Hey Elisa, I’m delighted your Teton Crest Trail hike went so well! Thanks for sharing those details. Get in touch anytime.

Hi Michael,

We’re back from the trip, which was fantastic! It was so warm that by the time we got to Paintbrush Divide you could avoid the snow altogether. We did have to cross several other snow fields, but nothing with exposure. We had a few thunderstorms, lots of wildflowers, a couple dips in icy lakes, moderate mosquitoes, and–best of all–non-stop jaw-dropping views. No sign of bears, so I slept outside two of the four nights. It was an incredible trip! Thanks for your planning advice!

Elisa

It’s melting fast, Elisa, mid-July should be pretty good. Ask a ranger about snow conditions at Paintbrush Divide if that’s in your plans. You might have some great wildflowers blooming, too. Have fun.

Thanks much for your quick reply! Our hike is actually the week after next, so hopefully that’ll give the snow more time to melt. But if weather permits, and I don’t freak out about being in grizzly country, I’ll take the stars!

Elisa

Hi Elisa,

Thanks for the nice words about my blog and congrats on your plans to backpack the Teton Crest Trail—certainly a personal favorite of mine.

To answer your question, while I haven’t seen any study or data about how grizzly bears react to people in a tent versus sleeping under the stars, I don’t think it matters to a bear. Bears navigate and observe the world primarily through their sense of smell and are known to not have good eyesight. It’ll smell food items from an unbelievable distance but possibly not even see you or your tent when up close. The tent doesn’t offer real protection from bears but there may be some psychological relief to having those walls separate you from critters outside. But if you’re accustomed to sleeping under the stars, no reason not to do that. I would.

I’d say your bigger challenge next week could be snow levels but I haven’t checked them lately and it has been warm—snow is melting fast.

Have a great hike! Thanks for writing. Get in touch anytime.

Your blog has inspired many of my favorite backpacking trips (Mineral King, Dolomites, Paria Canyon to name a few), and I’m excited to be headed to the TCT next week. I usually sleep under the stars sans tent, but I’m wondering if it’s better to sleep in a tent in grizzly country. I know the tent doesn’t provide any true physical protection, but maybe a person in a sleeping bag is a more obvious target for a grizzly? I’ll be hiking in a group of three. Thoughts?

Thanks for all the inspiration!
Elisa

Hi Roxanne,

Yes, June would normally see snow covering the ground fairly deeply above around 8,000 feet (with some variation), making hiking difficult because it softens up during the day and can freeze overnight. I don’t expect this year to be different and the mountains got a significant snowfall just a week or so ago. If possible, I suggest you try to push your trip to at least mid-July.

Maybe you’ve seen at the GTNP website that the backcountry permit reservation process opened on Jan. 5 at 8 a.m. Mountain Time. Virtually all reservable backcountry camping gets booked for the entire summer within an hour or less that day.

But the park only allows one-third of available permits to be reserved in advance, so two-thirds are available first-come, for walk-in backpackers, no more than one day before your trip begins. That gives you pretty good odds of getting a walk-in permit—especially if you show up at a park visitor center backcountry desk at least two or three hours before it opens, to get a spot near the front of the line. Of course, there’s no guarantee, and it depends in part on when you go there. There will be a lot of people trying for a walk-in permit.

If you want to do that, I can help you maximize your chances of getting a permit for the kind of trip you want and help you with other details of the trip, including a daily itinerary. See my Custom Trip Planning page to learn how I can help you plan your trip. Or if you prefer to do it yourself, my e-guide “The Complete Guide to Backpacking the Teton Crest Trail in Grand Teton National Park” will help you do that.

Good luck.

Thanks for the nice words, Bill, and I’m sorry to hear about your bummer of an injury and I hope you get over to the Tetons next summer. Keep in mind that my e-guide to backpacking the Teton Crest Trail tells you all you need to know to plan and execute that trip, including my tips on all the route and campsite options.

Keep in touch, especially whenever you finally get to the Tetons. Be safe out there.