glaciation in the Rockies formed ice dams that created massive lakes on what is now the Clark Fork River. Glacial Lake Missoula and other Ice Age era lakes were released in phenomenal floods when the ice dams failed and floodwaters swept and scoured the Columbia River Basin, carving out the Channeled Scablands. One of the greatest of these erosive events was at Dry Falls on the Grand Coulee, where at the height of the floods the flow volume might have been as much as ten times as the flow of all rivers on earth combined, dwarfing contemporary falls like Niagara or Iguazu. The floods and those great falls are gone; Palouse Falls provides a glimpse of how a fraction of those ancient falls might have looked.

From the parking lot, we started our hike here by following the broad, paved path leading into the prairie towards the upstream direction. After a brief walk of about a hundred yards, we came to an unmarked but obvious junction where a wide trail led to the right; we followed this trail, which led to the rim of the canyon and followed it until coming to a point of land on the canyon rim high above the falls. This vantage point offered one of the best views of the canyon of the Palouse River cutting through the flood basalts.

Palouse River canyon

From the point, we then followed the trail along the other rim back towards the main paved trail, with views into a narrow canyon just upstream of the falls. Following this trail about a quarter of a mile, we met back up with the initial paved trail at a wide gravel turnabout next to both the canyon rim and some railroad tracks. Looking down, we could see the Palouse River dropping down a few small cascades at the bottom of the steep-walled canyon. From here, a gravel path descended down part of the canyon wall to meet the railroad tracks at the top of a huge talus slope; we then followed the railroad tracks about fifty meters to reach a rocky path that descended through the talus slope to reach the bottom of the canyon.

Palouse River canyon

Once at the base of the canyon, we followed the clear path to reach a set of cascades on the Palouse River where it turned into a narrower stretch above the main falls. The basalt canyon walls towered impressively above.

Small falls upstream of Palouse Falls

This is a good spot to turn around, for a hike of about a mile round trip. Those who wish can continue on to reach the lip of the falls. We followed a social path to the right from the cascades, hiking in the downstream direction as we followed the river into an especially narrow part of the canyon. The trail narrowed as well, hugging the vertical walls.

Palouse River cuts through a canyon upstream of Palouse Falls

At the end of the trail, we emerged to a spectacular sight: a row of free-standing basalt columns known as the Feathers towered over the lip of Palouse Falls, which dropped off into the depths of the Palouse River canyon down below.

The Fingers

View down the canyon from the top of the falls

As there are no fences or railings for safety, it's important to exercise caution here: falls are fatal. We enjoyed the views and then retraced our steps, shortening the hike back by returning along the paved trail on the last leg.

After leaving the park, we drove further east on Washington Highway 26 to Colfax, deep within the rolling hills of wheat that define the Palouse. From Colfax, we headed just north to Steptoe Butte State Park and drove the winding road up to the top of the butte, where there was a sweeping, 360-degree view of the surrounding country.

Palouse wheatfields from Steptoe Butte

Palouse landscape from Steptoe Butte

Kamiak Butte

Palouse Hills from Kamiak Butte

2.5 miles loop, 700 feet elevation gain
Difficulty: Easy
Access: Paved road to trailhead, no entrance fee, open 7 AM to dusk

Kamiak Butte provides a stunning bird's-eye view of the gently rolling hills of wheat in the Palouse region of southeastern Washington. During springtime, the wave-like landscape of wheat is a verdant green while in fall, the wheat turns golden for harvest season. This easy hike in a county park in the heart of Palouse, just a short drive from the campus of Washington State University, is one of the best ways to see this pastoral landscape in the Northwest's most important wheat-growing region. If you happen to be in the area, Kamiak Butte is one of two spots (along with nearby Steptoe Butte) that provide these unique views of the wheat hills from above and is very worth visiting.

Kamiak Butte is at least a five and a half hour drive from Seattle; the closest city is Spokane and it is just outside the college town of Pullman. I hiked Kamiak Butte during mid-September while on the way to a trip to Hells Canyon and the Wallowas. From Pullman, I took Highway 27 north from the downtown about 10 miles. The highway skirted the eastern end of Kamiak Butte; I turned left at Clear Creek Road, following the sign for Kamiak Butte County Park. I followed Fugate Road when it broke off to the left from Clear Creek Road and then turned left at the sign for Kamiak Butte County Park. The park opens at 7 AM; I initially made the mistake of arriving before opening in hopes of seeing the sunrise. Having arrived too early, I returned to Pullman and did a brief walking tour through the Washington State University campus before returning to the butte to hike. The park road climbs up the lower slopes of the butte, with good views of wheat fields even before reaching the trailhead. The road dead ends at a campground but I parked a little earlier on at the day use parking area to start the hike.

Palouse wheat fields near Kamiak Butte

The trail started from the far end of the parking lot and headed uphill into the forest. Almost immediately, I came to a junction with the more direct trail to the ridge on the left and the more gradual trail to the summit on the right. I took the left fork for the more direct climb. The wide trail switchbacked through the forest for a half mile to gain the top of Pine Ridge, the primary ridge of Kamiak Butte. None of this hike is particularly strenuous but this is more or less the most physically strenuous bit of the trail. As the trail reached the top of the ridge, I arrived at a clearing with views to the south over the Palouse Hills. The town of Pullman was in the distance, an oasis of green trees and stately buildings nestled amongst the golden hills, and the forested mountains of the Palouse Range rose to the southeast near Moscow, Idaho, signaling the start of the Rocky Mountains.

Palouse

Palouse Range from Kamiak Butte

The Palouse Hills are made of windblown loess, a result of Eastern Washington's dramatic and contorted geological history. During previous ice ages, advancing glaciers turned into ice dams on the Clark Fork River in Idaho, creating Glacial Lake Missoula and other ice age great lakes that stretched into Montana. Massive floods swept Eastern Washington when the ice dams failed, sculpting the Channeled Scablands and depositing fine silt across the region. Winds carried this silt and deposited it to the southwest at the foot of the Blue Mountains, forming the gentle and fertile loess hills that we see today.

The loess deposited in these hills has made the Palouse one of the most fertile agricultural regions in the country. These hills grow lentils, barley, and chickpeas, but the predominate crop is wheat. While the Midwest and the Great Plains are usually thought of as the nation's breadbasket, the Palouse makes Washington State the US's fourth largest producer of wheat. Much of the Palouse crop is exported, taking advantage of barge shipping along the Snake and Columbia Rivers through the locks that accompany the eight dams between Lewiston's slackwater and Portland's tidewater. In the spring, the young wheat is green, making the hills here unbelievably verdant; by summer, the green matures to a rich gold, which is the primary color of the Palouse until the harvest ends in the fall.

Those looking for an even shorter hike can turn around here after enjoying the views and return via the switchbacks to the trailhead; however, if you have time, I recommend completing the loop by following the Pine Ridge Trail west to the summit of Kamiak Butte.

Over the course of the mile from the first viewpoint to the junction for Kamiak Butte's summit, the trail climbed about 400 feet in a reasonably gentle grade along Pine Ridge. The trail along the ridge had constant views to the south; the dichotomy between the open, grassy south slopes and the heavily forested north slope illustrated the effects of sunlight on moisture and forest growth in this landscape. The ever higher angle for outward views increasingly brought out the features of the town of Pullman.

Pullman and WSU from Kamiak Butte

Pullman is home to Washington State University, one pole of Washington State's principal college rivalry. Although I did my graduate education at the University of Washington, WSU was a school that had some meaning to me: my uncle had worked here as an agricultural researcher at one point, telling me stories about how he used to have to trek to Moscow, Idaho to get McDonalds. UVa's celebrated men's basketball coach, Tony Bennett, once coached here and led a WSU team with Klay Thompson on the roster back to PAC12 relevance before leaving for Virginia with Chelan native Joe Harris for a decade of rebuilding by alma mater's team into national championship material.

Although views were primarily to the south, at one point I found a small clearing that provided a view to the north and northwest instead. From here, I could spot Steptoe Butte, a pyramidal peak rising from the wheatfields. Steptoe Butte- the sister to Kamiak Butte- is one of the few geographical features to rise above the loess hills to provide a bird's eye view, and is a lovely spot where one can drive to the summit for an overview of the surrounding countryside.

Steptoe Butte from Kamiak Butte

At 1.5 miles into the hike, I arrived at a junction: the principal trail turned right here to head downhill and back to the parking lot, but a spur trail led to Kamiak Butte's summit, which is on private land. I took the spur, which climbed quickly to the butte's summit, where there were limited views. I backtracked to the junction and continued around the loop, returning towards the trailhead on the north side of the butte.

While the south side of the ridge was dry and sunny, the north side was a more familiar scene for the Pacific Northwest: a dense, green forest of firs, pines, and larches with copious undergrowth. The well-built trail descended on a dirt tread through the forest at a gentle incline.

Forested trail on Kamiak Butte

Although this stretch of trail was much more forested, at one point a view opened up to the northeast, where in the distance I could see the forested westernmost ranges of the Rockies rising from the Palouse.

Palouse wheat fields and the start of the Rockies in Idaho

After most of a mile of downhill hiking from the summit, a side trail led to the campground; I stayed to the right to continue back towards the day use parking area. Very shortly afterwards, I arrived back at the first junction; turning left, I was back at the trailhead.

If you enjoyed the scenery from Kamiak Butte, or if you want to see the rolling wheat hills from above without any hiking, nearby Steptoe Butte, just north of Colfax, is a highly recommended vantage point for gazing out over the Palouse. A potholed road leads to its summit, from which one can gaze out over Eastern Washington's pastoral hills.

Palouse Hills in spring from Steptoe Butte

Paintbrush Divide-Cascade Canyon Loop

The Tetons rise above the meadowed slopes of Cascade Canyon

19.5 miles loop, 4000 feet elevation gain
Difficulty: Strenuous; potentially difficult and dangerous snow sections before August
Access: Paved road to trailhead, Grand Teton National Park entrance fee required

The Paintbrush Divide-Cascade Canyon Loop visits spectacular alpine terrain in the heart of Wyoming's Grand Teton National Park, with jaw-dropping views of soaring mountains and explosive displays of wildflowers in midsummer that make this one of the better hikes on the continent. This loop through two canyons in the Teton Range, visits two alpine lakes nestled high in the range, crosses a 10,700-foot pass, and packs in views of magnificent Grand Teton, Mount Owen, and Mount Moran from all angles. Best done counterclockwise, this loop is a popular backpacking trip but can be feasibly be done in a long day by very fit hikers. Snow lingers on exposed portions of the trail near Paintbrush Divide until August most years; it's highly advisable to bring an ice axe and to know how to use it if you're hiking the trail earlier in the summer. Hikers need to also be aware that afternoon summer thunderstorms are common in the Rockies; it's best to be off high, exposed areas like Paintbrush Divide in the afternoon. This hike also traverses grizzly country, so it's a good idea to carry bear spray and to travel in groups.

I hiked this loop while on a summer roadtrip to Wyoming with my mother. My mom decided to skip the 19-mile hike day, instead heading over to the Teton Aerial Tramway south of the park; I was dropped off at the String Lake Trailhead early in the morning. From Jackson, take US 26/89 north into the park, turn left at Moose Junction onto the Teton Park Road and follow it north to the turnoff for the Jenny Lake Scenic Drive. Turn left and follow the loop road until reaching the turnoff on the right for String and Leigh Lakes; take the turnoff and park at the large parking area at the end of the road.

I set off from the String Lake Trailhead and almost immediately came to the shore of tiny String Lake. As its name suggests, the lake was narrow and elongated; as I hiked north along the shore of the lake I caught many views of Mount Moran lit by sunrise alpenglow.

Mount Moran rises above String Lake at sunrise

After following the shoreline for about three-quarters of a mile, I came to a junction at the northern end of the lake: the Leigh Lake Trail continued north but I turned left here, crossing the outlet of String Lake on a bridge and then following that trail gradually uphill for a half mile to reach the Paintbrush Canyon Trail.

At the junction with the Paintbrush Canyon Trail, I took the right fork to follow the trail into the canyon. The trail climbed gradually as it wrapped around the base of Rockchuck Peak to reach the entrance of Paintbrush Canyon. At points, there were openings in the trees that provided nice views of Leigh Lake with Signal Mountain and other peaks rising in the background.

Leigh Lake views on the climb into Paintbrush Canyon

Once in the canyon, the trail began to climb steadily and the scenery began to improve. The trail followed the stream, crossing Paintbrush Canyon Creek at just under four miles from the trailhead. From here on, the trail was more open, passing through creekside meadow patches bursting with wildflowers and delivering small peeks of the snowcapped peaks at the head of the canyon.

Wildflowers line the streamside trail in Paintbrush Canyon

The trail became steeper as it continued ascending the canyon, switchbacking at times to aid the climb. Soon, views of the soaring rocky peaks surrounding the valley became common; there was a particularly beautiful view of a cascading waterfall plunging down from the snowfields high on Rockchuck Peak.

Tumbling waterfalls in Paintbrush Canyon

As you would expect from a place called Paintbrush Canyon, this part fo the trail was packed with wildflowers, especially in areas where the trail approached creeks. The canyon's namesake red paintbrush was most common, but I was also able to spot some rarer flowers such as Colorado blue columbine.

Paintbrush and other wildflowers grace Paintbrush Canyon

While the view of the rocky peaks ahead of me impressed, I was equally astounded by the view of Leigh and Jackson Lakes, both dotted with islands, when I looked to the east out of the canyon. Forested ridges stretched beyond the lakes to the horizon.

Jackson and Leigh Lakes

After some more intense switchback climbs, at 6 miles from the trailhead, I reached a junction between the main trail up Paintbrush Canyon and an alternate trail that continued ascending through the canyon while visiting Holly Lake. I chose to take the right fork to stop by Holly Lake. Just a hundred meters or so pass the junction, the trail crossed a small stream; a small tarn lay just to the west of here with a backdrop of the snowy peaks of the Paintbrush Divide. The marshy area around the lake prevented me from walking up to its shoreline, so I just enjoyed the scene from afar before continuing on my way to Holly Lake.

Tarn in upper Paintbrush Canyon

I continued to ascend as I made my way towards Holly Lake, following the outlet stream from the lake through meadows dotted with tiny wildflowers and providing views of Rockchuck and other nearby peaks.

Paintbrush Canyon meadows

A half mile past the junction with the Paintbrush Canyon Trail, and about 6.5 miles from the trailhead, I arrived at the shore of Holly Lake. Four trails intersected here: the one that I arrived on, the continuation of the trail up the canyon to the left, and two trails that visited different shores of the lake straight ahead and to the right. I took the fork to the right and walked a short distance along the shore of the lake to a vantage point with a lovely view of the Paintbrush Divide peaks rising above the lake. I took a short break at the lake, enjoying the gorgeous alpine scenery and refueling with snacks.

Holly Lake

Continuing upwards, the Holly Lake Trail soon reconnected with the main Paintbrush Canyon Trail on the ridge above Holly Lake. As I continued ascending, the landscape became increasingly stark as meadows thinned out and rock and snow dominated an alpine environment. Looking ahead, I could see the ridge of Paintbrush Divide that I would later ascend, as well as the sharp summit of Paintbrush Peak.

Approaching Paintbrush Divide

As the trail began ascending a set of broad switchbacks above the highest meadow, I spotted snow-fed tarns below and the first glimpses of Teewinot Mountain and Mount Owen peeking out from behind the nearby peaks of upper Paintbrush Canyon.

Meadows and tarns in upper Paintbrush Canyon

The trail started traversing stretches of talus high on the slopes of Paintbrush Divide. There was still some patches of snow cover on the trail, but in late July I was able to handle these without too much issue; earlier in the season, though, microspikes and potentially even an ice axe would be helpful as the slopes are certainly quite exposed.

Scree slopes on the approach to Paintbrush Divide

The trail reached the foot of Paintbrush Peak and then made a sharp switchback and climbed through loose rock on an exposed slope for the final ascent to Paintbrush Divide. This was the most difficult portion of the hike: I lost the trail briefly at this point and started tackling a very exposed scramble before realizing my error and I saw later hikers make the same mistake later that day. Even on the trail, the rock was loose and the trail was narrow until reaching a large final snow patch just below the ridge of Paintbrush Divide. Here, a small portion of trail was still buried under multiple feet of snow; it was too exposed to try to hike on the snow covering that stretch of trail. Instead, I scrambled uphill a bit to reach a footpath through the snow and had to step across a very exposed crevice to return to the rocky path and reach the Divide. I thought that the path here was at least a little dangerous and that an ice axe could have been immense help and provided a bit more peace of mind.

Snow-covered trail: the crux of the July approach to Paintbrush Divide

Past this harrowing crux, I arrived atop Paintbrush Divide, the 10,700-foot roof of this hike. The views were spectacular from this stretch of flattened ridgetop. Perhaps the most stunning part of the view was the gneiss massif of Mount Moran, wih a dark striped diabase dike crowning part of the mountain's summit ridge.

Mount Moran from Paintbrush Divide

The trail skirted around a snowfield filling a northward-facing depression, following the ridge and offering constant skyscraping views. A spur trail led off to the left (east) to a high viewpoint above Paintbrush Canyon below; I followed this brief detour and enjoyed the views.

Paintbrush Divide

A (too) friendly marmot poked its head out here, having obviously been thoroughly conditioned to humans.

Marmot resident of the Divide

As I continued to hike along the high ridge of the Paintbrush Divide, new views began to emerge to the west. The snow-draped ridgeline of the Teton Crest lay across Cascade Canyon and rocky Maidenform Peak lay across the head of Leigh Canyon. Tiny yellow wildflowers dotted the spare alpine meadows in these tundra environs, presaging the upcoming flower show in Cascade Canyon.

Wildflowers at Paintbrush Divide

Upon reaching the west side of the broad montane shoulders of the Paintbrush Divide, the trail began to descend a steep talus slope via switchbacks. Here, views opened up to the bottom of Cascade Canyon and both icy Mica Lake and blue Lake Solitude were visible at the foot of the Teton Crest. Cascade Creek displayed many of its namesake drops as it fell from the lake into the lush, meadow-filled valley below. The Teton Crest itself was a solid wall of rock separating Cascade Canyon from Idaho.

Teton Crest with Mica Lake and Lake Solitude

The first good views of the back side of the Tetons also came out: Mount Owen and Grand Teton towered over Cascade Canyon.

Tetons and Cascade Canyon

Shortly into the descent, the trail offered views to the north into Leigh Canyon, with Maidenform Peak rising across the forested valley. The trail then made a sharp switchback, heading south with great views of the Tetons.

View down into Leigh Canyon

The trail continued descending through the steep talus slope. After the next switchback, the mountainside transitioned from rock to grass and I arrived at the scenic highlight of the hike: a steep meadow blanketed with an artist's palette of wildflowers, with mountain views in all directions of Grand Teton, the Teton Crest, and Lake Solitude. Aster, monkeyflower, and paintbrush dotted the meadow, but the highlight of this display were the purple petals and yellow bells of columbine; these particularly showy columbine are only found in the Rocky Mountains.

Colorado Blue Columbine

It was only a mile from the switchback along the mountainside to Lake Solitude, but this stretch of the hike took me over an hour; I had to stop constantly to take in the dazzling wildflower show. I've hiked in many of the most famous landscapes of the United States; this stretch of trail was one of the most beautiful I've seen. It was so stunning that I was on the verge of tears.

Grand Teton rises above Cascade Canyon

The meadows of Cascade Canyon

Cascade Canyon wildflowers

The trail aimed towards Lake Solitude at the head of Cascade Canyon, with progressively nicer views of the lake as I approached it. The trail finally entered the level lake basin on the northeast shore of the lake and then began to circle around the east side of the lake at 10.5 miles into the hike.

Approaching Lake Solitude

Large boulders and scattered trees dotted the meadow-filled basin, which held a small tarn just below Lake Solitude. The walls of the Cascade Canyon framed the towering peaks of Teewinot, Owen, and Grand Teton in the distance.

Teewinot, Owen, and Grand Teton from the head of Cascade Canyon

A short spur trail brought me to the lakeshore, where I began to meet dayhikers who had hiked up Cascade Canyon. The rocky cliffs of the Teton Crest rose above the cold, clear lake, which was fed by nearby snowbanks.

Lake Solitude

I enjoyed a short break at the lake, resting on a rocky peninsula jutting out into the lake and admiring this perfect alpine scene before the descent down Cascade Canyon.

Solitude and the Tetons

The trail descended through the verdant, wildflower-filled meadows that filled the bottom of Cascade Canyon. Amazing views of Teewinot, Owen, and Grand Teton appeared before me as I passed blooming patches of columbine.

Columbine and the Tetons

Part of the way through the descent, I noticed some montion in the bushes at the bottom of the canyon. I initially suspected a bear, but when the animal raised its head the massive antler rack made clear that it was a moose.

Moose grazing in Cascade Canyon

For the 2.5 miles past Lake Solitude, the Cascade Canyon Trail descended through its namesake canyon in spacious wildflower meadows beneath towering rocky peaks. As I approached the junction between the North and South Forks of Cascade Canyon, the trail entered the woods, blocking out the amazing mountain views, although small clearings were still exploding with paintbrush and columbine.

Teewinot, Owen, and Grand Teton rise above Cascade Canyon

Cascade Canyon

Wildflower show at the bottom of South Fork Cascade Canyon

The trail crossed over North Fork Cascade Creek just before reaching a junction with the trail down the South Fork Cascade Canyon, about 13 miles in. At the junction, Mount Owen towered overhead where the two streams flowed together, forming the main trunk cutting eastward to form a deep canyon through the heart of the Tetons.

Mount Owen rises above the confluence of the North and South Fork Cascade Canyons

For the next 3.5 miles, I followed the Cascade Canyon Trail along the base of the canyon, occasionally descending gently but generally staying level as I passed through mixed stretches of forest and creekside clearings with mountain views. There were still some wildflowers here, including columbine, but it paled in comparison to the explosive displays further up the canyon.

Tumbling waterfalls and the Tetons in Cascade Canyon

The trail took me past the bases of both Mount Owen and Teewinot Mountain, which towered far above. Plunging waterfalls descended from the rocky slopes of the high Tetons into the canyon, explaining the canyon's name.

As I approached the mouth of the canyon, clouds rolled in and rain began to fall; soon, a Rocky Mountain thunderstorm had begun in earnest. There were still plenty of hikers along the trail, many of them headed back to the boat dock on Jenny Lake, so I joined a steady stream of people rushing to return during the rain.

Mount Owen rises above the entrance of Cascade Canyon, a thunderstorm approaches

After passing the mouth of Cascade Canyon, the trail began to descend, about 17 miles into the hike. Soon I came to a junction, where I took the left fork, a horse path, for a faster descent to Jenny Lake. This loop could be modified to visit Inspiration Point and Hidden Falls on the way back to the trailhead; however, the trail to Hidden Falls was closed at the time of my visit so I made a direct return to the shoreline of Jenny Lake and then back towards String Lake.

The thunderstorm began to let up as I reached the shore of Jenny Lake and the sun soon broke back through the clouds, illuminating a brilliant double rainbow that soared above Jenny Lake.

Double rainbow over Jenny Lake

As I continued hiking back along the shoreline of Jenny Lake, the clouds began to roll out and I was able to enjoy views of the lake with Teewinot, Owen, and Grand Teton behind me as I hiked through segments of the trail in areas burned by the Alder Fire in 1999.

Jenny Lake after a thunderstorm

Reaching the north end of Jenny Lake, the trail followed the west bank of the inlet stream from String Lake as it continued through flat terrain of open forest. At a junction with the String Lake Trail, I continued on the Leigh Lake Trail for another fifth of a mile, crossing the stream just below the outlet of String Lake. Here, the trail skirted by the String Lake Trailhead; I continued hiking for another third of a mile along the shore of String Lake to return to the trailhead from which I had started the hike.

Few day hikes in North America can match the scenic highlights of the Paintbrush Divide-Cascade Canyon Loop, which covers a varied and beautiful subalpine and alpine terrain of wildflowers, waterfalls, lakes, and high ridges. The hiking is strenuous and the terrain can especially be treacherous when covered in snow earlier in the season, but this is an extraordinary hike when the conditions are right.