Mt. Glory

When you hear someone talking about Mount Glory, it’s usually because they were skiing.

But Mount Glory makes a great hike, too – the kind of place where you don’t have to wait long to find your head in the clouds because you gained 2,000 feet of elevation driving up Teton Pass, then gained another 1,500 feet in less than a mile of hiking.

Yup. That’s right. You gain 1,500 feet in 0.9 miles. This is one of the steepest hiking trails around. But you’ll enjoy the view from the south end of the Teton Range at the top. I can’t think of anywhere else that you don’t even have to hike a mile to take in a view like this. To the east, you’ll see the town of Jackson and the Gros Ventres beyond. To the southeast, the Snake River winds through the South Park area. The Snake River Range absolutely dominates the view to the south. Taylor Mountain is unmistakable to the northwest. And to the north, you’ll see the heart of the Tetons, albeit from a distance.

Just don’t get the idea that you’re not going to have to work for it. The hike starts at the top of Teton Pass, with an unmarked, but obvious, trailhead just across the highway from the parking lot. You start gaining elevation with your first step, and you don’t stop until you’re at the summit. If this trail was much steeper, you’d be mountain climbing instead of hiking. Keep this in mind on the way down; you’re almost guaranteed to land on your lower end once or twice.

But 0.9 miles of unswitchbacked, unmaintained trail later, you finally arrive at the summit, treated to what might be the finest view in the Tetons accessible in under an hour. The perspective of the town of Jackson from Mount Glory is particularly noteworthy. Even Snow King Mountain looks like an anthill.

You can continue hiking north along the ridgeline, enjoying the views of Taylor Mountain and Glory Bowl. It is possible to create a loop via Ski Lake and the Phillips Canyon Trailhead, but note that the junctions aren’t marked and you’ll need to find a guidebook that includes the trail or use a topo map. For best results, leave a second car at the Phillips Canyon Trailhead to avoid walking along the Teton Pass highway.

Note that due to lingering snow, you probably won’t be able to get to the top until July.