Symmetry Spire approach

I'm planning to climb SW Ridge route of Symmetry Spire next week and I'm looking for more info on the approach. I've got the Ortenburger guide and the relevant bits of the Rossiter guide are viewable on Google Books. Both contain good information, but I'm not sure how clear the route is once you get off of the standard trails. Does anyone have any suggestions on landmarks to specifically watch out for or avoid? Or are the two descriptions that I have more than sufficient?

We are planning to park at String Lake early in the morning and hike in from that direction, on advice from the Jenny Lake rangers. Does a ~3h approach for average hikers (not fast, not slow) sound about right?

Is the "small stream", just beyond the point where you leave the more established trail, easy to miss? I've been tricked in the past by "small" features...

Hi Dave,
I had done this route approx ten years ago, and I dont remember any of the small details. Everything was pretty straightforward and the climbers trail cutoff was pretty easy to find. I do remember the approach being very grueling and I would recommend packing light. We hiked around Jenny Lake, and I am not sure where string lake is, but I would take the boat if starting at the east side of Jenny.

went up there a couple of years ago and caught the first boat across the lake & only got a one-way ticket. The trail is pretty obvious and it runs up the gully forever. We didn't have too much trouble finding the raps in the dark on the way down either, plenty of cairns. 3 hours sounds about right for a moderate pace, enjoy!

The point where the climber's trail leaves the horse trail is often marked with a small cairn, and it heads up through thick willowy brush until almost the first cliff band. That section of trail is the only part that is likely to be confusing. Just keep looking at your feet: many feet have packed the earth.

Above the first little cliff band you will work your way up over some slabs - you might lose the "trail" momentarily here too, but if you keep heading up and left (the obvious direction) you will pick it up again quickly.

All in all, very straightforward - don't worry about it.

Thanks to all for the helpful responses. I've often found locating and reaching climbs to be more difficult/stressful than actually doing the climbing, and this is probably the longest approach I've ever attempted. Knowing that the trail isn't too bad definitely brings the anxiety down a couple of notches.

Make sure you are confident walking in crampons on consolidated snow.
The appraoch involved alot of snow in the upper 1/3 and towards the top it is steep snow. Go with good footwear and crampons and either ski poles and or ice axe if conditions warrant it. Went up this approach Aug 2011 and there was alot of snow. I don't know what the conditions are this year?

Approach shoes are all you need. Symmetry and SW Couloirs are completely dry - even at the beginning of July we found axes unnecessary.

tetonclimbingsymmetry.blogs…
tetonclimbingsymmetry.blogs…

The approach is very straightforward, especially by Teton standards. If you scramble to the true summit, the traversing descent off the backside is pretty easy and no raps are required.

The route itself goes very quickly, especially if you're comfortable simul-climbing. In which case I'd sleep in and catch the boat to save some hiking (forecast-dependent, of course). From the dock, head north a short distance along the lake and take the horse trail to bypass the hordes heading to Inspiration Point. Have fun!

Completely dry approach means a lot less weight in the ole pack!

"Is the "small stream", just beyond the point where you leave the more established trail, easy to miss?"

Your phrasing hits at a misunderstanding of the trails and/or distances. Its straightforward so long as you understand the difference between the horse trail and the main trail. From the perspective of the boat dock, the horse trail branches off the main trail a couple hundred feet north of the dock. The horse trail is itself a well developed trail. You follow it for at least a quarter mile, maybe a half mile, until you reach the climbers trail and the stream.

One possible point of confusion is that the "turnoff before the stream" is not as low in the drainage as you expect it to be. Keep going up slope a bit until you get to the obvious little stream with cobbles, then backtrack 50 feet or whatever the guide says.

Once you're on the climber's trail you'll have no problem with the route finding.

Just did this climb a few days ago. No snow travel, just approach shoes. Took the boat across jenny lake at 7am. Last boat back is at 6pm. Even with the boat ride, its a long day because of the steep approach/descent that is often on somewhat loose rock at the top of the colour. The trail was pretty well defined, as described above. There is a spot where we scrambled up about 15 ft of rock wall on the approach. Its not hard to pick the trail back up after that point. The trail will keep taking u up to the top of the gulley, then finally cut across to the climbers right. There's a small pine tree by the start of the route. The actual climbing is fantastic. Have fun.