Most ascent routes on the Grand begin with the Lupine Meadows trail which winds roughly 6 miles up beautiful Garnet Canyon until it reaches the Lower Saddle between the Grand and Middle Tetons.

Directions
Lupine Meadow trailhead is the jumping off point for most routes on the mountain. Expect a lot of cars at this trailhead.

From Lupine Meadow Trailhead (6732 ft) follow the trail up through Garnet Canyon. At 1.7 miles the trail forks. Stay right and continue for 1.5 miles where the trail forks again.

If climbing the Owen-Spalding, Exum Ridge, or Petzoldt Ridge, go left, following the signs to Garnet Canyon. After 1.1 miles, the Platforms (8960 ft) campsites are reached. Shortly after, the trail crosses a moraine field and reaches the Meadows (9200 ft) camping area after another 1.0 miles.

At the Meadows, a small log bridge will greet you to the left. Stay right and follow the trail as it begins to switchback up toward Spalding Falls. Above the falls, the trail continues climbing until reaching the Lower and Upper Moraine campsites. Above the Upper Moraine campsites the Lower Saddle headwall will appear directly to the west.

Use the fixed rope to ascend the class 3/4 headwall section. A short hike above the headwall will end at the Lower Saddle.