Paintbrush Canyon to Holly Lake

This day-long adventure takes off from the Paintbrush Canyon Trailhead. The trailhead is located north of the very popular Jenny Lake along String Lake Rd. It took us about 7 and half hours including an hour lunch break to hike up and down from about 6,900 feet to 9,300 feet, an early start is definitely recommended.

Once at the trailhead you will walk down a paved path for about 300 feet where you will see a footbridge to your right. Take the footbridge across the creek to the western side of String Lake. About a third of a mile in, you will reach a split in the trail, stay right to continue along the western shore of String Lake. If in doubt, look for a trail sign that points you in the “right” direction.

The next 1.3 miles take you along the ridge of the lake through aspen groves. As you gain elevation you will also begin to see beautiful panoramas of the valley lakes below.

About 1.6 miles into your adventure you will reach another trail split. This time stay left to continue onto the Paintbrush Canyon Trail. Enjoy the shade of through this part of the trail, soon you will reach Paintbrush Canyon and will be bathed by the sun.

As you reach the mouth of the canyon, 3 miles in, you will pass through a long stretch of Huckleberry bushes. Bears love huckleberries as much as we do or more. Make sure you make a lot of noise through this stretch of your hike and have your bear spray handy.

Around 4 miles into the trail you will cross Paintbrush Canyon Creek before emerging into the open terrain of the canyon. You will have great views of the canyon with its wildflowers as well as great vistas of the valley below. The rushing water of the creek should be a good indication that you have a somewhat strenuous adventure ahead of you.

As you hike up, the creek will remain on your left and mostly hidden by willows. This is a good place to spot a moose, although I haven’t been as lucky. If you are hiking in the early summer and the snowmelt is flowing, you should look for waterfalls on either side of the trail. This portion of the trail has significant elevation gain through boulder fields and is a strenuous part of the hike. Although not needed, hiking poles could be useful.

Between 6 and 6.5 miles into the hike you will reach Holly Lake Junction. Hikers should stay right towards Holly Lake. The trail to the left leads to Lake Solitude, but that’s another adventure.

Just after the junction the trail passes a small pond on the left. Don’t confuse this with Holly Lake or you might be disappointed. Continue for another half mile to the lake.

You finally made it! Holly Lake lies just below the slopes of the 11,590 foot Mt Woodring. You are most likely hungry and in need of a little rest. We veered right towards the eastern shore of the lake and sat on a boulder for our lunch break. I recommend taking this route, as the views are much better.

After refueling your mind and body start heading back down. It is worth noting that afternoon thunderstorms are common in the Tetons. Keep an eye on the sky, if it starts to look like thunderstorms, don’t hang around to find out.

A quick note: There can be significant snow pack well into July. We did this hike in late June and encountered some decent snowfields near the Holly Lake Junction.