Grand Teton National Park guide · 2 min read
Rockefeller Preserve and the Phelps Lake Walk
The Laurance S. Rockefeller Preserve Center sits on land the Rockefeller family once held near the southern end of Grand Teton National Park.
The family owned more than 3,000 acres here and donated it to the park over many years, with the final 1,106 acres added in 2001 to form the Preserve. The center, built in 2008, was the first building in Wyoming certified under Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design standards.
Inside, the exhibits are built around the senses, highlighting the sights, sounds and textures of the Preserve's plants and wildlife. A poem by Terry Tempest Williams, audio recordings of Laurance Rockefeller, videos, photography and a soundscape room help explain his vision and his legacy of conservation stewardship. A resource room offers a quiet place to sit, and rangers lead programs here. The center has no sales area and does not issue permits.
Phelps Lake is the main destination from the center. It lies at the foot of Death Canyon, a well-known canyon of the Teton Range. The loop around the lake runs about 7 miles with roughly 800 feet of climbing and takes most hikers 3 to 4 hours. One good plan is to take the Woodland Trail to the lake, circle it counter-clockwise with a stop at Huckleberry Point, and return to the center. The Lake Creek Trail is another wooded route to the shore along a creek.
For a shorter walk, the Phelps Lake Overlook trail covers about 2 miles with 440 feet of gain from the Death Canyon Trailhead, reached by a rough gravel road. It gives a high view down onto the lake and can be extended into Death Canyon.
The Preserve is reached by the slow, winding Moose-Wilson Road, which is unpaved for 1.5 miles. Parking is kept small on purpose, so the trails stay quieter than other lake hikes in the park and leave room for solitude. The lot often fills early, and carpooling helps.
