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Mount Elly
Caribou-Targhee National Forest, Wyoming
September 8, 2023
Distance: 6.5 km (4.0 mi)
Cumulative Elevation Gain: 270 m (886 ft)
For a short, easy hike, Mount Elly offers amazing views. One reason for that is that the trail begins high, at the top of Teton Pass. Also, the trail winds through large, beautiful meadows so you can take in the scenery on the way to the summit. We met a couple on the trail who have a lodge in the nearby town of Victor, and they said Mount Elly was one of their favourite hikes.
From the parking lot, Dinah and I went to the trail on our right, actually a short road that accesses buildings and power line towers. After passing the unsightly structures, the road ends and a trail takes over. We followed it through shady forests and grassy meadows until we reached a signed junction. We turned left and followed trails to the summit. The north side of the summit is treed, but the south side grants far-ranging views of distant mountains.
From the summit, we continued down a trail on the other side. Keeping right, we returned to the junction and thus completed a small loop. We followed the trail back to the towers. But instead of taking the road back, we kept right and followed a path to the parking lot. The trail cuts along an open slope and offers fine views of Jackson Hole, the valley east of Teton Pass. After turning a corner, we had a glorious sight of Mount Glory which towers above the pass. It was a scenic finish to our hike.
We started up a road but finished the hike on a trail
Unsightly power lines mar the beginning of the trail
After the power lines, the trail becomes a single track
Purple geraniums
This is the largest meadow on the hike
The valley below is Jackson Hole
On the other side of Teton Pass are Taylor Mountain and Mount Glory
Hiking in the forest after the meadow
A dark-eyed junco
From the next meadow, we viewed the road going down from Teton Pass to Jackson Hole
We turned left at this junction but came down the trail ahead
The trail passes through another meadow
Heading to the top of Mount Elly
Standing on the summit
We continued down the trail on the other side of the summit
The trail leads back to the fork
We passed a majestic tree
We came up the road on the left but returned on the path on the right
Looking back along the trail
We'll soon be back at the parking lot
Rendezvous Peak Topo (4.0 mi, 9295 ft, 886 ft)