Hanging Canyon
Encyclopedia
Hanging Canyon is located in Grand Teton National Park
, in the U. S. state of Wyoming
. The canyon was formed by glacier
s which retreated at the end of the last glacial maximum
approximately 15,000 years ago, leaving behind a U-shaped valley
. Hanging Canyon is south of Mount Saint John
and north of Symmetry Spire
. The canyon is northwest of Jenny Lake
and within the canyon lies Lake of the Crags and Ramshead Lake.
Grand Teton National Park
Grand Teton National Park is a United States National Park located in northwestern Wyoming, U.S. The Park consists of approximately and includes the major peaks of the long Teton Range as well as most of the northern sections of the valley known as Jackson Hole. Only south of Yellowstone...
, in the U. S. state of Wyoming
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
. The canyon was formed by glacier
Glacier
A glacier is a large persistent body of ice that forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. At least 0.1 km² in area and 50 m thick, but often much larger, a glacier slowly deforms and flows due to stresses induced by its weight...
s which retreated at the end of the last glacial maximum
Last Glacial Maximum
The Last Glacial Maximum refers to a period in the Earth's climate history when ice sheets were at their maximum extension, between 26,500 and 19,000–20,000 years ago, marking the peak of the last glacial period. During this time, vast ice sheets covered much of North America, northern Europe and...
approximately 15,000 years ago, leaving behind a U-shaped valley
U-shaped valley
A U-shaped valley also known as a glacial trough is one formed by the process of glaciation. It has a characteristic U-shape, with steep, straight sides, and a flat bottom. Glaciated valleys are formed when a glacier travels across and down a slope, carving the valley by the action of scouring...
. Hanging Canyon is south of Mount Saint John
Mount Saint John
Mount Saint John is located in the Teton Range, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, northwest of Jenny Lake. The mountain towers above the northwest shore of Jenny Lake, and along with Symmetry Spire and Rockchuck Peak, form a massif which looms to the north above Cascade Canyon...
and north of Symmetry Spire
Symmetry Spire
Symmetry Spire is located in the Teton Range, Grand Teton National Park in the U.S. state of Wyoming. The mountain, first climbed via the east ridge route on August 20, 1929 by Fritiof Fryxell and Phil Smith, towers above the northwest shore of Jenny Lake and Cascade Canyon...
. The canyon is northwest of Jenny Lake
Jenny Lake
Jenny Lake is located in Grand Teton National Park in the U.S. state of Wyoming. The lake was formed approximately 12,000 years ago by glaciers pushing rock debris which carved Cascade Canyon during the last glacial maximum, forming a terminal moraine which now impounds the lake. The lake is...
and within the canyon lies Lake of the Crags and Ramshead Lake.