The continuation path has a steep descent to Lake Solitude at the upper end of Cascade Canyon, a long valley that is followed downstream for 6.5 miles all the way to Jenny Lake, from where the String Lake trailhead is 1.5 miles north.

The final section ascends through sparkling Alpine meadows beneath a jagged snow-covered ridge then crosses a steep scree slope, past a small glacier and on to the summit. The northernmost drainage is accessed by the Paintbrush Canyon Trail, which passes spectacular and varied scenery over the 8 miles to its highpoint of 10,700 feet at Paintbrush Divide starting next to pretty String Lake, the path climbs gradually up Paintbrush Canyon giving distant views of the much larger Leigh and Jackson lakes, and reaches another scenic lake ( Holly) after 6 miles, set in a rocky, glacial bowl. There are five main routes, along Granite, Open and Death canyons in the south of the park, and the adjacent Cascade and Paintbrush canyons further north, both of which may be seen by a strenuous loop hike of 19 miles and nearly 4,000 feet of elevation gain - quite possible for fit hikers to complete on one long day, though two primitive campsites en route allow for multi-day hikes. Canyons provide a course for most backcountry hikes in Grand Teton National Park, along trails that follow mountain streams up valleys which are thickly wooded at the lower end but become steadily rockier and less vegetated, as the paths climb towards the tundra zone above 10,000 feet.

String lake to the paintbrush divide