The ferry dock and Jenny Lake Visitor Center parking area offer the best options for hiking to Grand Teton National Park’s Inspiration Point.
- Using the ferry: 1.8 mi (2.9 km) Round Trip
- Hiking from Jenny Lake Visitor Center parking area: 5.7 mi (9.2 km) Round Trip
As the ferry also sells one-way tickets, a third option is to use the ferry one-way and hike back the other. This is what we chose to do and felt it gave us the best of both worlds.
Both trails, from the ferry and the visitor center, meet up with the Cascade Canyon Trail for the short detour to Hidden Falls and the climb to Inspiration Point.
In other words, using the ferry gets you out of the long walk, but you still need to conquer the 550 ft (170 m) elevation gain before reaching the viewpoint.
Though the climb is easy, as it’s gradual, lots of folks getting off the ferry weren’t prepared for any hiking. Wearing flip flops and crocks, sadly many turned around before reaching the top. Come prepared.