4.2 miles
Taggart trailhead to Lucas-Fabian Cabins
Grand Teton National Park
Fee: $0.00 - donations appreciated
Access:
Drive north on WY Hwy 89 from Jackson to Moose. Take the Inner Grand Teton National Park road 3 miles north past the GTNP Entrance (bring your pass – NPS fee applicable) to the Taggart Lake Trailhead parking. Note: the road is plowed up to this point.
Description:
The Lucas -Fabian Cabins is a favorite easy and scenic destination for cross-country skiers and snowshoers alike. The group of log cabins are a historic landmark set 300 yards off the groomed Teton Park road trail, and only 2 miles from the Taggart trailhead, with stunning views of the Grand Teton on a clear day.
Start at Taggart trailhead and ski north 2 miles on the groomed Teton Park road. If you chose to skate ski, please note that the Cabins are set 300 yards off the groomed trail, accessible via a non-groomed, skier-track. This can be a bit slippery on skate skis, but feasible. To find the side trail over to the cabins, at the 2 mile distance, look west (left side heading north) for skier tracks or the indication of a summer service road. Ski off the groomed road to a low wooden bridge crossing Cottonwood Creek. Continue straight (heading west) and shortly, a group of 5 cabins and an old barn will appear on both sides of the trail.
The main cabin has a south facing covered porch, often without snow, to stop and have a snack, admire the view, and reflect on the history of the intrepid Geraldine Lucas.
"Geraldine Lucas bucked tradition by leaving her husband, returning to college as a single mother, and teaching school. Upon retirement in 1913, she joined her siblings in Jackson Hole and homesteaded south of Jenny Lake. In 1924, she met 16-year-old Paul Petzoldt as he set out for his first climb of the Grand Teton. Later that year, Petzoldt guided Lucas, who at age 58 became the second woman to reach the summit of the Grand Teton." -(National Park Service -nps.gov)
2 options to return:
a/ Return to the Teton Park road groomed trail, and either return to Taggart trailhead, or to extend your tour, head left (north) to ski further out towards Jenny Lake.
b/ From the Lucas cabin, a skier-tracked trail heads south across an open meadow. This trail (which may not be apparent after fresh snowfall) eventually enters some woods and follows Cottonwood Creek's west shore south to rejoin the Teton Park Road groomed trail just south of the bridge.
For more info on The Lucas-Fabian Cabins history, see: https://www.nps.gov/grte/learn/historyculture/lucas.htm
https://jacksonholehistory.org/lucas-fabian/