December in Grand Teton National Park is a shoulder month: highs around 26°F, lows around 7°F. Crowds: very quiet — #8 busiest of the park's 12 months. Snowbound again; Jackson's ski season carries the valley's tourism now. The editorial best window here is July & September. You get about 8h 55m of daylight. To finish Paintbrush Canyon–Cascade Canyon Loop (8h 50m) before dark, leave the trailhead by about 7:53 AM.
Month data reviewed · how we check this
| Verdict | Shoulder Quiet and rewarding if you accept reduced services or weather. |
|---|---|
| Temps °F | 26° high / 7° low |
| Crowds | very quiet · #8 busiest of the park's 12 months |
| What December is like | Snowbound again; Jackson's ski season carries the valley's tourism now |
| Best window (whole year) | July & September |
| Peak crowds (whole year) | Jul–Aug |
CROWDS: RELATIVE SEASONALITY FROM NPS VISITATION STATISTICS · TEMPS: APPROXIMATE NOAA NORMALS AT MAIN VISITOR ELEVATION — HIGH COUNTRY RUNS 10–20°F COLDER
DAYLIGHT ON DECEMBER 15 · LOCAL PARK TIME (MST)COMPUTED FROM THE PARK'S OWN COORDINATES FOR THE 15TH — THE MIDDLE OF THE MONTH STANDS FOR IT, AS IT DOES FOR CLIMATE NORMALS. WITHIN A MONTH THESE TIMES SHIFT BY UP TO AN HOUR
LEAVE THE TRAILHEAD BY — TO FINISH BEFORE DARK ON DECEMBER 15WALKING TIMES ESTIMATED FROM EACH TRAIL'S MEASURED DISTANCE AND ELEVATION GAIN — A PLANNING FIGURE, NOT A PACE. ADD YOUR OWN MARGIN FOR PHOTOS, REST AND CROWDS. WATER AT THE COOL-WEATHER RATE, BECAUSE THIS MONTH AVERAGES 26°F. TRAILS WE HAVE NOT MEASURED ARE LEFT OUT RATHER THAN GUESSED
WHAT DECEMBER ASKS OF YOU HEREGrand Teton National Park in January — Shoulder, highs around 26°F, crowds: very quiet (deep winter — the park itself is snowbound; jackson hole's ski season is the draw, not the trails).
Our verdict for December is "Shoulder". Quiet and rewarding if you accept reduced services or weather. Expect highs around 26°F and lows around 7°F, with crowds at the "very quiet" level. Temperatures are approximate NOAA normals at the main visitor elevation; crowd levels follow published NPS visitation statistics.
Across the full 12-month review, the best window is July & September, and the peak-crowd months are Jul–Aug. December itself we rate "Shoulder".
About 8h 55m on December 15: the sun rises around 7:50 AM and sets around 4:45 PM local park time (MST). Computed from the park's own coordinates, so it is the light you actually get at the trailhead, not the nearest city's.
Paintbrush Canyon–Cascade Canyon Loop takes about 8h 50m of walking, so on December 15 you would need to leave the trailhead by about 7:53 AM to finish before dark — the sun sets around 4:45 PM local park time (MST). Walking times are estimated from each trail's measured distance and elevation gain, so treat them as a planning figure and add your own margin for photos, rest and crowds.
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