Hurricane Pass
What to Expect
Safety Advisory
Snow lingers on the pass well into July most years, and the final approach can be a steep snow traverse with significant exposure. If you don't have microspikes and an ice axe — and the experience to self-arrest — turn around. People have slid hundreds of feet here.
Afternoon thunderstorms are common in the Tetons from mid-July through August. The pass is fully exposed above treeline with zero shelter. Check the forecast obsessively and plan to be off the pass by early afternoon.
This is prime grizzly bear habitat, especially in the berry-laden meadows of the South Fork. Carry bear spray in a hip holster — not buried in your pack — and make noise on blind corners.
Trail Details
Pro Tips
Take the Jenny Lake shuttle boat on the way up — it shaves roughly two miles and an hour off each direction, letting you save your legs for the real climbing. The first boat launches at 7 AM, and the line builds fast by 8.
Stash extra water and snacks at the canyon fork junction for the return trip. You'll be running on fumes after the pass, and having a resupply cache waiting at the split is a game-changer on a 12-plus-hour day.
The light on the Tetons from Hurricane Pass is best in the early afternoon when the sun is behind you and the peaks are fully lit. If you're doing this as an overnight, camp in the South Fork zone and hit the pass at golden hour for photographs that will make your friends deeply jealous.
Photos
NPS Photo/A. Falgoust
