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37 Hermitage Point
38 Jenny Lake and Moose Ponds
39 Laurance S. Rockefeller Preserve
40 Leigh, Bearpaw, and Trapper Lakes
41 Phelps Lake
42 Rendezvous Mountain to Granite Canyon
43 String Lake
44 Surprise and Amphitheater Lakes
45 Table Mountain
46 Two Ocean Lake
Appendixes
Major Public Agencies
Lodging
Other Grand Teton–Area Resources
Major Nonprofit Organizations
Outfitters, Guides, and Tour Operators
Guided Hikes and Backpacking Trips
Internet Resources
Useful Books
Maps
About the Authors
Using Top Trails
Organization of Top Trails
The Top Trails series is designed to make identifying the perfect trail easy and enjoyable, and to make every outing a success and a pleasure. With this book you’ll find it’s a snap to select the right trail, whether you’re planning a major hike or just a sociable stroll with friends.
The Region
Top Trails begins with the Greater Yellowstone map, displaying the entire region covered by the guide and providing a geographic overview. The map is clearly marked to show which area is covered by which chapter.
After the regional map comes the Yellowstone and Grand Teton Trails table, which lists every trail covered in the guide, along with attributes for each one. A quick reading of the regional map and the trail table will give you a good overview of the region covered by this book.
The Areas
The region covered by this book is divided into areas, with each chapter corresponding to one area in the region.
Each area chapter starts with information to help you choose and enjoy a trail each time you go out. Use the table of contents or the regional map to identify an area of interest, and then turn to the area chapter to find the following:
• An area overview, including maps and permits
• An area map, with all trails clearly marked
• A trail feature table, providing trail-by-trail details
• Trail summaries, written in a lively, accessible style
The Trails
The basic building block of the Top Trails guide is the trail entry. Each one is arranged to make finding and following the trail as simple as possible, with all pertinent information presented in an easy-to-follow format:
• A trail map
• Trail descriptors covering difficulty, length, and other essential data
• Narrative trail text
• Trail milestones, providing turn-by-turn trail directions
Some trail descriptions offer additional information, such as:
• An elevation profile
• Trail options
• Trail highlights
• Trail teasers
In the margins of the trail entries, look for icons that point out notable features at specific points along the trail.
Choosing a Trail
Top Trails provides several ways of choosing a trail, presented in easy-to-read tables, charts, and maps.
Location
If you know in general where you want to go, Top Trails makes it easy to find the right trail in the right place. Each chapter begins with a large-scale map showing the starting point of every trail in that area.
Features
This guide describes the top trails of Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks, and each trail is chosen because it offers one or more features that make it appealing. Using the trail descriptors, summaries, and tables, you can quickly examine all the trails for the features they offer or seek a particular feature among the list of trails.
Season and Condition
Time of year and current conditions can be important factors in selecting the best trail. For example, an exposed, low-elevation trail may be a riot of color in early spring but an oven-baked taste of hell in midsummer. Wherever relevant, Top Trails identifies the best and worst conditions for the trails.
Difficulty
The overall difficulty of each trail is rated on a scale of 1–5, which considers length, elevation change, exposure, and trail quality to establish one (admittedly subjective) rating. The ratings assume you are an able-bodied adult who is in reasonably good shape and using the trail for hiking. The ratings also assume normal weather conditions—clear and dry. Make an honest assessment of your own abilities, and adjust time estimates accordingly. Rain, snow, heat, wind, and poor visibility can also affect your pace on even the easiest of trails.
