With sublime views of mountain peaks, unblemished beauty of secluded alpine lakes, and ample opportunity for spotting wildlife, Grand Teton National Park offers some of the most rewarding hikes in the United States.

When we were researching trails in Grand Teton, we were immediately enamored by the turquoise color of Delta Lake and put it on our must-do list. It is a very rewarding trail and one of the most popular hikes in the park. You can visit three stunning glacial lakes surrounded by majestic alpine mountains in one hike. Each lake has its own unique color and character. Delta Lake is considered one of the most beautiful lakes in Grand Teton by many hikers and photographers. 

The hike to Surprise, Amphitheater and Delta Lake follows two trails. The hike to Surprise and Amphitheater Lakes is a well-marked, well-maintained and official trail that you can find information for on NPS (National Park Service). However, the hike to Delta Lake is unmarked and unofficial, and the condition of the path is much harder than maintained trails. The trail is a footpath in the woods and rocks with no blazes or signs, so you need to navigate on your own. We want to share our experience and our hiking track from AllTrails to help you prepare for this hike. 

The hike starts at Lupine Meadows Trailhead. The parking area at the trailhead is fairly large but can fill up fast in summer months. There is overflow parking alongside Lupine Meadow Road, but you will end up walking a long way through the parking lot to the trailhead. So ideally arrive before 8 AM to avoid the headache of finding a parking spot. 

Basic information of Surprise, Amphitheater and Delta Lakes Trail

• Trailhead: Lupine Meadows Trailhead 
• Length: 11.5 miles
• Elevation Gain: 3667 ft
• Difficulty Level: Hard
• Estimated Total Hiking Time: 7.5 hours 

Here is a record of our route along Surprise, Amphitheater and Delta Lakes Trial for your reference.

We went to Delta Lake first then to Surprise and Amphitheater Lakes. We wanted to hike the hard part in early morning when weather was cool, and we had more energy. We will follow that order in this article. 

The beginning of the hike is an easy path with a mild incline walking through forests and meadows with the occasional view of Bradley and Taggart Lakes. After hiking about 2 miles, you will reach the first fork with a signpost, on your left is the trail to Bradley and Taggart Lakes. Continue straight. From here, the switchbacks of the trail to Surprise, Amphitheater and Delta Lakes begin, and you start ascending the mountain. Continue along the trail to Amphitheater Lake and count the number of switchbacks you have done. After finishing exactly three switchbacks, at the hairpin corner of the third, there is an abrupt steep downhill path with three stairs on your right if you are hiking up toward Amphitheater Lake. This is the start of the path to Delta Lake.  

The beginning is a steep downhill through some dead trees and brush. Shortly after this, you will reach the first rockfall area. Starting from there, you will always be hiking uphill. The rocks in the first boulder field are small and easy to walk across. 

The first boulder area is not that large. Follow a short path through trees to reach the second rockfall, which is larger than the first one. Hike uphill to the top of this rockfall and you will run into a steep noticeably traveled dirt path. Follow that path, and you will be at Delta Lake soon. 

Other articles mention a dirt path that goes around the second rock field, so you don’t have to walk on the rockfall. We didn’t find the path, so we ended up hiking across the rockfall and felt that it isn’t too hard to walk through as there are plenty of solid stable rocks you can step on. There isn’t an absolute correct or incorrect way to the lake. We hiked through the rockfall toward the lake and came out following along the steep dirt path, as you can see from our record route (through the white arrows <, > you can see the paths we came in and out). Choose the path you feel comfortable with. Our experience is the rocky areas were not too bad: there are plenty of solid, stable rocks to step on, and the dirt path, in our opinion, is steep and slippery.

As this part of the trail to Delta Lake is unofficial and unmarked, it is very helpful to use an offline map from AllTrails to navigate. Many hikers have recorded their tracks to Delta Lake. Delta Lake has become very popular in recent years, so you will most likely encounter other hikers on the trail. If you have a hard time finding the path, you can ask or team up with them.

Once you get to Delta Lake, the view is marvelous! With a vibrant turquoise color and the massive Grand Teton peak as a backdrop, Delta Lake is one of the most beautiful glacial lakes in Grand Teton National Park. At the lake, you are pretty much as close as you can get to the highest point in the park, the Grand Teton at 13,777 feet if you don’t plan to climb. If you stand right in front of Grand Teton peak, you can clearly see Disappointment Peak on your left, Mount Owen on your right, and Teton Glacier in between Grand Teton and Mount Owen. This view is worth all the effort.

After spending time at Delta Lake, hike back the path you came in on to the hairpin turn and continue hiking up the rest of the trail to Surprise and Amphitheater Lakes. From here to Surprise Lake, the incline increases, with 1000 feet elevation gain in one mile, but it is not too hard to manage if you made it through to Delta Lake. 

You will reach Surprise Lake first. Surprise Lake has a unique luminous pine green color and is relatively smaller in size compared the other two lakes on this trail. From Surprise Lake you can see the Grand Teton and Mount Owen pierce into the blue sky.

After Surprise Lake, the hike to Amphitheater is very short, about 0.2 miles. Amphitheater Lake has a brilliant, deep green mix with blue color, with multiple magnificent alpine mountains as a backdrop. You have a clear view of several epic Teton mountains: Middle Teton, Grand Teton, Disappointment Peak, and Mount Owen. 

For avid hikers and climbers, from Amphitheater Lake you can continue hiking to Disappointment Peak. 

After enjoying the beauty of Amphitheater Lake, hike back the trail you came on, back through all the switchbacks and the last two miles, back to the parking lot. 

Tips for hiking Surprise, Amphitheater and Delta Lakes Trail

• If you are an inexperienced hiker and want to hike to Delta Lake, team up with at least one experienced hiker
• Wear professional hiking boots, not sneakers or flip-flops
• Wear fast-dry clothes as you will get sweaty along the hike and the weather gets cooler and windier by the lakes
• Trekking poles can be very helpful. They take weight off your legs when going uphill and release some pressure on your knees going downhill.
• Pack enough water. We packed 3 liters of water each on this hike in early September and felt that it was more than enough. 2 to 2.5-liters of water per person should be enough for a not super-hot summer day.
• Pack lunch and snacks. We packed deli sandwiches, jerky and protein bars. Pack some candy that can immediately raise your blood sugar – this can be very helpful on a hike.
• Bring a first-aid kit. 
• Pack a light rain jacket as it gets chilly and windy at the lakes. Not a rain poncho, instead, get an outdoor style water-resistant, wind-breaker jacket. 
• If you hike in the late fall when the weather is cooler, pack a hat, a neck gaiter, and gloves.
• Bring bear spray. Hiking in bear country, bear spray is your life insurance.
• If you use your mobile phone for navigation, download offline trail maps.
• Highly recommend bringing a battery bank. Offline trail navigation consumes a lot of battery. By late afternoon, our phone often had less than 20% of battery left.
• Bring sunscreen.
• Bring your camera or smart phone!

I hope this article provide the information you look for to prepare for this trail. Have a great hike!