Two Ocean Lake is a gorgeous place for a hike. Tucked into a northeastern corner of Grand Teton National Park, it is a relic of the last ice age. During late spring and into summer, wildflowers are colorful and profuse, splashed across hillsides like an impressionist’s dream.
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| Trail along Two Ocean Lake to Grand View Point |
Within moments of embarking on our 9–mile hike around the lake we are surrounded by uncountable wildflowers, pouring off hillsides and overflowing onto the trail.
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| Blue Lettuce (Lactuca tatarica) |
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| Sticky Geranium (Geranium viscosissimum) |
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| Brian stops to smell the wildflowers |
Two Ocean Lake is a vestige of ice sheets thousands of feet thick that retreated from these parts sometime around 14,000 years ago (or even as late as 10,000 years ago, according to some folks). Its name is misleading, though.
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| Two Ocean Lake and peaks of the Teton Range |
The name “Two Ocean” might lead you to think that this lake drains into two oceans, most likely the Atlantic and the Pacific. However, this is not the case.
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| Yellow Balsamroot (Balsamorhiza sagittata) with pink Sticky Geranium |
The continental divide does punch its way through this corner of Wyoming, to be sure. However, the divide, which separates waters flowing west into the Pacific from waters flowing east into the Atlantic, crosses Two Ocean Plateau, several miles to the north from Two Ocean Lake.
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| Blue Forget-me-not or Many-flowered Stickseed (Hackelia floribunda) with pink Sticky Geranium |
Two Ocean Lake was named in error. Being as it is situated on the west side of the continental divide, it drains only to the Pacific.
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| Rock Clematis (Clematis occidentalis) |
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| Yellow Balsamroot (Balsamorhiza sagittata) grazes the trail |
In no way does that error of geographical inaccuracy detract from the spectacular beauty of the lake’s location.
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| Sticky Geranium (Geranium viscosissimum) |
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| Sticky Geranium (Geranium viscosissimum) |
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| Wildflower-covered hillside leads to amazing views! |
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| Yellow Balsamroot (Balsamorhiza sagittata) |
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| Two Ocean Lake (l) and Emma Matilda Lake (r) from Grand View Point |
