Grand Teton – Owen-Spalding Route
Tetons, WY
Elevation Profile
Current Conditions
Bottom Line
Stable weather window through Wednesday with light winds and cold temps — good conditions for a summit push. Thursday brings a 24% chance of snow showers, so plan your summit day for Wednesday and be off the upper mountain before noon Thursday. Stream crossing data in the payload is from California gauges and irrelevant to this route — ignore it.
31°/17°F · Sunny
No Rating (0/5)
0" depth
Elevated flows · 5 gauges
No active fires within 50 miles
10h 10m daylight · Sunrise 7:02 AM · Sunset 5:13 PM
Full Briefing
Weather window is solid for the next 48 hours. Today's high of 31°F with 6 mph ESE winds and clear skies is ideal for the approach to Garnet Canyon camp. Tonight drops to 20°F with mostly cloudy skies and light SSE winds — nothing alarming, but layer up for the bivy. Wednesday looks like your summit day: 30°F, mostly sunny, winds 3-7 mph from the north. At ridgeline (~13,700 ft), double those surface winds to roughly 6-14 mph — cold but very manageable for the Owen-Spalding. Wednesday night drops to 17°F, still calm. Thursday is where things soften: 27°F with a 24% chance of snow showers developing and winds picking up to 7 mph WSW at the surface, meaning 14+ mph at summit elevation. Not a showstopper, but you don't want to be on the Upper Snowfield or the Belly Roll in new snow and building winds. Be descending by midday Thursday at the latest.
Avalanche danger has no formal rating from Bridger-Teton yet — early season, essentially no snowpack at the SNOTEL stations (Annie Springs at 6,021 ft shows 0 inches, 0.2" SWE). The Garnet Canyon approach and Owen-Spalding route are not loaded right now. That said, the bulletin's standard early-season note applies: watch for any isolated wind-deposited snow on north-facing terrain and steep couloirs above 11,000 ft. With overnight lows in the teens and daytime highs barely above freezing, any early-season snow that did accumulate would be cold and unconsolidated. Probe before committing to any shaded couloir sections on the approach.
With only 10 hours 10 minutes of daylight (sunrise 7:02 AM, sunset 5:13 PM), your margin is tight. For a Wednesday summit push from a Garnet Canyon bivy, start no later than 3-4 AM. The Owen-Spalding in November in the dark means you'll be on technical terrain before dawn — know the route cold. The Exum Ridge and fixed ropes sections will likely be iced; plan for crampons and tools from the Lower Saddle up. Descend the Owen-Spalding rappels before 2 PM Wednesday to give yourself buffer before the light goes and well ahead of Thursday's weather.
Waypoints
Lupine Meadows Trailhead
Main trailhead. Start well before dawn on summit day.
6,801 ft
Garnet Canyon Meadows
Meadows in Garnet Canyon. Trail steepens significantly above here.
9,501 ft
Lower Saddle Bivy
Bivy site at the Lower Saddle. Cramped platforms with incredible views.
11,601 ft
Upper Saddle
Base of the Owen-Spalding route proper. Rope up here.
12,999 ft
Grand Teton Summit
Summit at 13,775 ft. Sign the summit register. Descend same route.
13,776 ft
Route Details
Distance
13.0 mi
Elevation Gain
7,001 ft
Elevation Loss
7,001 ft
Max Elevation
13,776 ft
Estimated Days
2
Trailhead
Lupine Meadows
Best Season
July through September. Route may hold snow early season.
Permit Required
Climbing permit required from Grand Teton National Park. Register at Jenny Lake Ranger Station.
About This Route
The Owen-Spalding route is the most popular climbing route on the Grand Teton (13,775 ft), the iconic peak that dominates the Jackson Hole skyline. This classic mountaineering route involves sustained scrambling, a few moves of low 5th class climbing, and significant exposure. The approach follows the standard Garnet Canyon trail to the Lower Saddle at 11,600 feet, where most parties bivy for the night. From the saddle, the route climbs through the Black Dike, traverses the Upper Saddle, and ascends the Owen-Spalding couloir to the summit ridge. The final moves to the summit involve exposed scrambling. The route requires basic rock climbing skills, comfort with exposure, and excellent fitness. Most parties hire a guide for their first ascent. A climbing permit is required. Start from the Lower Saddle before dawn to avoid afternoon storms and to have the mountain to yourself.
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