String Lake Boating

Directions – Google Map
Map of String Lake

String Lake is a great place to canoe, kayak, and paddleboard.

If you have your own, great! You are all set!

If you don’t have your own, no problem!

Well, maybe one problem. You can’t rent canoes, kayaks, and/or paddleboards on-site at String Lake. You need to rent them before coming to String Lake.

Canoe on String Lake

There are many places in the town of Jackson for rentals, but the place we use and love is Dornan’s Adventure Sports (not an affiliate). Dornan’s is located right outside the south end of the park in Moose, WY. You’ll need a vehicle to transport any water rentals to String Lake.

The people at Dornan’s Adventure Sports are fantastic! They will help you tie the canoe/kayak/paddleboard on your vehicle. When they do, pay attention as you will have to tie the watercraft on when returning it.

Canoeing and Kayaking

We have canoed this lake many times.

The earlier you go in the morning, the less crowded it is.

And the more peaceful it is.

Canoe on String Lake

Very peaceful.

There is a chill in the air, mist coming off the lake, while the sun comes up over the trees hitting the mountains – it makes for GREAT pictures.

The water is almost always calm in the morning, you’ll glide through the water easily.

Early morning also provides a better chance of seeing animals. We have seen a herd of elk grazing on the west side of String Lake and one time we witnessed four elk crossing String Lake.

Dance party literally in the middle of String Lake

NOTE: As you go north on String to Leigh Lake, the center of the lake can be very shallow, so shallow that canoes can get high centered.

If you decide to canoe or kayak String Lake, consider going up to Leigh Lake too. You’ll head north along String until you see the footbridge. You’ll transport your equipment 1/10 of a mile to the Leigh Lake Portage.

Photo by: Denis LeBlanc

NOTE: There is a bear box right before the stairs at Leigh Lake. Never leave any food and water unattended. Throw food and water into the bear box if you have to make a couple of trips back and forth between String and the Leigh Lake stairs.

Leigh Lake is a much bigger lake than String and much deeper. You can spend as much time as you like here and then just leave the way you came, back to String Lake.

Paddleboarding

String Lake is an excellent lake for paddleboarding. We learned to paddleboard here. It was less intimidating here because of the shallowness of the water and that the water usually stayed smooth and calm.

Know Before You Go

• String Lake has shallow enough places to get high centered in a canoe. See the previous picture
• There are also some big rocks under the water to navigate around.
• Use the bear box at Leigh Lake stairs to store food when making trips between String and Leigh when transporting equipment. Never leave food unattended!
• If you are renting canoes/kayaks/paddleboards from Dornan’s Adventure Sports it is always best to call ahead and reserve the item. 307-733-2415 ext. 302 (At the time of publishing, online reservations were not available.)
• Since you might get wet, you might want to paddleboard in the warmer parts of the day, like afternoon. Canoeing and kayaking can be done anytime because there is less chance of getting wet.
• Carry and know how to use bear spray.

Bear Safety
Using Bear Spray
How to Use Bear Spray Video
Buy Bear Spray

Have any questions or thoughts on String Lake? Let us know in the comment section below.

Keep Your Eye Peeled for a Moose!

Jenn Cunningham
Founder, Explore GTNP